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Chapels on the Polhov Gradec Hills

alyas22. 09. 2015 20:14:13

When planning Sunday bike trips, I usually always choose and check out some interesting sight along the way on the tour, … and since the Polhov Gradec Hills are densely dotted with chapels (usually standing on hilltops), which can be a good goal in themselves, this time we visit a few more - those around Horjul and Polhov Gradec. In nice weather the views are wonderful too, the only drawback of exploring this kind of cultural heritage are the locked doors of the chapels and sadly you can't see the interiors.
How to get from LJ to starting points Dobrova, Horjul or to Polhov Gradec, there's no need to describe here, but I'll divide my tour into two parts, since each loop from LJ is around cca 70 km.

Polhov Gradec Chapels - Part I:
Dobrova (Our Lady's church) - St.Urh - Zaklanec - near Rožnik - Koreno (St.Mohor) - Ulaka - Samotorica (St.Michael) - Butajnova (St.Anna) - Žul - Setnik - Mala Voda - Briše (Three Kings) - St. Martin - Polhov Gradec

For this tour it's best to use a mountain bike with good and wide tires, as there's quite a lot of riding on gravel/forest roads and paths: from Rožnik to Koreno, from Ulaka to Samotorica, from Kuclje to Žul, over Setnik, over V.vrh to Mala voda and then most of the road from Briše to St.Martin. From Butajnova over Setnik the side and forest roads are poorly marked, so some navigation or at least phone location comes in very handy. Although we biked past numerous houses, farms and their yards, there were no loose or dangerous dogs on this path eek

Chapels on the Polhov Gradec Hills part of the map of Polhograjski Hills and the local chapels

Chapels on the Polhov Gradec Hills when we leave LJ, we cycle mostly in the area of the municipalities Horjul and Dobrova - Polhov Gradec

Chapels on the Polhov Gradec Hills Dobrova - the first beautiful church of Our Lady right by the main road

Chapels on the Polhov Gradec Hills newer and more modest in construction church in Brezje

Chapels on the Polhov Gradec Hills signs for the church of St. Urh between Podolnica and Zaklanec

Chapels on the Polhov Gradec Hills very beautiful church of St. Urh with camp enclosure

Chapels on the Polhov Gradec Hills ... historical data

Chapels on the Polhov Gradec Hills views downward - to the wide and flat fields in front of Horjul

Chapels on the Polhov Gradec Hills From Zaklanec uphill to the saddle - for Koreno we choose the left road past Rožnik

Chapels on the Polhov Gradec Hills moderately steep macadam on the forest road from the Rožnik farm to Koreno

Chapels on the Polhov Gradec Hills along the forest road there is also a mountaineering footpath

Chapels on the Polhov Gradec Hills when we come out of the forest we can continue left through the hamlet or along the asphalt road, which is shorter to the top

Chapels on the Polhov Gradec Hills well-known appearance of the church of St. Mohor on Koreno

Chapels on the Polhov Gradec Hills View of Polhov Gradec, Tošč and Grmada from Koreno

Chapels on the Polhov Gradec Hills Time for the first rest, classic maps and tourist maps are still relevant today

Chapels on the Polhov Gradec Hills ... we continue towards Samotorica

Chapels on the Polhov Gradec Hills we choose the shorter macadam path below the crest edge, the asphalt road goes around and is a little longer

Chapels on the Polhov Gradec Hills ... towards Samotorica - initially scenic path above meadows at the forest edge

Chapels on the Polhov Gradec Hills when we reach the forest we choose the right upper path, the lower left path leads to the valley

Chapels on the Polhov Gradec Hills Samotorica and the church of St. Michael

Chapels on the Polhov Gradec Hills ... idyllic hill landscape

Chapels on the Polhov Gradec Hills after descent from Samotorica - here we turn right for Polhov Gradec and Gorenja vas (left goes to Šentojšt)

Chapels on the Polhov Gradec Hills on the main road we drive another 100m past the intersection, then the road to Butajnova branches off to the right upwards

Chapels on the Polhov Gradec Hills after a few hairpin turns uphill through the forest we reach the sunny and scenic village of Butajnova

Chapels on the Polhov Gradec Hills at the chapel of St. Anne in Butajnova

Chapels on the Polhov Gradec Hills Butajnova has several roads through the village, useful hiking sign - direction to Setnik (we didn't notice any others)

Chapels on the Polhov Gradec Hills signs and road to Setnik, also at this junction, when you leave the asphalt road you have to find your way a bit

Chapels on the Polhov Gradec Hills ... we continue along the macadam road to Žul

Chapels on the Polhov Gradec Hills steep descent to the hamlet Žul

Chapels on the Polhov Gradec Hills hamlet Žul, again idyllic rural landscape

Chapels on the Polhov Gradec Hills another fork and a small orientation problem ... and another steep slope to Setnik

Chapels on the Polhov Gradec Hills ... the path leads past this farm in Setnik

Chapels on the Polhov Gradec Hills down the forest road into the valley of Mala voda (to the main road to Polhov Gradec)

Chapels on the Polhov Gradec Hills steep descent into the valley

Chapels on the Polhov Gradec Hills I do not recommend driving this slope in the opposite direction

Chapels on the Polhov Gradec Hills Final arrival in the valley to the main road.

Chapels on the Polhov Gradec Hills Nice road - slightly downhill towards Polhov Gradec.

Chapels on the Polhov Gradec Hills Briše and the church of the Three Kings.

Chapels on the Polhov Gradec Hills Junction from the main road in Briše to the chapel of St. Martin.

