Zgornja Polskava - Ruška koča na Arehu (through Polskavski vintgar and via church of St. Martin)

Access to starting point:
From the highway exit Slovenska Bistrica-north, we head towards Slov. Bistrica and at the crossroads Slov. Bistrica-Maribor we turn right on the old road to Maribor to the village Zg. Polskava. In the center of Zg. Polskava (opposite the post office) there is a parking lot, where we can park in front of the KUD on Mladinska ul. 12.

Route description:
We start from the sign PD Pohorje in the center of the settlement Zg. Polskava (Mladinska ul. 12), over the bridge, by the river Polskava. We follow the blazes on the regional road to the crossroad Kočno, where we turn right (signpost - Polskavski vintgar) and then to the crossroad (Šmartno-Loka), where we turn left on the road for Šmartno na Pohorju. During the journey, we can view the waterfall Šum and the beauty of the river Polskava. When we reach the road to the wooden bridge over the river Polskava, past the quarry, we must focus attention on the blazes, as we soon turn left onto the footpath for Šmartno (a sign). The blazes lead us past the water catchment for the hydro power plant (where we cross the stream) to an abandoned pond and an old mill, where we can take a rest. We continue behind the mill left into the forest on a steep cart track, where the path from Kočno to the church of St. Martin joins us.
At the end of the church of St. Martin, we turn right, through the village Šmartno na Pohorju, past the chapel, and at the turn (at the sign above the houses) we turn left onto a meadow. From there, we descend into the forest, cross the footbridge over the stream Devina, and continue steeply through the forest, across a meadow, past ponds and holiday cottages to one of the most beautiful parts of the path—the hamlet Kolonija v Ošlju. At the crossroad, we turn right and soon head right after the farm at the crossing. On macadam to the crossroad Smrečno (Bojtina). We cross the road and head toward Smrečno. We turn into the forest onto the road, follow the blazes to a sharp turn, and continue through the forest to a cross by the road. We must pay attention to the blaze on the right side of the pasture, where we proceed diagonally along the edge of the pasture from beneath the church of St. Uršula to the forest, and we descend to the river Polskava and cross the footbridge. Next follows a steep ascent out of the forest onto a meadow, then again steeply into the forest. Out of the forest we arrive at the Three Churches, where a wooden holiday cottage now stands, and the path leads right on a forest cart track almost to the top. Before the peak, to the left, is a marked path to the source of the river Polskava (wooden trough), where we can fill up with clean, energy-rich water from beneath Žigartov vrh; it’s a few minutes’ walk there and back. We continue straight on the cart track and after ten minutes we pass out of the forest at a holiday cottage to the church of St. Areh, where the Ruška koča and our destination are located.

Along the route: Reka Polskava (338m), Slap Šum (402m), Rimski kamnolom marmorja ob Polskavi (427m), Cerkev sv. Martina (774m), Gasilski dom Šmartno na Pohorju (773m), Kolonija - Ošelj (758m), Izvir reke Polskave (1204m), Ruška koča na Arehu (1246m), Cerkev sv. Areha (1246m)

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