Lahmbach - Kapfensteiner Kogel

Access to starting point:
a) Through the border crossing Sotina we drive to Austria, where immediately after the border we continue left towards the settlement Strgarjevo / Kalch. After the mentioned settlement we arrive from the Austrian state Burgenland into Steiermark, after the settlement Neustift we soon cross the stream Lahmbach, after which we arrive at the spot where a forest road branches off to the right, along which there are signposts for Kapfenstein. At the beginning of the described path there are no arranged parking spots.
b) We drive to Gornja Radgona and then to Austria, from where we follow the signs for Sv. Ana pri Igu / St. Anna am Aigen. When we reach the valley of the river Ledava / Limbach, we turn right in the direction of the settlement Neuhaus am Klausenbach. From the mentioned crossroad, we drive approximately 900 meters and arrive at the starting point of the described path, where we notice signposts for Kapfenstein. At the beginning of the described path there are no arranged parking spots.

Path description:
From the asphalt road, we turn onto a macadam road that continues between the forest on the left and fields on the right. We soon leave the macadam road and continue left on a marked footpath that first ascends gently, then moderately through the forest. Higher up, we leave the forest and, passing between fields, reach a narrower asphalt road, which we follow to the right. A little further, the asphalt road turns left and leads us to the first houses in the settlement Rosenleiten. The path continues past houses and a cemetery, and along the entire street, we have a beautiful view of the castle Schloss Kapfenstein and the church of St. Miklavž. The houses along the path eventually end, and we arrive at a crossroad, where we carefully cross the main road and continue straight towards the castle, following the sidewalk.
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 for a few steps we continue to the right, then on the grassy part we continue left upwards (nearby chapel on the right) and in a minute of further walking, we reach the top.
Description and pictures refer to conditions in February 2024.