Ljubelj - Veliki vrh (Košuta) (via Koča na Ljubelju)

Access to starting point:
We leave the Gorenjska motorway at the Podtabor junction, then continue driving towards Tržič and Celovec. When we arrive at Ljubelj, before the tunnel we turn right onto a larger asphalted parking lot, where we park.

Path description:
From the starting point, we head on the path in the direction of the Koča na Ljubelju mountain hut. After a short ascent, we reach the macadam road, along which we continue the ascent. This is followed by an ascent along a fairly steep road that leads us across a few gullies and past a chapel and a pleasant spring with a bench. Higher up, the road makes a few more hairpin turns; at the last left hairpin turn, a nice view opens up on Košutica and Veliki vrh, and then we already arrive at the Koča na Ljubelju mountain hut.
From the hut, we walk along the road to the state border, cross it, then on the Austrian side descend to a marked junction a few minutes away. From the junction, we continue right in the direction of the marked path to Košutica / Loibler Baba and continue the path along a poor road. The marked path soon turns right uphill from the road and initially ascends steeply. The path soon levels out and turns left. This is followed by a traversing ascent to the left along a path that is usually quite slippery. After a few minutes of traversing ascent, the path brings us to the border ridge, where it first ascends gently to moderately, higher up quite steeply for some time. During the steep ascent, looking back, a nice view opens up towards Stol, Vrtača, Palec..., and the steep path brings us to a metal ladder, where with the help of fixed safety gear we ascend steeply. Above the ladder, a few more steel cables follow, then the path levels out and the demanding section over Rjave peči is behind us. A little further on, we cross a grazing fence, then the path leads us across the grassy slopes of Grunt. With nice views of Lokovnikov Grintovec, Košutica (Ljubeljska Baba), Veliki vrh in the Košuta ridge and other surrounding mountains, we soon arrive at a marked junction, where we continue right in the direction of the Korošica pasture and Hajnževo sedlo (straight to Košutica, slightly left to Lokovnikov Grintovec).
The path ahead leads us along a cart track that descends slightly, crossing some springs in the process. A little lower, a hunting path from the Ljubelj concentration camp joins from the right; we continue straight and in a few minutes of further walking arrive at the Korošica pasture, where on the right side, on a smaller rise, we notice the dairy hut.
From the Korošica pasture, we continue following the signs for Hajnževo sedlo, Veliki vrh and Kofce, along a path that takes us from the pasture into the forest. Through the forest, we continue traversing to the right; the path leads us past a wooden trough, after which we step onto a panoramic gentle grassy slope. On the other side of the meadow, the forest gradually gives way to dwarf pines; we follow the occasionally somewhat steeper path to Hajnževo sedlo, from which a nice view also opens up towards Austria.
From the saddle, we continue right, where for a short time we still proceed along the panoramic ridge, then enter the climbing section of the path, where the path begins to ascend steeply with the aid of fixed safety gear. The technically demanding section is especially dangerous for slipping when wet; the path from the saddle onwards is exposed to falling rocks. Higher up, the fixed safety gear ends, and the path transitions from the wall to steep slopes, across which we ascend to Veliki vrh amid ever more beautiful views.
Ljubelj - Koča na Ljubelju 45 minutes, Koča na Ljubelju - Planina Korošica 1:30, planina Korošica - Hajnževo sedlo 30 minutes, Hajnževo sedlo - Veliki vrh 1:05.

On the way: Koča na Ljubelju mountain hut (1370m), Grunt (1614m), Planina Korošica (1554m), Hajnževo sedlo (1701m)