Prelaz Vrhe - Maceljska gora (via source of Sotla)

Access to starting point:
A) We leave Štajerska highway at exit Dramlje or Slovenska Bistrica south, and then we follow the signs for Rogaška Slatina. When we get closer to Rogaška Slatina we don't drive towards the settlement, but we continue in the direction of Rogatec. From Rogatec we go on the road towards Ptuj, and we are driving there to mountain pass Vrhe, where on the right side, opposite the sign which marks the end of municipality Rogatec, we notice a parking lot, where we park.
B) We leave Podravska highway at exit Zakl, and then we follow the signs for Žetale and Rogatec. When we get to the saddle Vrhe, at the sign which marks the beginning of municipality Rogatec, we turn left and we park on a parking lot by the main road.

Path description:
From the parking lot past few houses we continue in the direction towards Žetale, and after a short descent, at the beginning of the settlement Čermožiše we go right on a side road, by which there are signs for source of Sotla, on which we walk only few 10 meters. Here we will notice a marked cart track which from the macadam road turns to the right and starts moderately ascending through the forest. We continue the ascent on a well-marked cart track which higher brings us to a forest road which we follow to the left, and it quickly brings us to the hunting cottage (Koserjeva koča).
Immediately after the cottage we leave the macadam road, because blazes point us to the left on a footpath which starts ascending steeper through a dense forest. The path soon brings us on a wide ridge of Macelj, where it flattens, and then it continues with some shorter ascents and descents. When a nice view opens up on Donačka gora, we leave the ridge and we continue slightly right, on a cart track, that starts descending. After few minutes of descent, we come to the next crossing, where we continue sharply left (slightly right Trlično and Lipovec). Further, we are gently ascending on a grassy cart track, and then signs for source of Sotla point us to the right on a footpath, on which in a minute of additional walking, we descend to the source.
From the source we return on a cart track, and there we continue right and we ascend to the national border. When the cart track reaches the national border, by the national border in two minutes we ascend on the ridge of Macelj, which we reach on a smaller saddle, by which there is a bench.
Here we go right (straight downwards - Žetale) and we continue on the pathless ridge and on the national border. In few minutes of additional walking, we get to the western secondary peak of Maceljska gora, and few minutes ahead on Maceljska gora.
Prelaz Vrhe - source of Sotla 1:30, source of Sotla - Maceljska gora 0:20.

On the way: Koserjeva koča (650m), Source of Sotla (640m)