Chapels on the Polhov Gradec Hills After a short and level asphalt section comes a steep gravel climb.

Chapels on the Polhov Gradec Hills At this house in Setnik, where we go practically through the courtyard, the climb is steepest.

Chapels on the Polhov Gradec Hills Chapel of St. Martin.

(+3)

alyas22. 09. 2015 21:23:20

Polhov Gradec Chapels - Part II

From Ljubljana via Dvor (old Gothic church of St.Peter) - Polhov Gradec (main church and manor) - Setnica (St.Ursula) below Grmada - Črni vrh (St.Leonard) - Praproče (St.George) and back.

Old Gothic church of St. Peter at Dvor, cultural monument.

Carefully crafted relief on the church entrance portal.

New church opposite across the road, the difference is obvious.

Polhov Gradec has four churches in its immediate area, to Gora or St. Lovrenc unfortunately not by bike.

Church of St. Elizabeth at Podrebri in Polhov Gradec.

The central church in Polhov Gradec is named after Mary.

In Polhov Gradec you must also visit the former manor and the nicely arranged park.

We continue northwards, everything is exemplarily marked.

... nicely arranged space and parking lot by the road and the Božna stream.

Here we turn into Mačkov graben, then soon again right to St. Ursula and the hamlet Setnica.

the asphalt road brings us to a scenic tourist farm

to the church of St. Ursula one must go along the track and a little detour

above the church the Grmada ridge begins, to which a footpath also leads from here

after the descent into the valley, we continue upstream along the Božna stream, here we turn left

... several kilometers of moderate ascent follow

the church of St. Leonard shows itself to us several times

also past the somewhat unusual building of the primary school on Črni vrh

large, from afar visible church of St. Leonard on Črni vrh

we return to the valley via the same road, here however we turn into Zalog and to Prapreče

another somewhat shorter ascent to the village Prapreče follows

... a descent to Briše in the valley follows

... in the valley there are usually more cyclists

... and another St. Jurij in Hruševo nad Gradaščica

(+3)

alyas26. 08. 2016 17:13:01

Polhov Gradec Chapels - Part III

Osolnik (St. Mohor and Fortunat) - St. Barbara - St. Andrej (loop from Sora)

The ascent to Osolnik can be started from the village Sora, where at the prominent church of St. Štefan a well-marked hiking trail and asphalt road to Hom hill branches off. The slope or gradient soon increases to about 15% and then to the end of the asphalt road approx. 3 km it doesn't subside much, to the saddle below Osolnik (Rožnik farm with tourist offer) then follows a somewhat easier macadam section.
From the farm at the saddle to Osolnik along the footpath there are signs prohibiting cycling, anyway to the top where the church of St. Mohor stands it's very hard to cycle due to the steepness. Due to cyclist-unfriendly signs, we descend back to the saddle and, as per the above, don't seek cart tracks past farms through forest glades to St. Barbara, although those shortcuts would shorten the path considerably.
The descent to Hrastnica valley is very steep and runs along poor forest roads; at the first junctions of forest roads keep right, then always straight down the main or larger road. We descend a couple of km all the way to the large gravel pit on the right, where over the bridge we cross the torrent and head towards St. Barbara. To the chapel it's about 1.5 km of steep but nice panoramic asphalt road along nice meadows and mown fields. We can return to Hrastnica valley along the same road or along the poorer forest path immediately above the church and over the so-called Grič.
From Hrastnica valley to St. Andrej follows a new ascent (approx. 2.5 km), which again runs along a fairly steep asphalt road through the forest; when we reach the saddle, we first notice the signs for the friendly guesthouse Rupar with a large parking lot, and from there we soon spot our goal too - the panoramic chapel of St. Andrej.
We return to Hrastnica valley along the same road, and from there continue towards Škofja Loka or Puštal; if you still haven't had enough climbs, after about half a km you can take the right turn via Jurčkov graben to Osolnik, which leads uphill over the hill and then we repeat the initial part to Sora.
Variant paths are marked red on the map and are technically harder.

in the village Sora at the chapel we turn towards Osovnik

on such trips it is good to know also about curiosities along the way

after approx. 3 km asphalt changes to gravel, the gradient flattens slightly

higher on the ridge several paths and roads interweave

first view of Jakoba on the opposite hill

last section towards Osovnik, the track is very steep

at the top of Osovnik at the chapel of sv. Mohorja

due to cyclist-unfriendly signs we abandon searching for shortcuts past the farms to sv. Barbara

and from the tourist farm Rožnik descend the forest road towards Hrastnica valley

shortly before Hrastnica valley, turn right over the bridge and past a larger quarry uphill to sv. Barbara

at the chapel sv. Barbara in the eponymous place

shortcut through the forest or back the same path to Hrastnica valley

branch-off to sv. Andreja from Hrastnica valley

follows slightly more than 2 km of shady asphalt road with incline 10-15%

this chapel also has quite a long history

at the end of ascents you can recuperate or restore lost calories in a friendly guesthouse

... already in the valley over Puštal and on towards Sora

Map of paths around Osolnik and some ideas for hill biking

(+2)

urbe26. 08. 2016 19:21:20

«/.../ Due to cyclist-unfriendly signs, we descend back to the saddle and considering the above written, don't search for cart tracks past farms through forest glades to St. Barbara /.../«

As far as I know Anžič is severely allergic to cyclists who climb (and cycle) to the church (hence also signs by macadam, pic 11); those who went through his yard to St. Barbara he left in peace (at least me). OK, I allow the possibility it's different now – quite a few years passed since I biked this variant zadrega

(+1)

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Chapels on the Polhov Gradec Hills