Mali Lipovec (Šoićeva kuća) - Oštrc (via old castle Lipovec)

Access to starting point:
We arrive in Croatia via the Brežice / Bregana border crossing. Drive on the Bregana-Zagreb motorway to the Samobor exit. In the town, follow signs for Rude and Jastrebarsko. When you see the right turnoff for Smerovišće, leave the main road and continue to the village of Mali Lipovec (15 minutes) and the Šoićeva kuća restaurant, where you can park (if the parking lot is full, park further along the road and it is also recommended to park along the road, as the parking lot is intended for restaurant guests).

Route description:
At the Šoićeva hiža restaurant (formerly a mountain hut) we will notice on a tree a sign for Lipovec castle, directing us into the forest. The path ahead quickly ascends the eastern slope and climbs in numerous switchbacks all the way to the summit of Lipovec, where the ruins of the old castle are located.
The path continues through the ruins (before the ruins there is also an unofficial shortcut bypassing the castle), along the inner side of the wall, where we will also notice a stamp (Lipovec castle is a checkpoint on the Samobor mountain trail) and a logbook box.
From here it seems we must return, but if we look closely we see the path leads right through the ruins eastward. A relatively steep descent follows to the saddle below the summit, where we join a somewhat wider cart track along which we walk for a while. After some time we leave the cart track and ascend more steeply again through the forest. Higher we reach a sub-summit from which a short descent leads to the next saddle. The path ahead ascends moderately along the edge of a pine forest.
Higher we step back onto the ridge temporarily, walking mostly through sparse forest. The path continues along the edge of a grassy slope, partially rocky in places. Along a fairly level section we quickly reach the nearby road, then walk along it to the Željezničar mountain hut below Oštrc.
At the hut we notice summit markers; it is still about 10 minutes via a steep and occasionally very scree-covered path. Upon reaching the summit we are still in the forest, so it is worth continuing a bit further to the large cross from where a limited view opens.

Along the route: Stari grad Lipovec (582m)

We recommend: similar trips