Dolenji Novaki (Pod Kovkom) - Škofje (steep path)

Access to starting point:
A) First, we drive to Cerkno (to here from the road Idrija - Most na Soči, or over mountain pass Kladje), and then we continue driving in the direction of the ski slope Cerkno. Further, we drive past the inn Gostišče Gačnik (inn Gostilna v Logu) and past the turn-off of the road towards hospital Franja. And few 100 meters ahead we will on the right side of the road notice red mountain signposts for hospital Franja and Ermanovec. We park on an appropriate place near mountain signposts.
B) From the valley Poljanska dolina we drive to Hotavlje, and then we follow the signs for ski slope Cerkno. We follow the signs for ski slope Cerkno only to Kopačnica, where from the crossroad, where to the right the road continues towards the ski slope and Leskovica, we continue straight, on the road which continues along the stream Podplečica. At the homestead Joškovec, where there is the next confluence of rivers, we continue right, after that on partly macadam road we start ascending steeper. At the homestead Mrovlje the road turns on Primorska side, and after some descent we join the main road which leads from Cerkno towards the ski slope Cerkno. We follow the road left downwards, and when on the left side of the road, we notice red mountain signposts for hospital Franja and Ermanovec. We park on an appropriate place near mountain signposts.
C) From the valley Selška dolina we ascend on Davča, and then we follow the signs for ski slope Cerkno and later signs for Cerkno. When we already descend on Primorska side, at the end of the settlement Dolenji Novaki on the left we notice red signposts for hospital Franja and Ermanovec, where we park at the appropriate place.

Path description:
From the main road, we descend in the direction of the stream Cerknica, and at the crossing, we choose the right road which behind the bridge ends on a meadow. On the other side of the bridge we continue left towards Ermanovec and we at first walk by Cerknica, and when the walk along the mentioned stream is prevented by a side stream, we continue right and we are ascending by the mentioned small stream. Before the path passes into the forest, the cart track appears, on which we are for some time steeply ascending. Higher, the path leads us past few smaller crossings, where we follow rare blazes, otherwise the route is quite clear, because it all the time runs by the torrent stream. Higher, the cart track turns right and in parts becomes more overgrown. Few minutes of ascent through the forest follows, and then we reach the macadam road which we follow to the right. The path ahead for quite some time leads on a macadam road which is mostly gently to moderately ascending, and in doing so mainly through the forest crosses northwestern slopes of Škofje. After a short descent, the road brings us to the western ridge of Škofje, where it turns firmly to the left, and on this part, we leave it and we continue left steeply upwards on an unmarked, but well-beaten footpath which starts ascending on the mentioned ridge. A little higher from the right also joins an unmarked path from Planina pri Cerknem, and we follow a steep path all the way to bivouac on Škofje.
From the bivouac in few 10 strides we walk to a viewpoint, from which a nice view opens up towards Planina pri Cerknem and surrounding hills and where we return on a marked path.
We continue slightly left and on a panoramic grassy slope we are slightly to moderately ascending. Higher, we get closer to the forest, and blazes a little ahead lead left into a thin forest, through which we continue to the nearby peak.
Description and pictures refer to a condition in the year 2019 (April).

On the way: Bivak na Škofju (917m)