Veliko Ubeljsko - Vojkova koča na Nanosu (via Sveti Bric)

Access to starting point:
From the Ljubljana–Koper motorway, take the Razdrto exit and continue along the parallel old road in the direction of Postojna. Soon we will notice signs that direct us left towards the villages Veliko Ubeljsko and Strane. In the village Malo Ubeljsko we come to the next junction, where we continue left (slightly right Strane) in the direction of Veliko Ubeljsko. We then follow this road to the parking lot by the cemetery, which is situated just a little before the village Veliko Ubeljsko.

Path description:
From the well-maintained asphalt parking lot by the cemetery we continue on the asphalt road, along which we quickly arrive in the village Veliko Ubeljsko. The path ahead leads past a few houses, a sports field somewhat distant from the road, the NOB monument, to the parish church of St. Urh, which we bypass on the right side. At the junction above the church we notice the first hiking trail markers, which direct us "straight ahead" onto the road that climbs above the village. At the end of the village we continue right past the water trough, onto a macadam road that continues to ascend transversely through the forest. A few minutes higher we arrive at a sort of turning area, where the marked path to Vojkova koča turns left onto an ascending cart track, while we continue straight on the gentle and henceforth unmarked cart track. A little further ahead the cart track brings us temporarily out of the forest or shrubbery onto a scenic slope surrounded by fenced pastures. The shrubbery, including blackberry bushes (blackberries in this area usually ripen at the end of August and September), is soon replaced by dense forest, through which we ascend transversely for quite some time on a mostly gentle cart track. When the forest thins somewhat or the mostly coniferous forest is replaced by mixed forest, the path levels out and becomes more overgrown. We walk a few minutes along an easy-to-follow but occasionally more overgrown path, then join the marked path leading from the village Strane towards Nanos.
When we reach the marked path we follow it to the left; it initially leads along a fairly gentle and quite rocky cart track. The cart track soon becomes quite steep, and we follow it at a few minor junctions as directed by the markers. Higher up the path takes us past a small spring, then after a few minutes of further walking brings us to a marked junction, where we continue right in the direction of the chapel of St. Bric (straight ahead Vojkova koča na Nanosu and Suhi vrh).
From the junction there follows only a short, approximately 2-minute transverse ascent, and the path brings us to the chapel of St. Bric, from which there is no better view due to the nearby forest.
From the chapel we return to the junction, then continue in the direction of Nanos. The path ahead ascends transversely across a steeper slope, from which some views open up through the tree crowns. Higher up a marked path branches off to the right towards the highest peak of Nanos - Suhi vrh, while we continue slightly left in the direction of the hut. A little further the forest thins, opening up a nice view of the Postojna basin and the hills surrounding it. When the path returns to the forest, another path branches off to the right towards Suhi vrh, and we again continue left in the direction of Vojkova koča.
From the junction the path runs for some time through dense forest, then after a short ascent we step onto a sort of ridge, where we temporarily emerge from the forest. From here the path turns slightly right and descends towards a sort of small valley (the area is called Lapuš). When we reach the edge of the small valley the path turns left, then continues across overgrown "meadows". A few more minutes of walking through the forest follow, then we step onto a nice grassy plain near Vojkova koča, from which only a short walk separates us.
The description and photos refer to the conditions in 2015 (August).

On the way: Sveti Bric (Nanos) (965m)

Trip can be extended to: Suhi vrh (Nanos)