From the Marindol scout centre we turn right towards Adlešiči (5 km) and Dolenjci (2 km). In Dolenjci we turn towards Črnomelj and after 9.1 km we come to a signpost that directs us left towards Butoraj. We reach Butoraj after 2.7 km. We continue the route straight on along the road, which after 1.1 km brings us to Velika Lahinja. Here we turn right (macadam), where after 1.6 km we come to a crossroads, where we turn right and after 100 m we are in Brdarci. We ride along the road another 1 km and come to the village of Podlog, where we turn left towards Dragatuš (600 m)and after 500 m of riding through the village we come to the main road Črnomelj – Vinica. We turn left and after 1 km there is a signpost towards Pusti Gradec. After 1 km we come to Pusti Gradec and descend the slope (500 m) to the Lahinja. We go across the bridge and follow the markings of the Župančič path. Along the forest road we come after 1.3 km to the asphalt road and the bridge over the Lahinja. We turn right into the village of Mala Lahinja, where after a good 200 m by the chapel we turn left onto macadam. To Belčji Vrh it is 1 km. In Belčji Vrh we turn left at the church, and right at the partisan monument, and follow the signpost for the Župančič path. To Hrast it is 2.5 km. From Hrast we go along the road to Perudina (1.1km), from there it is another 700m to the crossroads, where we can turn right towards Vinica (1.5km) or continue the route along the Župančič path to Žeželj (1.5 km) and then descend into Vinica (800 m). In Vinica we follow the signpost for Adlešiči. After a good 15 km we return through the villages of Zilje, Preloka, Žuniči, Miliči to our starting point.

Author:Klemen Markelj

From the scout house we ride right towards Črnomelj. We ride through Adlešiči, where we can stop for a short time and see the gallery of domestic crafts . At the crossroads in Dolenjci we turn towards Črnomelj. A little before Črnomelj we must watch out for the signpost that directs us left towards Butoraj. Butoraj is a village in the middle of the Bela krajina forests, past which the Lahinja flows lazily. On a panoramic hill above the village stands the church of St Mark, and at its foot burial grounds from the Bronze Age and antiquity were discovered. We continue the route towards Dragatuš, where Oton Župančič spent his childhood years . In the village we can take refreshment and see the memorial room in the house in which the poet lodged. The place was bombed and destroyed during the 2nd World War, since for a time the main staff of the Slovenian partisans was stationed there. From Dragatuš we can continue cycling along the marked Župančič path to Vinica. The route leads us towards Pusti Gradec, where we can see a water-powered mill, a Venetian saw and a few randomly found archaeological objects, among them a gold coin of King Matjaž. On the peninsula enclosed by the Lahinja stands the church of All Saints. This natural peninsula was settled already in prehistory and antiquity. The church stands on a prehistoric hillfort. On the portal of the church we can still read today that the donor of the church was M. Plasman in 1638. (that year probably refers to the renovation of this church; when it was built is not known). We can continue the route along the marked Župančič path through the Lahinja Landscape Park towards Belčji Vrh. Near the village is the source of the river Lahinja.In Hrast pri Vinici we can stop and see one of the largest and, on the surface, most beautifully visible deposits of bauxite in Slovenia. In the village one of the larger village ponds is preserved. The route leads past Perudina onto the road Vinica – Bojanci, where we can continue the route along the Župančič path towards Žeželj or turn right and descend into Vinica. In Vinica we turn left at the crossroads in the middle of the square towards Adlešiči. The road brings us through Preloka, Žuniči and Miliči back to our starting point.

Author:Klemen Markelj