Gračnica - Sveti Lovrenc (above Okroglice) (mimo Mlinariča)

Access to starting point:
We drive to Rimske Toplice, where we follow the signs to the railway station. From the railway station, we continue along the road leading towards Gračnica and Podklošter, and soon pass under a bridge to the eastern side of the railway line. At the confluence of Gračnica and Savinja, we arrive at a junction next to which we notice the first hiking signposts. We turn onto the right road, which continues along the railway line and has signs for Veliko Kozje; about 100 m further on, we park in the parking lot in front of the nearby company Pohištvo Pristanc. The parking lot by the factory is intended for the company's needs and is also fenced.

Route description:
From the parking lot, we continue along the asphalt road that heads south and bypasses the nearby factory on the left side. Here the road begins to visibly ascend and soon turns sharply left, climbing to a hamlet of a few houses, where it turns back to the right; from the nearby junction, we also go right (on some maps, it is indicated that the marked path continues along the left road).
A traverse ascent to the right follows, where we briefly get a nice view towards Kopitnik and Stražnik; a little further on, the road forks.
We continue along the slightly left road, where the markers continue (slightly right Zidani Most); the asphalt ends. Higher up, there are a few minor junctions, mainly turnoffs to farms, and we follow the otherwise sparse markers in this section.
We walk along the gravel road to an elevation of 600 m, or to a cross, where the markers direct us sharply right onto an initially gentle path that traverses the slopes to the right. Already about a minute further, we turn left uphill from this path onto a steep trail indicated by markers. A few minutes of steep ascent follow on a temporarily overgrown section of the path; when we return to the road, we easily climb along it to the Mlinarič farm.
Just above the farm, the road ends, and from the scenic section, we get a nice view of the Posavsko hribovje; we continue along the lower marked cart track, which for a short time continues without major elevation changes, then, as the forest begins to thin, we start ascending more steeply. At the cart track junction, we choose the left one, which ascends quite steeply further on; the path levels out only when we reach the indistinct ridge connecting Malo Kozje with Veliko Kozje.
A few minutes of moderate ascent through the forest follow, and we reach a marked junction, where we continue left downhill towards Lisce and sv. Lovrenc (right Veliko Kozje).
A fairly steep descent follows, losing about 100 gained elevation meters; from the next junction, we continue following the signs to Lisce and sv. Lovrenc.
Further on, there are a few more junctions, where we stick to the markers and the ridge connecting Veliko Kozje with Lisce; the path gradually widens into a gravel road, along which we arrive at a viewpoint from which we see southwards.
When we reach the junctions on a small pass a little further, where there is also a small shrine, we leave the road and continue along the marked path leading over Kozlov hrib. The marked path does not go over the highest point of the mentioned hill but gradually begins to descend behind the summit and widens into a cart track, along which we continue to the junction in front of the Centrih farm.
We continue slightly right (slightly left Lokovec and option to return to our starting point), bypassing the farm on the right side as well.
A little further on, we arrive at a chapel, where paths from Radeč and Breg join from the right; we continue towards Lisce and ascend past the fenced area to the church of sv. Lovrenc, from which we get a nice view.

Starting point - SE ridge of Veliko Kozje 1:55, SE ridge of Veliko Kozje - Gole junction 0:10, Gole junction - Centrih farm 0:45, Centrih farm - sv. Lovrenc 0:05.

The description refers to the condition in April 2026, the photos are from May 2025 and April 2026.

Along the route: Gračnica (238m), Križ (601m), Mlinarič (657m), Razpotje na JV grebenu V. Kozja (929m), Razpotje Gole (828m), Razgledišče nad Žirovnico (760m), Petelinji greben (746m), Kozlov hrib (752m), Centrih (697m), Kapelica na Lovrencu (691m)

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