Podčetrtek (sveti Lovrenc) - Silavec (The Tower of Health and Joy on Rudnica) (harder path)

Access to starting point:
From the road Šentjur - Rogaška Slatina, between the settlements Šmarje pri Jelšah and Mestinje, we turn right (from the direction of Rogaška Slatina, left) towards Podčetrtek. We continue following the road towards Podčetrtek, and once in Podčetrtek, we follow the road to the parking lot for the church of St. Lovrenc, located at the upper edge of the settlement.

Path description:
From the parking lot, across the bridge, we cross the stream Župnijski jarek, then continue right towards the castle Podčetrtek and the Tower of Health and Joy. The path leads through the gorge of the stream Župnijski jarek, where we ascend along the macadam road. After about 15 minutes of walking, we reach a marked crossing, from which we continue straight (right to the castle Podčetrtek, 5 minutes), and a few minutes higher, we arrive at the next crossroad.
Here, we turn left and then immediately right onto a marked cart track towards the Tower of Health and Joy. We continue along the cart track, which begins to ascend more noticeably a bit further on, leading us higher to the next macadam road, which we follow to the left, quickly reaching the next crossing, where we take the right ascending road.
When the road turns right a little further at Branski zob, we turn left onto a footpath, continuing along it for some time. When we return to the road, we turn left to a nearby marked crossing, from which we head towards the harder path to the tower (the path is not technically demanding).
We continue straight on the macadam road (to the right an easier path), which a little further turns right, and then quickly leads us to the spot where signs for the Tower of Health and Joy direct us to the right onto a steeper cart track. We follow this path all the way to the peak, approximately 10 minutes away, where a lookout tower stands.
The description and pictures refer to the condition in December 2023.