Žetale - Rudijev dom na Donački gori

Access to starting point:
We leave the Podravska motorway at the Zakl exit, then follow the signs for Žetale. When we arrive in Žetale, at the municipal building we turn left and park on the well-maintained asphalt parking lot.

Path description:
From the parking lot, we return to the main road and next to it continue in the direction of Rogatec. At the primary school Žetale, at the pedestrian crossing we carefully cross the main road and continue on the sidewalk to the nearby intersection, where we continue right onto the side road, along which there are signs for Donačka gora. On the mentioned road we walk only a short time, then before the nearby house we continue left on a cart track, which then ascends transversely to the right and leads us through the meadow into the forest. Through the forest follows a shorter ascent and we arrive at the church of Our Lady of Consolation.
We continue on the road, along which we easily descend to the marked intersection from which we go right. From the intersection we walk on the road only a short time, since still before the hamlet and behind a smaller garage we continue left on the marked cart track in the direction of Donačka gora. A little further we return to the road, along which this time we continue to near the next house, before which we go slightly left on a cart track that further transitions into the forest. A longer traverse follows with some shorter ascents and descents, where we occasionally approach individual houses, and occasionally a view opens to the other side of the valley, where Maceljska gora is nicely visible. At a few smaller junctions we follow the blazes, all the time continuing in approximately the same direction. When we join the cycling transversal we go right and ascend above the nearby stream. Higher we leave the forest and ascend through the hay meadow to the saddle between Donačka gora and Resenik, where by a smaller hamlet there is also a marked junction.
We continue on the road, which continues toward the southwest, from which after a few steps a demanding path to Donačka gora branches off, while we continue on the road, which further ascends transversely to the right. A few minutes further we arrive at a marked junction, where we continue straight ahead and further on the road (left demanding path to Donačka gora, right Kupčinji Vrh).
From the junction we walk on the road a few more minutes, then it ends at a turning area, and we continue straight on the cart track, which quickly brings us to the next marked junction.
This time too we continue straight (left demanding path to Donačka gora) and continue the traverse of the northern slopes of Donačka gora. During the traverse we pass the hunting observation post, behind it on the left side we bypass the indistinct Joški vrh. The cart track brings us a few minutes further to the macadam road, which we follow slightly uphill.
Still before the mountain hut the ordinary path to Donačka gora branches off to the left, from the right a marked path from Stoperce joins us, after the junction in a few dozen steps we arrive at Rudijev dom.
Žetale - church of Our Lady of Consolation 0:15, church of Our Lady of Consolation - Rudijev dom 1:55.
Description and pictures refer to the condition in April 2022.

On the way: Church of Our Lady of Mercy (Brezje nad Žetalami) (382m), Medgore (526m)