Hayrack (Laška vas - Pečovje) - Grmada above Celje (via chapel at Mary and Bavč)

Access to starting point:
Hayrack "Laška vas - Pečovje" is an ideal starting point for mountaineering tours on the nearby hills. Hayrack was for a long time a characteristic of the gorge of the stream Bojanski potok between Pečovje and Laška vas, through which runs also an asphalted road. Few years back the hayrack owned by the farmer miserably decayed, but the municipality Štore because of the recognisability made a new one with the help of European funds with a purpose to preserve vernacular architecture. Next to the hayrack there is a large parking lot, where we can park our vehicle. So to the starting point, we can get with a car from Celje and Štore, where we follow signposts for Svetina. When we already drive past the area of old part of iron works in Štore, we leave the main road to Svetina and at the turn-off we turn right towards Pečovje. We continue on a narrow asphalt road for approx 1 km and we are already at the hayrack. Or we can get to the starting point also on foot, because the path from the railway station Štore to the hayrack is marked.

Path description:
The beginning of the path is at the new hayrack. A larger part of our path to Grmada is marked and equipped with signposts towards various peaks of Celje hills. Only a smaller part of our path will run on an unmarked footpath which is on attached picture clearly visible. At the crossroad at the hayrack in accordance with the signposts on Svetina via Marija we go on the asphalt road ahead in the direction of Pečovje. After approx 200 meters at the first crossroad we continue straight, and few steps ahead at the next crossroad we turn sharply left and a little uphill. An asphalt road at the sports field in the settlement Pečovje soon flattens again. Because of the starting point of the path Barbarina pot, we can at first follow the signs of this path. After three terraced houses, we turn left on the forest road which at the last homestead passes into a forest path. Soon the path branches off to the left, which leads through Bojanski graben, while we continue straight upwards through a dense forest. Soon from the right joins the path from Celje. We continue left on the forest road by holiday cottages and then once again left higher on a little narrower forest forest path partly also a cart track. The path is again a little steeper ascending and on the left side there are also some steel cables, more in the function of a fence than grip. We soon reach the crossing. Straight upwards there are signs CPP (Celje mountain trail) on Srebotnik, but today we continue left slightly downwards by the chapel with the image of Mary carved into the wall of Srebotnik. We continue upwards and on a wide forest path, partly a cart track, we soon reach the crossing. Here we continue right on a hardened forest road slightly upwards. We follow the forest road few hundred meters to another crossing below the south access on Srebotnik. Left uphill we can come on Tolsti vrh, right uphill we can come on Srebotnik, and we continue further on the forest road slightly to the left downwards on CPP, which in this part connects Srebotnik with Tolsti vrh. We follow the forest path for few more 100 meters to the first crossing of paths and stream Hudičev potok, where left uphill CPP branches off towards Tolsti vrh. Here we continue across the stream, where the forest path passes on an unmarked footpath. We follow the footpath on a diverse path about a kilometer through the forest, until we get to a bigger crossing on the saddle on the south side of Bavč, where from the right joins the marked path from Hudičev graben towards Grmada. We continue on a wide cart track, on which we bypass less known Bavč. The path a little further brings us to the next crossroad, where from the right side joins the path via Suhi potok. We continue in the direction of the mountain hut Pečovniška koča on a wide macadam road to the lonely farm. Here signs for Grmada point us to the right on the path which ascends between the residential house and the business building. We continue the ascent on a gentle cart track which crosses a lane of a forest and only a little further brings us to the mountain hut Pečovniška koča. From the mountain hut, we continue on the wide path, which is at first gently, and then steeper ascending towards the top of Grmada on vegetated eastern ridge of Grmada, from which occasionally a view opens up a little into the valley. A pleasant path after few minutes brings us to the summit, where there is an inscription book, stamp, from far recognizable big cross, a wish bell and a fantastic view above Celje with surrounding hills.

On the way: Pečovniška koča on Grmada (620m), Bavč (692m), Srebotnik (700m), Kapelica pri Mariji pod Srebotnikom (500m), Hotel Celjska koča (652m)

Trip can be extended to: Tolsti vrh above Celjska koča