Oberfresen (Brendlwald) - Großer Speikkogel (Koralpe) (upper path)

Access to starting point:
We drive to the settlement Ivnik / Eibiswald in Steiermark or the neighboring settlement Aibl, which is located southwest of Ivnik, and from the roundabout we go onto the road towards Labot / Lavamünd; along this road, we drive to the settlement Sankt Oswald ob Eibiswald, where we turn right in the direction of the settlement Wiel. In the settlement Wiel St. Anna, we turn left in the direction of the waterfall Sulmwasserfall. Near the waterfall, we cross the stream Weiße Sulm, then diagonally ascend to the settlement Oberfresen, where we turn left and bypass the guesthouse Schmuckbauerwirt on the left side; after that, we drive mostly through the forest for another 2.2 km, or until the junction of the marked path towards Brendalm. We park at a suitable spot by the crossroad.

Path description:
From the starting point, we head along the path towards the cottage Brendlhütte and begin ascending on a rough macadam road. Higher up at a small crossroad, we continue straight, then soon veer slightly left onto a marked footpath, which crosses the macadam road twice more higher up. The path leads us briefly through the forest, and upon leaving the forest, we step onto the lower edge of the mountain pasture Brendlalm, then walk across the pasture to the cottage Brendlhütte, located on a scenic part of the pasture.
On the mountain pasture, several paths converge, and we follow the signs for Großer Speikkogel. Slightly above the cottages, we turn left, first crossing a grazing fence, then the path enters the forest, continuing gently uphill along a cart track. Later, an easy descent follows, and upon reaching a clearing on the right side of the path, we notice a stone chapel.
Behind the chapel, we cross a macadam road and then mostly ascend gently through sparse forest. A few minutes further, the path splits, and we choose the slightly right path, along which there are signs for Großer Speikkogel (to the left Glitzalm and also the peak Großer Speikkogel). A little further, we cross a grazing fence and step onto a wider cart track, which we follow to the right. The cart track then leads us with increasingly beautiful views and, in a gentle to moderate ascent, brings us to the route of a high-voltage power line, which we cross. The path ahead leads us along a gentle and wide ridge, then gradually shifts to the northern and northeastern slopes of the peak Glitzfelsen. Next follows some traversing, and then we begin moderately ascending again. Higher up, we approach the ridge again, and the path moves onto the slopes of the peak Kleiner Frauenkogel. We also bypass this peak on the right side, then lightly ascend to an indistinct saddle between the peak Kleiner Frauenkogel on the left and Großer Frauenkogel on the right. From here we continue on a marked path which starts ascending diagonally on the slopes of the peak Großer Frauenkogel, and with beautiful views, we continue the diagonal ascent to a grassy plain. The path ahead leads us for a short time without significant changes in altitude; when we reach the grazing fence, we join the lower path from the same starting point and begin ascending again.
We continue along the grazing fence, and a few sections ahead, a path leading from the hut Bodenhütte joins from the left.
The path ahead bypasses the less distinct peak Ochsenstein on the left side, then we gradually reach the slopes of the peak Kleiner Speikkogel, where a less distinct, unmarked footpath branches off slightly to the right, leading directly to the mentioned peak, but we continue straight, still following the blazes. Next follows a gentle diagonal ascent on the left side of the peak Kleiner Speikkogel, then we reach a marked crossing, from which we turn right toward the highest peak of Golica. Next follows a few minutes of steeper ascent, and we reach the ridge, located between the two highest peaks of the restricted mountain range.
Here we turn left (right leads to Kleiner Speikkogel), and in a few minutes of further walking, we arrive at the cross on the summit Großer Speikkogel.
The starting point - Brendlalm 1:00, Brendlalm - Kramerin 0:25, Kramerin - Großer Speikkogel 2:20.
The description and pictures (except the last seven) refer to the condition in July 2024.

On the way: Schwanberger Brendlhütte (1566m), Die Kramerin (1634m)