Hermsberg - Dobratsch / Dobrač

Access to starting point:
Over the border crossing Korensko sedlo we descend in Austria and when we reach the main road Trbiž / Tarvisio - Beljak / Villach, we continue left towards Trbiž. We follow the main road to the settlement Ziljica / Gailitz, and there at the roundabout, we go on the road towards the settlement Šmohor / Hermagor. From the roundabout we are driving on the road towards Šmohor approximately 11 km, and then signs for Plajberk pri Beljaku / Bad Bleiberg point us to the left. Further, we drive through the underpass and the road brings us in the center of the settlement Čajna / Nötsch im Gailtal, from there we continue driving towards Plajberk pri Beljaku. Further, we drive on an ascending road, on which we quickly get to a large quarry, and from here we follow it only about 100 meters and then signs for village Rute / Hermsberg point us sharply right on a narrow and steep road. After a short ascent, we get to the mentioned village, and only a little above it we turn right on a bad macadam road, on which in good 100 meters of additional driving, we get to a smaller marked parking lot, where we park.

Path description:
From the parking lot, we continue on the forest road which is with a traffic sign closed for public traffic. After few minutes from the right joins also the marked path from the valley (starting point Čajna / Nötsch), and we follow the road only a short time because then signs for Dobrač / Dobratch and mountain hut Ludwig Walter-Haus point us to the right on a marked footpath. The path ahead is gently to moderately ascending through the forest, and in doing so few times crosses nearby cart track. A little higher we cross a torrent gully, and a little steeper path brings us to a forest road, where from the left joins the path from the settlement Wurzach. We follow the road to the right, and already after few meters it brings us to a smaller crossroad, where we continue sharply left. Only a little after the turn, hiking signposts point us to the right on the path which leads on Dobrač. A little higher from the left joins also one path from the before mentioned settlement and settlement Bleiberg Kreuth, and we continue in an already known direction.
The path ahead starts steeply ascending, and occasionally nice views start opening up on the valley Gailtal and Gailtal Alps. Higher, the path flattens and crosses slopes towards the right. Further, we cross also a grazing fence, and the path few minutes and then it brings us to a smaller unmarked crossing, where unmarked footpath branches off to the right towards the nearby hunting cottage, and we continue slightly left, on the path which starts ascending steeper in zig-zags. During the ascent forest starts to get thinner, and pretty steep path brings us into a lane of dwarf pines, where it turns right and gradually flattens. We continue the ascent on an increasingly panoramic path (a view on Mangart, Jalovec, Kanin, Viš, Montaž, valley Gailtal, Gailtal Alps...), which mostly crosses slopes towards the right. The path ahead leads us through some gullies, which in the early summer can still be under the snow, and again steeper path brings us on a side ridge of Dobrač, where there stands a smaller cross.
When we reach the ridge, we go left and we continue the ascent on at first moderately steep, and higher very steep path, which in the upper part also crosses some very steep slopes, where mainly in wet is dangerous for slipping.
When we diagonally ascend on a steep slope, in front of us we already notice Slovenian church on Dobrač, to which we have only few steps.
From the church in few steps we walk also on the nearby peak, and from there we can in few minutes get also to German church and mountain hut Ludwig Walter-Haus.