Stomaž - Kucelj (on Čaven)

Access to starting point:
We drive on the highway from Razdrto towards Nova Gorica or vice versa and head to the exit Ajdovščina. Then at the intersection, we turn left in the direction of Nova Gorica and drive to the village Cesta and immediately after the village we turn right in the direction of Stomaž. We follow the road, which starts to ascend, to a smaller parking lot near the cemetery in the village Stomaž.

Path description:
From the smaller parking lot we continue on the road past houses ahead. After a few minutes of walking, the initially asphalted then macadam road brings us to the spot where a marked footpath branches off to the right towards Čavnu. The marked path at the beginning runs along a cart track which soon turns into a trail that moderately ascends through the forest. The path ahead brings us to a larger clearing, in the middle of which we notice a hunting observatory. The path then again enters the forest, where it moderately ascends for quite some time. The path at Pihalo (small cave and tethered rock) starts to ascend more steeply along a mostly poorly marked path. The steepness of the path eases when the path brings us to the unvegetated plateau-like terrain of Mala gora, where there is also a junction.
Here we continue straight in the direction of Čavna (left hut on Mala gora 10 minutes) along a path that is quite overgrown in summer. The path then crosses a strip of forest and slightly higher joins the path from Lokavec. Here we continue left and follow the path which brings us to the Koča na Čavnu in a few minutes.
Behind the hut, the signs for Kucelj direct us slightly left onto a footpath that starts to descend diagonally. The path ahead crosses a short strip of forest, then turns right, where it continues to descend gently. The path then gradually enters the forest and from the left the path from the village Kamnje joins us (there are two turn-offs for Kamnje).
We continue in the direction of Kuclja along the path which gradually passes to the right side of the "Čavnov" ridge. The path continues across a larger clearing, from which a view opens onto the surrounding hills, then returns to the forest. A little further on, we leave the undulating cart track and continue the ascent left, ascending further through dense forest. The steepness soon eases and the path brings us from the forest to increasingly panoramic grassy slopes. A few minutes of easy walking follow, then the path brings us below the summit of Kuclja, where it ascends steeply again. We follow this path, which offers increasingly beautiful views, all the way to the summit of Kuclja, which we reach after a few more minutes of walking.

On the way: Koča Antona Bavčerja na Čavnu mountain hut (1242m)

Trip can be extended to: Veliki Rob