Bistriški jarek (Verdinek) - Sveti Primož above Muta

Access to the starting point:
a) Drive to Dravograd, then continue to Maribor. After the 8. 0 km road marker, pay attention, because a little after the bus stop and the pedestrian crossing, you will turn left into the Gortina settlement (the exit from the main road is not marked). As soon as you leave the main road you will arrive in Gortina, and we then drive in the direction of Muta, turning left at the marked crossroads, where you will see the signs for Bistriški trench. The road then leads quickly into the Bistriški trench, through which you climb steeply. After the Verdinek homestead and before the 6. 0 km road marker, a dirt road branches off slightly to the right, leading towards the Štrigel homestead. At the crossroads, where there are also red mountain signs slightly to the right, the route described above begins.

b) First drive to Maribor, then follow the signs for Dravograd. Once you have crossed Mučka Bistrica, turn right a little after the Tuš store in the direction of Muta 1. The route leads to Muta, where you follow the priority road at the crossroads, and from a slightly larger crossroads turn left, so that you continue towards Gortina. A little after the Muta settlement ends, turn right at the marked crossroads towards Bistriški trench. The road then quickly leads into the Bistriški trench, through which you climb steeply. After the Verdinek homestead and before the 6. 0 km road marker, a dirt road branches off slightly to the right, leading towards the Štrigel homestead. At the crossroads, where there are also red mountain signs slightly to the right, the route described above begins.

Path description:
From the starting point, continue slightly further to the right than the side road, on the footpath in the direction of St. Jernej and Bricnika. The path initially ascends across a pasture, then passes into the woods, where it becomes completely flat at a sign. Cross the slopes to the right for a short distance, then continue along the stream. Higher along the stream, the national border is also crossed for a while, but the path leads us higher up to cart track, which we climb for a few minutes. From cart track, the mountain signs then direct us sharp left, and we continue to climb through the forest for a while, before the Lubej homestead, we cross the road.

Before the homestead, continue slightly to the right, on a fainter path, and above the homestead you will reach cart track, which you follow to the right. A few minutes higher up, the well-marked path leads to a crossroads, at which there is an information board with a description of the Knafelč marking with a green ring.

Continue straight on towards St. Jernej (left Austria, St. Lovrenc), and a little higher up the trail leads out of the forest, where you go right, crossing into the forest once more. Leave the woods quickly, then pass the cemetery to reach the church of St. Jerome.

From the church, descend quickly to the Primož homestead, where a registration box and a stamp are located by a mighty lime tree.

There is also a marked crossroads by the lime tree, and we continue slightly right in the direction of St. Primož (slightly left St. Lovrenc and Bricnik) and continue along the road, which descends gently at first and then moderately. Cross the lane of a forest below, and then, in front of the Ižek homestead, emerge from the forest onto the viewing slopes, which offer a beautiful view that reaches as far as Uršlje Gora (Uršlje Mountain). When you reach the Ižek homestead, leave the road and continue to the left, first following cart track, then descending across the pasture to the hunting observation post (the path is not visible across the pasture). At the hunting observation post, cart track appears, which is easy to descend. A little further on, cross a pasture fence and cart track enters the forest and starts to descend steeply. The descent ends at the crossing of the Vud stream, where you go right, and when you reach a wider road a few 10 paces further on, continue upwards. Continue up the sometimes scenic road, which you follow all the way to the Church of St Primož, which offers a beautiful view of the Drava Valley and Pohorje.
Bistriški trench - St Jernej 1:40, St Jernej - St Primož 1:20.
Description and images refer to the situation in 2018 (October).

On the way: Sveti Jernej nad Muto (1038m)

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