Podgrad - Mehovski hrib (via Skala)

Access to starting point:
A) We leave the Dolenjska highway at the Novo mesto east exit, then we follow the signs for Metlika. When Novo mesto ends we drive through Dolnja Težka voda, past Koroška vas, and then we start ascending more noticeably. After the rest area, which we notice on the left side, we soon turn right in the direction of Vinja vas and Podgrad. There follows the drive through Vinja vas, when we arrive in Podgrad we park on the parking lot opposite the fire station PGD Podgrad and branch primary school.
B) From Bela krajina we drive to the Vahta pass, then we start descending towards Novo mesto. We leave the main road, where we turn left towards Vinja vas and Podgrad. There follows the drive through Vinja vas, when we arrive in Podgrad we park on the parking lot opposite the fire station PGD Podgrad and branch primary school.

Path description:
From the parking lot, we walk to the school sports field, which we bypass on the asphalt road that runs below the sports field. Behind the sports field we go right, we first ascend through a meadow, where a traceable pathlet quickly appears, which ascends transversely towards the right. The path soon turns left and brings us to a junction, where the path from neighbouring Vinja vas joins from the right.
The path ahead leads us past two benches (at the first a shortcut branches off to the right), then it makes a hairpin turn and a little further brings us to the spot where the demanding path "over Skalo" branches off to the left.
We continue left in the direction of the path over Skalo (straight gentle path), where we first start ascending more steeply through the forest, then arrive below short cliffs, where we continue slightly right (path left bypasses the technically demanding part). A few dozen steps further we arrive at the first steel cable, with the help of which we start ascending a short wall. After the steep part the path turns left and further leads us transversely to the left with the help of safety gear. After the traverse only a few steps of ascent follow and we leave the secured part of the path, and we arrive at a nice viewpoint, where there are also a few benches. From here a minute of ascent follows and we reach Mehovski hrib, on which there is a logbook box with a logbook.
Description and pictures refer to the condition in October 2019.