Dobra / Neuhaus am Klausenbach - Schloss Kapelle (via Pfaffenriegel)

Access to starting point:
We drive to Rogašovci, and then we continue driving in the direction of Kuzma. When we get to Sotina, we turn left in the direction of the settlement Strgarjevo / Kalch. After crossing the national border, we turn right and then drive to the settlement Dobra / Neuhaus am Klausenbach, where in the center of the settlement, we turn left towards the Catholic and Evangelical church. Next follows a short, quite steep ascent, and then we park in a parking lot at the edge of the forest.

Path description:
From the parking lot, we go right in the direction of castle Tabor / Schloss Tabor and Neuhaus am Klausenbach (left castle Dobra / Burgruine Neuhaus am Klausenbach) and bypass the nearby evangelical church on its upper left side. The path ahead leads us along an asphalt road, which a little further runs along the lower side of the evangelical cemetery, then guides us through a strip of forest. When we leave the forest, the path takes us past an orchard and a pasture, and upon reaching a marked crossroad, we turn left toward castle Tabor. The path ahead leads us past a few more houses and the fairytale forest Märchenwald Mühlgraben.
Further along, the path continues past occasional houses, and higher up, we arrive at castle Tabor.
Castle and cultural hall we bypass on the right side, and then the road passes into the forest through which we descend slightly. When we leave the forest, the road flattens and leads us past a few houses, and at the smaller crossroad, we go slightly right. When we leave the hamlet, the path leads us below the farm with ostriches, and after a gentle ascent, we arrive at a crossing, where we go left following the signs Romischeck and Taborweg. The path ahead leads us for a short time alongside the farm Straussenhof Donner. After the farm, we descend more steeply for a while, then continue without significant changes in altitude alongside a larger clearing. When we return to the forest, we soon arrive at the cross Galgenkreuz.
We bypass the cross on the right side and continue on a gently sloping asphalt road, which initially still leads through the forest. Next follows a short descent, we leave the forest, then start ascending by the pasture, and past the farm arrive at a crossroad, where we go right. Next follows a short ascent, then we gradually start descending past occasional houses, and from the path a beautiful view opens up on castle Schloss Kapfenstein. Lower down, we reach the priority road, where we go left, and after the crossroad, we start ascending again. Next follows a few minutes of ascent, then a sidewalk appears by the road, along which we reach a marked crossing, where we go right upwards towards castle Schloss Kapfenstein. Next follows a steeper ascent, and in the middle of the nearby settlement, the path splits once again.
We continue right (left church, five minutes) and continue ascending. When we reach the left hairpin turn, we leave the asphalt road that continues towards the castle and proceed along a footpath, marked with signs for the Geo trail. The footpath turns left and initially runs parallel to the road, with a steel cable assisting us on the steep section. When the steel cable ends, we cross a short steep slope, then a little further cross a fence and continue right. Next follows an easy walk by the vineyard, which we bypass on the right side, then through a strip of forest reach a resting place below Kapfensteiner Kogel. Here we continue a few steps to the right, then on the grassy area proceed right (left Kapfensteiner Kogel, two minutes) towards the nearby chapel, which we reach after two minutes of further walking.
The starting point - castle Tabor 0:40, castle Tabor - Galgenkreuz 0:20, Galgenkreuz - Schloss Kapelle 1:30.
The description and pictures refer to the condition in January and February 2024.

On the way: Grad Tabor pri Dobri (380m), Galgenkreuz (361m), Oberpretal (370m)