Cerkno - Medrce (via Labinjske lehe)

Access to starting point:
A) From regional road Idrija - Tolmin, at settlement Straža in hamlet Želin at the traffic light crossroad we turn right in the direction of Cerkno (if we come from the direction Tolmin we turn left). Further, we drive through the valley of river Cerknica, past Petrol gas station all the way to Cerkno, where at the crossroad behind the church of St. Jernej (by the church is also a cemetery and a parking lot) we continue left in the direction of Železniki, ski slope Cerkno, hospital Franja and center of Cerkno. At the next marked crossroad we continue left in the direction of the settlement Zakojca and Gorje. If we haven't park in front of the church we can do this a little further from NOB monument on one of the parking lots in Cerkno.
B) From the road Škofja Loka - Žiri, after the settlement Trebija we turn right in the direction of Sovodenj and Cerkno (from the direction Žiri still before Trebija we turn left), from where we at first drive in Sovodenj, and from there over mountain pass Kladje (mountain pass is located in the settlement Podlanišče) we start descending towards Cerkno. In Cerkno at the first larger crossroad we continue straight (right we come in the center of the town and to the church of St. Ana), after that in second, about 300 meters ahead we turn right in the direction of Železniki, ski slope Cerkno, hospital Franja and center of Cerkno. At the next marked crossroad we continue left in the direction of the settlement Zakojca and Gorje and then we park on one of the parking lots in Cerkno.
C) From the road Škofja Loka - Podbrdo, at settlement Zali Log we continue left in the direction of Davča and ski slope Cerkno (if we come from the direction Podbrdo or Soriška planina, at the end of the settlement, we continue right). The road ahead at first ascends on Davča, and from there it starts descending towards Cerkno. In the center of Cerkno, at post office we turn right, and then a little after monument NOB we park on an appropriate place.

Path description:
From the center of Cerkno we continue in the direction of Zakojca and Gorje, where we walk on a sidewalk, at NOB monument we go right through the bridge over the stream Zapoška. We continue on street Jerebova ulica, where we go past hair salon Monika, and then signs for Trebenče and hospital Franja point us to the left on a narrower street (Pot na Brce). When on the right opens a passage on a paved path, we continue there, and we ascend above Cerkno, and we are accompanied by a paved path all the way to bigger NOB monument.
Behind the monument we continue on a cart track which ascends on a partly grassy slope, and after the transmitters, we reach an asphalt road. We continue straight on at first still asphalted road which higher brings us to another house. Behind the house, we continue on a marked hiking path, and a little further we on the right side bypass another house. We continue uphill in the direction of hospital Franja, and the path for some time leads through the forest. When we leave the forest we continue left and on a cart track we ascend to the settlement Labinje, where the path splits.
We continue left in the direction of Porezen (right downwards - hospital Franja), and from the road we go only a little further right and we diagonally ascend on a shorter steeper slope. After two minutes of ascent, the path flattens and we cross an asphalt road and we continue in the direction of Porezen, and the path leads us by the yard of the nearby house. The path ahead leads us on a cart track, and at the smaller crossing, we go slightly right, and behind the fence, the path passes into the forest and gradually changes into a mountain path. Next follows a little longer diagonal ascent, and when we reach the macadam road, we for few steps follow it to the right, and then blazes point us to the left on a cart track which returns into the forest. Through the forest at the crossings we follow the blazes, and the path higher becomes steeper and crosses a macadam road. A little further, we once again reach the macadam road, and after two successive crossings, where at first the path from Poče joins, and few steps ahead also the path from Dolenji Novaki, we follow the signs for Porezen.
After the crossing, we immediately leave the forest and we get to meadows Labinjske lehe, from where a nice view opens up on Cerkljansko, and the view reaches all the way to Krim, Snežnik and Trnovski gozd.
On the upper part of meadow path turns slightly left and passes on slopes named Počanska gora. Next follows light to moderate diagonal ascent towards the left, and we walk on a well-settled path, which is on short steep spot also well-secured and in dry undemanding.
After secured part path splits, and we continue on the bottom path (right winter route), which continues to ascend diagonally. Later slope becomes steeper, and the path with the help of log stairs for some time steeply ascends. The path quickly flattens and we reach the ridge of Hom, where from the right side joins the path from the ski slope Cerkno.
We continue in the direction of Porezen and we quickly descend to a saddle Velbnik, where on the left we notice a hunting cottage Lovska koča na Šašu.
From the saddle Velbnik, where we get quite close to a forest road which leads to the mountain hut Dom na Poreznu, we ascend through a narrow lane of a forest and then at the crossing of grazing fence the path splits.
We continue on the path which is ascending (the left path bypasses the peak Medrce and isn't marked, but it is slightly shorter, and it leads further towards Porezen), and there in 10 minutes we ascend on a panoramic peak Medrce, from where a nice view opens up on Porezen.
Cerkno Labinje 1:00, Labinje - Labinjske lehe 1:00, Labinjske lehe - Velbnik 1:15, Velbnik - Medrce 0:10.
Description and pictures refer to a condition in July 2020 and October 2018.

On the way: Labinjske lehe (962m), Labinje (628m), Velbnik (1331m)

Trip can be extended to: Dom na Poreznu ( 50 min) , Porezen ( 45 min)