Žiri - Sveti Tomaž (Vrsnik nad Žirmi)

Access to starting point:
A) From Železniki, Kranj or Medvode we drive to Škofja Loka, and from there we continue driving in the direction of Gorenja vas in Poljanska dolina and Žiri. From Žiri we continue towards Logatec, and then still before the end of the settlement we get to the inn Gostilna Lenger and a few 10 meters further also to the crossroad, where the main road towards Logatec turns left, and straight ahead the road continues towards Idrija. We park in a suitable place by the crossroad. A large parking lot is by the inn Gostilna Lenger, but it is polite to ask the employees beforehand if we may park on the mentioned parking lot.
B) From Horjul or Polhov Gradec we drive to Šentjošt above Horjul, and from there we continue driving towards Smrečje. When we reach the main road Podlipa - Žiri, we follow it to the right, and we drive along it to Žiri. When in Žiri we reach the main road Škofja Loka - Logatec, we follow it to the left, and we drive along it past the parish church and the inn and pizzeria Gostilna Lenger, to the crossroad, where the main road towards Logatec turns left, and straight ahead the road continues towards Idrija. We park in a suitable place by the crossroad. A large parking lot is by the inn Gostilna Lenger, but it is polite to ask the employees beforehand if we may park on the mentioned parking lot.
C) From the highway Ljubljana - Koper we take the exit Vrhnika, and when we reach the old road Ljubljana - Logatec, we continue in the direction of Logatec, but only for a short time, since already at the next crossroad we continue right in the direction of Horjul. The road ahead leads us for a short time still through Vrhnika, later through the outskirts of Stara Vrhnika, and then we soon leave the road towards Horjul and continue driving slightly left in the direction of Smrečje. After Smrečje the road starts descending towards Račeva and Žiri. When in Žiri we reach the main road Škofja Loka - Logatec, we follow it to the left, and we drive along it past the parish church and the inn and pizzeria Gostilna Lenger, to the crossroad, where the main road towards Logatec turns left, and straight ahead the road continues towards Idrija. We park in a suitable place by the crossroad. A large parking lot is by the inn Gostilna Lenger, but it is polite to ask the employees beforehand if we may park on the mentioned parking lot.
D) From the highway Koper - Ljubljana we take the exit Logatec, and when we reach the old road Logatec - Vrhnika we follow it to the right (first exit from the roundabout), along which we drive only for a short time, since then the signs for Rovte and Žiri direct us to the left. After Rovte the road starts descending towards Žiri, and when we reach the mentioned settlement, to the left branches off the road towards Idrija. We park in a suitable place by the crossroad. A large parking lot is by the inn Gostilna Lenger (the inn is located a few 10 meters ahead from the crossroad in the direction of the center of Žiri), but it is polite to ask the employees beforehand if we may park on the mentioned parking lot.
E) From the road Idrija - Spodnja Idrija, immediately after the end of Idrija we turn right (if coming from the direction of Spodnja Idrija, still before Idrija we turn left) across the bridge over the river Idrijca towards the store Eurospin. On the other side of the bridge we arrive in the settlement Mokraška vas, and we keep to the main road, which leads towards Ledinsko razpotje and Žiri. Higher up the road leads through a few hairpin turns, and then we arrive in the settlement Ledinsko razpotje, where the road gradually flattens. After the neighboring settlement Govejk, the road starts descending towards Žiri, after a few kilometers of descent we arrive in Žiri and a little further to the crossroad, where we reach the main road Žiri - Logatec. We park in a suitable place by the crossroad. A large parking lot is by the inn Gostilna Lenger (the inn is located a few 10 meters ahead from the crossroad in the direction of the center of Žiri), but it is polite to ask the employees beforehand if we may park on the mentioned parking lot.

Path description:
If we have parked at the inn Gostilna Lenger, we first walk to the crossroad where the road towards Idrija branches off from the main road. From the mentioned crossroad we continue left towards Logatec and continue along the main road, where the path first leads past a religious symbol (cross), and then also across the stream Osojnica. Along the main road we walk for a few minutes, and then on the house with the address Logaška cesta 46 we notice signs for Vrsnik pri Vidicu, which direct us right onto a somewhat narrower asphalt road that starts to ascend, initially still among some houses. After the nearby old bunker the compact settlement ends, and the road gradually turns left, where it subsequently crosses the slopes to the left. The asphalt ends quickly, and the road then leads us below an old quarry, along it a few minutes higher we arrive at the farm Plesk.
After the farm we continue along the grassy cart track, onto which the markers direct us, along it we walk only about 30 m, and then at a smaller right bend we continue left onto an initially worse cart track, which quickly turns into a footpath. We continue along a fairly steep path, which soon crosses another cart track, and us in the summer time also a quite overgrown path, with a view of the surrounding hills, brings to the next crossing of the cart track, after which through a strip of forest we reach the macadam road. Along the road we ascend gently, it on a smaller level area turns slightly left. From here along the road we walk only a short time longer, since then the markers lead us right onto a path, which quickly widens into an old forested cart track. After the well-preserved border stone of the old Rapallo border from the year 1920, we also leave the cart track and continue somewhat more to the right onto a well-marked footpath that continues along an indistinct ridge. Higher we reach the summit, on which stands an old enclosure wall, and inside it a newly built structure (on maps the name Vidicov dom appears). When we bypass the enclosure wall and house on the left side, we step onto the road, and on the trunk of the nearby tree we notice the logbook box.
When we step onto the road, we continue the path in the direction of Ledin. After that, when we cross a strip of forest, on the right we will notice an old Italian structure from the time of the Rapallo border, ahead of us we see the surrounding hills and soon also the church of St. Tomaž, which is located on a panoramic elevation between Spodnji and Gornji Vrsnik. When somewhat lower the road turns right, we can in the straight direction in a few minutes across pathless terrain or hay meadows arrive at the little church of St. Tomaž, however the mentioned approach is not desired, especially during the grass growth period, as we would thereby cause some damage to the farmer (the arranged path to the church leads from the village Gornji Vrsnik). The road ahead also leads us past a watering place for animals, and then gradually we arrive at the first or last houses in the village. At the first crossroad we continue slightly left (right Sivka) and continue the path along the unmarked road, which we follow to the chapel some 10 m away. At the chapel we go left onto the macadam road, which starts to ascend across increasingly panoramic hay meadows. At the smaller junction, which we reach on the section where the increasingly worse road levels off somewhat, we continue slightly right and continue along the cart track, along which in two or three minutes of further walking we arrive at the little church of St. Tomaž, from which a beautiful view opens onto the surrounding hills.
The description and pictures refer to the condition in 2015 (January).

On the way: Vidicov dom (764m), Gornji Vrsnik (715m)