Zagora - Vodice (via Preški vrh)

Access to starting point:
A) First, we drive to Nova Gorica, and then we continue driving towards Tolmin and Bovec. Further, we drive past Solkan Bridge (the Solkan Bridge over which the railway line runs is 220 meters long, the bridge has the longest stone arch in the world), and then we drive a few kilometers directly by the river Soča. When the road goes a little away from the river, we get to a smaller crossroad, where a road towards Zagomila branches off to the right (house nos. 1-2) and Zagora (house nos. 1-7) and accommodations Pri Martinovih. Here we continue right and after the first right turn, we park in a suitable place by the road. We can also park higher by the road.
B) From the direction of Tolmin and Most na Soči on a regional road we drive towards Nova Gorica. After the settlement Plave we pay attention to the left turn-offs. First, the road branches off to the left towards a smaller hamlet or nearby house, and a little further, the road towards Zagomila branches off sharply to the left (house nos. 1-2) and Zagora (house nos. 1-7) and accommodations Pri Martinovih. Here we continue left and after the first right turn, we park in a suitable place by the road. We can also park higher by the road.

Path description:
From the spot where we have parked, we continue on the asphalt road which moderately ascends through the forest. At the very beginning, we still get some view on the other side of the river Soča, where we see the church of St. Ahacij above Prilesje; after that, except for the view on the nearby pasture until the sharp right turn, we do not get any special view. From the mentioned turn, we clearly see Soča, Prilesje, Plave and Korada. After the turn, the forest gradually thins and the path brings us to the village Zagora, where the path leads past a few houses. In the middle of the settlement a short road branches off to the right to Martinovi, and we continue left in the direction of Sveta Gora. Only a little further we arrive above the village, and we continue the ascent on the asphalt road which for quite some time continues through the forest. The road then ascends towards the south to southeast and brings us after some time to Zagomila, a smaller hamlet above which a beautiful view opens towards Korada and the ridge of Sabotin. After the settlement the asphalt also ends, and the road brings us to a marked crossroad, where we continue straight in the direction of Sveta Gora (left hamlet Vodice, peak Vodice via hamlet Vodice, peak Kuk...).
The path ahead gradually starts to descend, so we descend almost 50 altitude meters. During the descent we first cross the slopes of Košutnik (592 m), then also the slopes of Vodice (651 m). On the southwestern slopes of Vodice the path stops descending and starts to ascend transversely towards the saddle Preški vrh. A little before the saddle, a marked path from Skalnica joins from the right (path from the starting point at the sharp turn of the road Nova Gorica - Sveta Gora, more precisely between the quarry and inn Skalnica). From the mentioned path junction to the saddle Preški vrh we have only a few minutes left.
On the saddle there is a marked junction of several roads, and we continue on the leftmost road (straight Grgar, right Sveta Gora), which we leave only a few dozen steps further because the blazes direct us left onto a well-trodden footpath. The path ahead passes into a low forest, then continues in a moderate ascent. Further on, the path leads us past several trenches and a few caverns from the time of the First World War, then temporarily ascends somewhat more steeply. The steepness quickly eases and a relatively gentle path brings us out of the forest onto an overgrown meadow, from which we already see the peak Vodice, on which stands the mausoleum of General Gonzaga, and which we reach after a few dozen steps of further walking.
The path to Preški vrh is not blazed, but it is well marked at the junctions.

On the way: Zagora (200m), Zagomila (400m), Preški vrh (504m)

Trip can be extended to: Sveta Gora