Ponikva/Hotunje - Babček (via Sveta Uršula)

Access to starting point:
A) With a train...Train station Ponikva.
B) With a car...We leave the highway at exit Dramlje and continue in the direction of Šentjur. After three kilometers at the roundabout Dole we continue in the direction of the settlement Ponikva and after approximately seven kilometers we reach the railway track. In front of the railway crossing we can park safely. The train station is on the other side of the tracks and a little to the right.

Path description:
On the asphalt road which goes along the stream we continue in the direction of the settlement Zagaja pri Ponikvi. After about a kilometer and a half, the asphalt pavement changes into a macadam and we follow it through the forest. Soon we reach a smaller settlement of houses and with good markings we continue through the yard of one of the homesteads on a meadow path. The meadow path passes into the forest path, then leads us along several ponds and through the forest we follow a little higher to the chapel. From the chapel we continue through Razbor, to the left and soon below the road viaduct, where we also cross a smaller watercourse, and pass to the other side of the highway. We continue across the meadow, through the yard of a homestead and along a wooden fence with horses we reach the more solid part of Vodule. From the flat part of Vodule follows an ascent on an asphalt road and further on narrower paths embraced by vineyards/vineyard cottages. Higher we reach a junction and after about a hundred meters we go right and soon beside the path there will also be the church of St. Uršula and the Dom drameljskih planincev in the former parish house.
After viewing we continue on the forest mountain path downhill from St. Uršula or the mountain post in the northern direction and soon we reach a crossroads of paths. We cross the road Dramlje - Pletovarje and by the interesting painting of the chapel with motifs of Anton Martin Slomšek we continue straight on asphalt through the settlement Grušce higher. Past the dispersed homesteads, vineyard cottages... we soon reach the forest path, on which we continue slightly to the left to the junction Babček. This is a pleasant section of the path through the forest and the entire path behind us from Ponikva to the junction Babček is also the Slomšek pilgrimage path. From the junction we continue right higher into the hill on the asphalt connection through the forest, by the barn (right by the path) and the homestead (left by the path) we reach the summit of Babček.
The total length of the path from Ponikve/Hotunj to the top of Babček is 7700 meters, 540 positive altitude meters and 230 negative altitude meters.

On the way: Sv. Uršula nad Dramljami (464m)