OMP Kuzma - Kapfensteiner Kogel

Access to starting point:
We drive to Rogašovci, and then we follow the signs towards Kuzma and Austria. A little before the Kuzma border crossing, we turn right towards Grad and Kuzma. Before reaching Kuzma, we turn left at the next right turn onto an unmarked side road, along which we drive to the small border crossing, where we park on the Slovenian side by the old customs cottage.

Path description:
From the starting point, we continue on the road into Austria, where we quickly arrive at a crossroad and marked junction at the inn Grenzgasthaus Mertschnigg, from where we proceed straight following signs for the castle Schloss Kapfenstein (left Sotinski breg, right Tromejnik).
At first, we descend on an asphalt road, then we cross an overpass over the main road border crossing Kuzma - Ženavci / Jennersdorf. After the overpass, we turn right onto a cart track, which immediately splits again. We choose the left cart track, which ascends through the forest and shortly leads us past a stack of logs. The marked path then turns right and bypasses the lesser-known peak Rauscherriegel on the right side. For a few minutes, we continue without significant changes in altitude, then we slightly descend to a nearby asphalt road, which we follow to the right. Just a little further, we reach the next crossroad, where we turn left. A little further, we leave the forest, and the path leads us between occasional hamlets, with beautiful views of the surrounding landscape opening up from the path. When, after some time, we reach the main road Dobra / Neuhaus am Klausenbach - Liba / Minihof-Libeau, we first carefully cross it, then continue left, walking along the sidewalk. After just a few dozen steps, we arrive at a smaller crossroad where a path to Wolfsriegel branches off to the right, but we continue straight, still walking along the sidewalk.
When we reach the factory Wagner Maschinenbau, we turn right toward the castle Tabor and begin noticeably ascending on a slightly narrower asphalt road. The settlement Dobra ends higher up, but the path continues to ascend moderately for the most part. A little further, we turn left again toward the castle Tabor, and a beautiful view of the mentioned castle opens up from the path. Next follows a short descent past a few houses, and at the next crossroad, we cross a priority road and once again continue toward the castle Tabor.
The path ahead leads us past a few more houses and the fairytale forest Märchenwald Mühlgraben.
Further along, the path continues past occasional houses, and higher up, we arrive at castle Tabor.
Castle and cultural hall we bypass on the right side, and then the road passes into the forest through which we descend slightly. When we leave the forest, the road flattens and leads us past a few houses, and at the smaller crossroad, we go slightly right. When we leave the hamlet, the path leads us below the farm with ostriches, and after a gentle ascent, we arrive at a crossing, where we go left following the signs Romischeck and Taborweg. The path ahead leads us for a short time alongside the farm Straussenhof Donner. After the farm, we descend more steeply for a while, then continue without significant changes in altitude alongside a larger clearing. When we return to the forest, we soon arrive at the cross Galgenkreuz.
We bypass the cross on the right side and continue on a gently sloping asphalt road, which initially still leads through the forest. Next follows a short descent, we leave the forest, then start ascending by the pasture, and past the farm arrive at a crossroad, where we go right. Next follows a short ascent, then we gradually start descending past occasional houses, and from the path a beautiful view opens up on castle Schloss Kapfenstein. Lower down, we reach the priority road, where we go left, and after the crossroad, we start ascending again. Next follows a few minutes of ascent, then a sidewalk appears by the road, along which we reach a marked crossing, where we go right upwards towards castle Schloss Kapfenstein. 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.
The starting point - castle Tabor 1:40, castle Tabor - Galgenkreuz 0:20, Galgenkreuz - Kapfensteiner Kogel 1:30.
The description and pictures refer to the condition in January and February 2024.

On the way: Grenzgasthaus Mertschnigg (373m), Pfaffengraben (350m), Grad Tabor pri Dobri (380m), Galgenkreuz (361m), Oberpretal (370m)