Activities / Cycling
Extend it around the Kojca and the Škofje: Zakojca – Vrh Ravni – Jesenica – Poče – Labinje – Poljane – Novaki – Škofje – Kladje – Bevkov vrh – Idrija
It is the longer option of the route from the region of Tolmin to the municipality Idrija, taking you to attractive sunny locations and through the scattered villages around Cerkno. From the municipality of Tolmin you reach the region of Cerkno along the road Grahovo-Bukovo. When you reach the paved road after a moderate ascent, turn left towards the village Zakojca.
The paved road will take you to the village lying on the northern side of the mysterious domed Kojca, facing the highest mountain in the region – the Mt. Porezen, and offering beautiful views of the Bača valley (Slov. Baška grapa). Here you can visit the homestead of the writer France Bevk, nowadays transformed into a museum. Continue past the tourist farm, through the village and across the meadows. When climbing steeply up the hill, you will reach a junction where you must turn right and continue towards the junction Vrh Ravni. From there follow the road towards the village Jesenica and turn left past the farmhouse when you reach the paved road. After a short ascent you will reach the pass Usnato Brdo and drive down to the village Gorje. From there you will follow the rolling road to the villages Poče followed by Labinje. There you can rest at the church of the Holy Spirit (Slov. cerkev sv. Duha), where, according to folks tradition, your batteries will charge on positive energy. From Labinje the road will lead you down the slope to Poljane and along a nice forest path to the gorge of the Čerinščica stream. From here, you can walk up to the Franja Partisan Hospital, hidden in the deep Pasice gorge.
When ready to continue, drive down the winding road to the main road where you turn left. After a moderate ascent you will reach the village Dolenji Novaki. Climb up the road through the village for about 1.5 km and turn right towards Kopačnica on the sharp left turn you get to. Pass the holiday apartment and to the right, across the small bridge and up the paved road towards the forest. Drive through a pleasantly cool forest and, after crossing the third little bridge about 1.5 km further, take the middle gravel road that leads right, past an old and mossy stone wall. On the right you will be awarded with a view of Novaki and the precipice of the Mali and the Veliki Njivč hills above the Pasice gorge.
Continue along the pleasant rolling path on the slopes of the Škofje and soon reach a junction where the path towards the Ermanovec is the choice, so keep left and follow the markings. Enjoy the ever wider views of the vicinity – the villages Novaki, Poljane, Labinje come out first, until you get out of the forest to the meadows and treat yourself to a short break on the bench under the linden tree. From there you will be awarded with an amazing view of Cerkno and the surrounding hills and villages. Straight in front you will see the Mt. Porezen, to the left the domed Kojca, lower down the valley you will notice the Šebrelje plateau above the site Divje Babe and the horizon is lined by the Alps. After the break keep on driving, pass the holiday houses and the meadow till the paved road where you have to keep right and drive down the slope till you reach the main road Cerkno-Škofja Loka.
Here you can either turn right and drive down towards Cerkno lying in the valley or turn left, climb up till Kladje and continue along the main route towards the region of Idrija (look at the description of the main route).
Points of interest along the routes
- The birthplace of the writer, poet and patriot France Bevk in Zakojca – an ethnological museum with a literary-historical collection.
- The wild Zakojca gorge with pools, waterfalls and rapids, lush flora and fauna and remains of five homesteads, mills and sawmills.
- The precipitous rocky slopes of the Kojca have inspired the legend about the wicked woman and the devil, while its peak offers extraordinary views spreading from the Črna prst and Krn mountains to the hills of the regions of Škofja Loka and Cerkno.
- The group of double hayracks – kozolec toplar – under the village Poče.
- St.Nicholas bell tower (Slov. Miklavžev turn) – ruins of a medieval miners’ church in the village Labinje.
- The Franja Partisan Hospital (Route 3).
VISIT CERKNO
