Hrastnik (Podkraj) - Sveta Marija (Ključevica)

Access to starting point:
A) First, we drive to Litija, and then we continue driving in the direction of Trbovlje and forward towards Hrastnik. When we get to Hrastnik, we don't continue left on the main road through a bridge over the river Sava, but we continue straight, and few 10 meters further right in the direction of industrial zone Podkraj. Between the industrial zone and the settlement of few smaller apartment buildings there is the beginning of the described path on Kum. We park on an appropriate place nearby, if there's enough space we can park on one of the parking lots near the apartment buildings.
B) From highway Ljubljana - Maribor we go to the exit Trojane, and then we continue driving in the direction of Zagorje ob Savi. Through Zagorje we follow the signs for Litija, and after the bridge over the river Sava we continue left towards Trbovlje (Litija right). Further, we drive on the main road all the way to Hrastnik, where we don't continue left on the main road through a bridge over the river Sava, but we continue straight, and few 10 meters further right in the direction of industrial zone Podkraj. Between the industrial zone and the settlement of few smaller apartment buildings there is the beginning of the described path on Kum. We park on an appropriate place nearby, if there's enough space we can park on one of the parking lots near the apartment buildings.
C) First, we drive to Celje, and then we continue driving in the direction of Laško, Rimske Toplice and Hrastnik. Through Hrastnik we follow the main road, and when we cross the bridge over the river Sava, we continue left in the direction of industrial zone Podkraj. Few meters further, the road turns right and brings us between the industrial zone on the left and the settlement of few smaller apartment buildings on the right, where there is the beginning of the described path on Kum. We park on an appropriate place nearby, if there's enough space we can park on one of the parking lots near the apartment buildings.
D) We drive to Radeče, from there we continue driving towards Zidani Most, and there we go left towards Hrastnik. Further, we drive on a narrower road which leads us by the river Sava, and when we get to Hrastnik, we at first continue left (right - the center of Hrastnik), and when we cross the bridge over the river Sava, we go once again left in the direction of industrial zone Podkraj. Few meters further, the road turns right and brings us between the industrial zone on the left and the settlement of few smaller apartment buildings on the right, where there is the beginning of the described path on Kum. We park on an appropriate place nearby, if there's enough space we can park on one of the parking lots near the apartment buildings.

Path description:
From the starting point, we continue in the direction of Kum, and the dead-end road we quickly leave because signs for path via Matca point us on a footpath which after a short ascent brings us to gardens, and few steps higher we cross also an asphalt road which leads to the nearby water storage. The water storage we bypass on the left side, and then through the forest we follow frequent signs for Kum. When we step out of the forest, the path leads us in a diagonal ascent through a panoramic meadow, from which a beautiful view opens up towards the part of Hrastnik and surrounding hills. Higher, the path returns into the forest and gradually passes on more scenic and steeper slopes. Through the steep slopes leads us a wide path, so snowless the ascent does not pose a greater risk, and in the snow it is on several spots dangerous for slipping. When higher the steepness decreases, gradually we step out of the forest by the edge of the village Matica, where the path leads us past few houses. We quickly leave the road, and then for a short time, we continue by the edge of a meadow. A little further, we cross also a bad macadam road, and then through a lane of a forest we ascend to another asphalt road which we follow left in the direction of Kum. After a short ascent on the road, at the smaller crossroad we continue on the right road in the direction of Kum only for pedestrians. When after few meters the road passes into the forest, we leave it because signs for Kum point us to the right on a footpath which continues through the forest, and only a little higher it crosses the asphalt road. After the crossing, we step out of the forest and by the pasture we ascend to the next hamlet, where we follow the road to the left, and at the marked crossing at the houses we go sharply right, on the road which leads by the business building. Behind the house which is on the left, we continue left on the path which is ascending on a more and more panoramic meadow, and higher it passes into the forest, through which we are then ascending. At the crossings, we follow the signs for Kum, and when a marked path crosses the macadam road, we follow the road to the left (straight on a marked path - Kum).
We continue on the macadam road which is for some time gently ascending, and then starts gradually descending. When the descent ends, the road again starts ascending, and gradually passes on slopes of the peak Ključavica, where from the left joins a marked path with starting points in Zidani Most and Radeče. From the crossing, we walk on the road to some sort of plain, where we continue right in the direction of Sveta Marija and the parish house, which we bypass on the right side. From the parish house follows approximately 5 minutes of ascent on an easy to follow, but unmarked path.
Description and pictures refer to a condition in the year 2016 (March).

On the way: Matica (662m)