Loka pri Žusmu (Žamerk) - Žusem

Access to starting point:
We leave the Štajerska highway at the Dramlje exit, then follow the signs for Šentjur. From the center of Šentjur, we continue briefly towards the settlement of Šmarje pri Jelšah, but soon turn right onto the road towards Podsreda and Planina pri Sevnici. When Šentjur ends, we soon turn left from the main road in the direction of Podsreda, Kozje, and Gorica pri Slivnici. When we get to the settlement Gorica pri Slivnici, we head from the roundabout to the exit for Sodna vas. Gorica pri Slivnici soon ends, and we bypass Slivniško jezero on the right side, then drive for quite some time on the road to the settlement Loka pri Žusmu, where we turn right into the center of the settlement, and at the church of St. Leopold, we turn right again in the direction of the settlements Dobrina and Virštanj. Next follows a relatively short ascent, and we follow the road to the hamlet Žamerk, where the described path begins by the chapel and the bus stop. At the starting point, there aren't any parking spots.
To the starting point, we can also get from the direction of the road Brežiče - Podplat, namely over Roginska Gorca and Zgornje Tinsko.

Path description:
From the chapel in the hamlet Žamerk, we head to the western side of the road, where a trail blaze on a sign directs us to a side road. The path ahead leads us past a few houses, and behind the last house in the hamlet, the asphalt ends. We continue past a small quarry and begin ascending diagonally through the forest; higher up, we leave the forest and ascend a scenic grassy slope. The diagonal ascent ends when we reach the indistinct 405-meter-high peak Vrhovnica, where the path turns left.
Here follows a few steps of easy descent, and we arrive at a crossroad from which we continue straight (the left road leads to a few individual houses), bypassing the nearby house on the right side. The path ahead leads us through a strip of forest, then splits.
To the left continues the Grajska learning path Žusem, but we continue along the road, which is asphalt from the last crossroad onward.
Next follows a somewhat longer diagonal ascent on a moderately steep road; after the scenic part, we return to the forest and quickly reach a path branching to the right toward the nearby ruins of the castle.
We continue straight (right the ruins of castle Žusem, 1 minute) and arrive at a crossroad, where we turn sharply left (right the quarry Žusem and Ječovo) and continue on the asphalt road to a junction a few minutes away, then turn right onto a macadam road, along which there are signs for Žusem. In the forest, the path immediately splits, and we continue left on an easier path (straight the very demanding path Gamsova pot).
Next follows a short ascent through the forest, then we cross a cart track, and the path turns slightly to the right and ascends diagonally to the upper edge of the quarry, where we join the path Gamsova pot.
For a few minutes, we continue along the upper edge of the quarry, where there are some warnings along the path, then the path turns slightly to the left and leads us to the tower of love on Žusem.
Starting point - castle Žusem 0:50, castle Žusem - Žusem 0:30.
Description and pictures refer to the condition in January 2025.

On the way: Vrhovnica (405m), Grad Žusem (509m)