From the Marindol scout centre we turn left and after 2.7 km we come to Miliči. At the crossroads we turn right and after a good 700 m the road brings us to the church of St Peter and Paul. To the main road we return by the same way. At the crossroads we turn right and after 1 km we come to Žuniči. At the crossroads we can turn right and come to the minor border crossing, or a little above the crossing we turn right onto a macadam road which brings us to the ruins of a mill and a weir on the Kolpa. From Žuniči to Preloka it is another 2.1 km. At the place-name sign for Preloka we turn right onto a macadam road, which after 5.1 km brings us to Vrhovci. In Vrhovci we turn right and after 1.4 km we return to Marindol.
We begin our route at the Scout Centre in Marindol (TCM). We turn left and the asphalt road leads us above the river Kolpa through the villages of Miliči, Žuniči towards Preloka. The clustered villages of Miliči and Žuniči are special in that the descendants of the Uskoks live in them . These were resettled farmers from territories occupied by the Turks, who in the Middle Ages defended the border of the Austrian empire. They have preserved their Orthodox faith and their customs right up to today. In Miliči, on a panoramic hill, in a lime grove stands the Orthodox church of St Peter and Paul, which is worth seeing. From the church there is a fine view towards Croatia and the Cazin region. In Žuniči there is a restored farm courtyard, called the Šokec courtyard, which represents a farm courtyard typical of the Kolpa-side part of Bela krajina. From Žuniči you can descend to the river Kolpa, where there is a bridge and a border crossing. Beside the bridge bathing is possible at the weir on the river Kolpa. By the weir are the ruins of a mill, which make the bathing itself even more mysterious. Below the village a castle once stood, which defended the border. The castle has been in ruins for several centuries. Before Preloka, at the place-name sign, we turn left off the asphalt road onto a macadam road. The route leads us through characteristic Bela krajina forest with birch and bracken litter groves, called the Marindol litter groves. The litter groves arose because of husbandry in the past, when every increment that helped survival had to be taken from the meagre soil. In the eyes of visitors the litter groves are a feature of Bela krajina, while they remind the locals of the former hard but idyllic peasant life. The route brings us past meadows and cultivated dolines to the village of Vrhovci. At the main road we turn right, past the village of Marindol back towards our starting point. The inhabitants of Marindol, which was once called Šobatovci or Šobatovo selo, are of Uskok descent.
Author:Klemen Markelj
