Podčetrtek (Terme Olimia) - Plešivec (Rudnica) (past castle Podčetrtek)

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 along the road towards Podčetrtek, and before reaching the mentioned settlement, we arrive at Terme Olimia, where, near a larger covered parking lot intended for the guests of the spa and by the Podčetrtek Toplice railway station, the described path begins. At the start of the path, there are no designated parking spaces for hikers.

Path description:
At the main road, red hiking signposts direct us onto an asphalt path, which quickly leads to the Term Olimija complex, where we follow the blazes and signs for the center of Podčetrtek, Podčetrtek Castle, Zavetišče Šmarnica, and the tower. When the area of the term ends, we continue on a macadam road, which, after a short diagonal ascent, brings us to a marked crossing, where we turn right onto a cart track toward Podčetrtek Castle (straight ahead Sveti Lovrenc).
Next follows a short ascent through the forest, and then we reach an asphalt road, which we follow to the right. The path ahead leads us past a few houses, and after a short descent, it splits again.
To the left, downward, branches off the upper path toward Sveti Lovrenc, but we continue straight and begin ascending again.
About a minute later, we turn left onto a side road marked with signs for Podčetrtek Castle, where the asphalt ends. Next follows a few minutes of walking through the forest, and in two hairpin turns, we reach Podčetrtek Castle.
At the castle, we turn right toward Zavetišče Šmarnica, the Tower of Health and Joy, and Plešivec, continuing on a macadam road that ascends diagonally through the forest. The crossing ends when we reach the northern side of the peak Vebrovo, and the path then slowly descends along an indistinct forested ridge. Soon, we reach the slope again, and from a short panoramic section, a beautiful view opens up on Silavec, where the Tower of Health and Joy stands. Next follows a series of crossings or crossroads, where we follow the signs for Šmarnica Shelter, and the blazes then direct us from the asphalt road to the right onto a footpath that begins ascending along a cart track. Higher up, at an old clearing, we reach a macadam road, which we follow to the left, and from there, a beautiful view opens up. When the road returns to the forest, a path branches off to the right toward Zavetišče Šmarnica, but we continue on the road, which crosses the slopes for some time, then leads us to a slightly larger crossing, from which we continue straight on the road toward the harder path to the Tower of Health and Joy (left downward Podčetrtek, St. Lovrenc Church; right, easier path to the tower), which soon turns right and quickly brings us to a spot where the harder path to the Tower of Health and Joy on Silavec branches off to the right, but we continue on the road, which, a few minutes later, brings us to a saddle west of Silavec, where we join the path from the Spodnje Tinsko settlement.
From the crossing, we continue straight (right Spodnje Tinsko) and for a few minutes continue gently ascending on the macadam road. When the road becomes asphalt, we begin to moderately descend. At the start of the descent, a beautiful view opens towards Žusem, where the tower Stolp Ljubezni stands, and we continue along the asphalt road. The road then flattens and loses its asphalt surface, and we arrive at a small crossroad, from which we continue straight onto a footpath (left Koča pri Čarovnici).
We continue along a gently sloping path through the forest, and a little further, the path from Koča pri Čarovnici joins from the left.
Here we go right, and a few steps further, turn left following the signs for Plešivec.
The path ahead leads us along a macadam road, which splits a few minutes further.
We choose the slightly right path (slightly left the lake on Olimska gora) and continue on the road to a smaller saddle, where we go left (right a short unmarked path to Lendrše).
The path ahead leads us for a short time along a cart track, then starts ascending steeply through a slightly overgrown clearing, from which a beautiful view opens up. When we return to the forest higher up, the path flattens, and we quickly reach a crossing, where we join the path from Olimje.
Here we go right and in two minutes of further walking, we reach Plešivec, the highest peak of Rudnica.
Description and pictures refer to the condition in December 2023 and April 2024.

On the way: Grad Podčetrtek (355m)