Šembije - Gradišče (Čepan)

Access to starting point:
A) From the highway Ljubljana - Koper we take the exit Postojna and follow the road ahead in the direction of Pivka, Reka and Ilirska Bistrica. In the settlement Pivka we leave the main road which runs towards Ilirska Bistrica and we continue driving towards Knežak. Only a little after Knežak, we get to the village Šembije, where in the middle of the village we turn right towards the nearby church. A little further from the church, the village ends, and we continue driving on the macadam road, on which we gently ascend to a smaller crossroad near the old bunkers. We park nearby in an appropriate place by the road.
B) We drive to Ilirska Bistrica, and then we continue driving towards Knežak. Before we get to Šembije, we leave the main road and we continue left towards the village Podtabor. At the beginning of Podtabor we get to a crossroad of multiple roads, and we choose the rightmost one (far right yard of the nearby house) and for a short time, we steeply ascend there. When the road flattens, we will notice old bunkers on the left side, and on the right a small concrete cross, and a few meters ahead there is a smaller crossroad. We park somewhere nearby in an appropriate place by the road.

Route description:
From the starting point, we go on a side macadam road which starts gently ascending towards the northwest, and it quickly changes into a wide cart track. Already after some 10 meters, the cart track splits into two parts, and we choose the left one, which quickly brings us above the upper edge of precipitous cliffs. From the edge a nice view opens up on the village Podtabor, which is almost vertically below us and in the distance towards Brkini. During the further ascent we can along the path notice even some old and faded blazes, which are more a rarity than a rule. A little higher, the path leads us through some rare lanes of bushes, and then it gradually passes to ample grassy slopes. Here the path turns a little to the right and it brings us to a smaller saddle (saddle between the peaks Bezgovica 738 m and Vrh 777 m).
On the saddle, we cross a pasture fence and behind it we start gently descending. The cart track quickly flattens, we walk there only a short time, and then on the left side we notice several smaller footpaths, which diagonally ascend across a gentle grassy slope. We continue on one of the footpaths, and in doing so, we have to be careful to stick to the leftmost paths, so those which run as close as possible to Brkinški rob. Higher, we cross a short lane of forest, and the path, which gradually passes to a distinct ridge, with increasingly beautiful views quickly brings us to the less known, but relatively panoramic peak of Gradišče.

The trip can be extended to the following destinations: Sveti Martin (Šilentabor) ( 40 min), Šilentabor ( 45 min)

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