Bistrica ob Sotli - Svete gore (E7 path from Bistrica ob Sotli)

Access to starting point:
Bistrica ob Sotli is located at the junction of 4 roads. From the north, it is reached by the road from Celje or Maribor via Podčetrtek. From the south, it is reached by the road from Brežice via Bizeljsko. From the west, it is reached by the roads from Šentjur via Kozje and from Brestanica, which join in Podsreda. From the east, it is reached by the road from Croatian Zagorje, which crosses the border at the nearby border crossing near Kumrovec.

In the center of Bistrica ob Sotli, we can park in the parking lot next to the church of St. Peter. If it is full during church services and if there are no classes, we can alternatively try parking at the primary school.

Path description:
From the center of Bistrica ob Sotli we go along the main road towards Brežice. Soon, when the road at the old school building starts descending, a brown traffic sign informs us that for the footpath to Svete gore we need to turn right. Practically at the same spot, a green signpost directs us left onto a narrow path between two houses. The path by the edge of the forest slightly ascends for about 200 meters until it reaches an asphalt road, which makes a sharp turn at this spot. We continue straight on the asphalt road, still slightly upwards, for about 200 to 300 meters. When we pass the last house, another crossing follows; we follow the green signpost and go left on a cart track past the chapel and water reservoir. The cart track soon leads us into the forest and becomes a forest path. From here onwards, almost to the top, there are no more signposts, but this route is used by other paths as well, so we carefully follow various types of blazes, e.g., red-yellow for the European footpath E7, a pair of crossed rings for the path Pot ljubezni, and red-white-red blazes in the shape of the Austrian flag.

By following the mentioned blazes, it is easy to stay on the correct path, which leads through the forest and above the quarry, past the religious symbol of the Zvezani križ, to a new crossing just below the saddle. The signpost for Svete gore directs us right, straight towards the hamlet just below Svete gore (officially part of Zagaja), but this path is harder to traverse due to poor maintenance and fallen trees and is unmarked. Therefore, it is recommended to take a shorter detour. So we follow the signpost left towards Božja noga, and the path past the mentioned chapel quickly brings us to a road that branches off from the main road at the saddle between Bistrica ob Sotli and Bizeljsko. On the road, we turn right. The road soon leaves the forest, and we can already see the belfry of Mary's Church.

In the hamlet, we turn right onto a road where a traffic sign prohibits driving for all vehicles, and a little further ahead, there is also a gate. This very steep asphalt road, along which a newer wooden Way of the Cross stands on the left side, leads us to the highest-lying Lourdes Chapel. After a few Stations of the Cross, we can also turn left onto stairs that lead directly to Mary's Church.