Podgrad - Španov vrh (Besnica)

Access to starting point:
From Ljubljana over Zalog: On Zaloška cesta (exit east bypass Ljubljana - east) we drive towards the east past Zalog, on the bridge over the Ljubljanica we officially leave Ljubljana, after about 1.5 km we reach the settlement sign for Podgrad, soon on our left we notice the inn Pri Peclju, right after it we turn right (signpost towards Besnica) through the underpass under the railway track (caution, the underpass is narrow and low, so larger vehicles may not be able to pass through!). We drive through the village Podgrad, the already narrow road past the factory Arbo at the end of the village narrows even more. Immediately after passing the factory, on the right we will notice a large sign for the Ostrovrharjeva hiking path, but we park at a small parking lot on the opposite (left) side of the road.
From Ljubljana over Sostro: On Litijska cesta (exit east bypass Bizovik, Sostro) we drive towards the east (direction Sostro). When we drive past Zadvor and approach Sostro, we follow the signs for the priority road, so we first turn left and immediately after that turn right. The road ascends in a few hairpin turns to the Pečar pass and then descends in a few hairpin turns towards Besnica. When the descent flattens at the beginning of Besnica, we turn left towards Podgrad and drive for some time through the valley (gorge) of the river Besnica. Immediately after the settlement sign for Podgrad, just before the factory Arbo, we will notice a large sign for the Ostrovrharjeva hiking path on our left, but we park at a small parking lot on the opposite (right) side of the road.
From Litija: We join the road that leads from Šmartno pri Litiji past Zavrstnik and Štangarske Poljane towards the west. After Štangarske Poljane, the road ascends through quite a few spectacular zig-zags to Trebeljevo and then descends less spectacularly into the valley of Besnica. We drive through the sprawling village to the end of Spodnja Besnica. When the road would begin ascending to the Pečar pass, we turn right (signpost for Zalog) and drive for some time through the valley (gorge) of the river Besnica. Immediately after the settlement sign for Podgrad, just before the factory Arbo, we will notice a large sign for the Ostrovrharjeva hiking path on our left, but we park at a small parking lot on the opposite (right) side of the road.

Path description:
From the starting point at the parking lot, we cross the road, pass the sign for the path Ostrovrharjeva pot over the footbridge, and soon reach a crossing just at the foot of the hill. Here we turn left on the only path that does not start ascending. We walk on a gentle path or avoid any mud by walking along the edge of the clearing, where there is also a hunting observatory. A little after the end of the clearing, where we might have to step over or jump over a smaller torrent, we reach a new crossing. The path straight ahead would start ascending, but we turn left here, as directed by the sign for the path Ostrovrharjeva pot (visible only from the opposite direction). The most trodden path through a sparse forest first leads us over a larger and then immediately over a smaller wooden footbridge, after which we cross the road (caution, the road is not very clear due to bends, so be careful!). On the other side of the road, a sign for the path Ostrovrharjeva pot directs us onto a footpath into the forest. The footpath first ascends to the left until another footpath joins from the left over a small ridge. Here we turn right, as also indicated by a wooden signpost for path "Ostrov.". pot. The path steadily ascends diagonally along the slope of Murjevka and is probably the most challenging part of the route, both due to the steepness and the path over rocks and tree roots, where some caution is needed. We may also have to avoid a fallen tree.

When we almost reach the ridge, a new crossing follows. It is more comfortable if we turn left here and, after a few meters, reach the macadam forest road at the top of the ridge. Here we finally part from the path Ostrovrharjeva pot: a sign directs us to the left, but we turn right along the forest road. If at the previous crossing we continue straight, the footpath runs parallel and slightly above the forest road, joining it a little later.

The forest road ascends quite steadily. Eventually, the previously mentioned parallel footpath joins from the right, practically crossing the road and then continuing parallel to it on the left side for some time before finally merging with it. If we stay on the forest road, a steep downward slope descends to the right until we reach the slopes of Grmadnik. Here, we can optionally turn right at the crossing, which ascends steeply to the summit of Grmadnik. If we choose this option, we continue from Grmadnik along a footpath towards the south. If we stay on the forest road, we continue below the summit of Grmadnik, and eventually, the previously mentioned parallel footpath joins from the left. The road finally flattens a little, and we soon reach a crossing of multiple paths. From our right, a footpath from Grmadnik also reaches it.

If we wish, we can optionally turn straight (towards the west) onto a "blind" and increasingly overgrown cart track, which descends diagonally along the slope of Grmadnik for about 100 meters of elevation until it suddenly ends below a power line, offering some views towards Debni vrh and the overgrown ruins of the old castle Osterberg on the other side of the Besnica valley. The path to this "viewpoint" and back takes about 20 minutes.

Our path continues at the second crossing to the left, where a sign for the path Borovničeva pot towards Janče also directs us. From here, a fairly gentle road first leads just below an unnamed peak on our left. Somewhere here, a narrow footpath branches off to the left towards it, soon ending in pathless terrain, from where we can optionally reach this peak, marked with a wooden pyramid, by intuition (GPS estimates it at about 560 meters or roughly 10 meters of relative height above the road). . . If we continue a little further along the road, we will soon notice Španov vrh to the right of the road. On the right, we will soon see a tree marked with a yellow line. A little further from this tree, a poorly trodden path branches off to the right at a right angle, soon turning left (parallel with the road) and reaching peak Španov vrh after a short ascent, where there are no markers or similar.

From peak Španov vrh, we return along the same path back to the road. From here, we can continue along path Borovničeva pot towards Vnajnarje and Janče, or return to the starting point, possibly via one of the previously mentioned parallel paths.