The stage starts at the parking area near the motorway flyover below the southern slopes of Nanos. Go right and walk up the macadam road. There will be a crossroads where the road levels out, where you will turn right and cross the meadow. You will reach a forest and follow a poor dirt track to a crossroads, where a road branches off on the right side towards Vojkova koča. Walk straight ahead down the wide pedestrian path across the grassy Gradišče nad Razdrtom plateau and on to the knoll from where there is a good view. The path begins to narrow and climbs up the steep slope in stages. When you come out of the wood, the path levels out on a grassy slope and gives way to a stone path, which leads up to the Church of Sv. Hieronim (St. Jerome). 1h 15 minutes. Before that, turn right at the junction and climb up the grassy slope. Walk along the edge of the plateau to the macadam road and continue walking along the steep western edge to reach Vojkova koča na Nanosu (1240 m), which lies below Pleša, one of Nanos' peaks. The walk from the church takes about 45 minutes. Walk past the clearing until you reach the direction panes, then turn north towards the forest and the village of Strane. Climb down through the forest, maintaining your original direction. When the terrain levels out, you will reach a crossroads, where you make a right turn and continue climbing down the eastern slope. 30 minutes. The path gives way to a broad stone footpath which leads to the valley. Ahead of you will be steep cliffs and the basin with the town of Postojna to the right. You will suddenly notice a chapel in the middle of the forest. 45 minutes. The path turns right here and descends down to a spring. When the terrain levels out, there will be a dirt track which turns left and leads to a populated area. Turn left onto the macadam road at the beginning of the tarmac road and walk to the church in the village of Strane (656 m). 30 minutes. Follow the road around a left turn and when the tarmac comes to an end, follow the dirt track across the meadow to a hunters' observation post. Turn left off the dirt track and cross the meadow to reach a beech wood. After you come out of the forest, walk across the meadow then straight across the stone bridge until you reach a crossroads, where you will turn right. Walk past a farmstead to the tarmac road, which leads to the village of Šmihel pod Nanosom (590 m). Follow the tarmac road that branches off to the left and continue walking until you reach a resting area with stone benches and table. 30 minutes. Walk past the resting area along a stone fence to the forest. At the crossroads, turn left onto the dirt track, the left again onto the path just before reaching the clearing. Climb down the path to the macadam road and follow it for about 20 m, then turn right across the footbridge and meadow to reach the road. There you will find the renowned Linden tree beneath which the knight Erazem Predjamski is rumoured to be buried. 30 minutes. The entire stage takes 4h 45 minutes. The impressive Predjama Castle, which is built into a steep rock face, will be visible from the last part of the route



Source: Dobnik, Jože; (1998). Slovenska planinska pot. Planinski vodnik. Založba: PZS. Atlas Slovenije. (1996). 3. izpopolnjena in razširjena izdaja. Ljubljana: Mladinska knjiga in Geodetski zavod Slovenije. Notranjski Kras. (1997). Izletniška karta. 1:50.000. Ljubljana: GZS.
(Peter Šilak)

The Littoral plateau of the Karst is behind us. The route into the interior leads through a wide chain of high plateaux extending in a NW-SE direction all the way to the Soča river in the west. This is known as the High Karst, characterised by Karstic limestone and magnificent forests. The same applies to the Nanos plateau, which is part of this chain, except for its southern extreme, known as Pleša ("bald head"), which shows a grassy and rocky face. Pleša is the destination of the route starting at Razdrto. The entire rim of the chalky limestone plateau pushes through the Eocene flisch of the Vipava valley. It is steep and rocky and covered in a mix of Mediterranean, Dinaric and Alpine flora.
With the exception of a few isolated farmsteads, the plateau is uninhabited. The locals, whose large flocks of sheep once grazed here, built a small church on a peak on the rim and dedicated it to St. Jerome (Sv. Hieronim), the patron saint of translators who translated the Bible from Greek into Latin. It is said that an oil lamp burns eternally in the church, showing the way to seafarers in the Gulf of Trieste. There is a magnificent view from this grassy, wind-beaten rim, as well as from the nearby Pleša, where there is also a tall TV transmitter.
To the east extends an extensive basin named after the Pivka river, which will be our destination after the descent. The Pivka river with its tributaries, including the Nanoščica, forms part of the Karstic river basin of the Ljubljanica, the river with seven names. Pivka sinks into the renowned Postojna Cave. It makes its way into the neighbouring Planinska jama cave, swelling the waters that flow here after sinking in Karstic fields, including the intermittent Lake Cerknica. These waters flow as the Unica across the Karstic Planinsko polje, where they sink again, and finally emerge as the Ljubljanica, which flows into the Sava river. The Pivka basin has another hydrological peculiarity. Streams at the extreme north of the basin do not flow into the Pivka river, but to the Adriatic sea. The Lokva stream, for example, sinks in the cave near Predjama Castle, runs through the hollow interior of the Nanos and emerges 14 km east and 400 m lower at Vipava.
The renowned castle can be reached through the western part of the basin. The descent from Nanos leads to Strane, where a large, dark green yew tree stands next to the Church of the Holy Cross. This is one of the biggest yews in Slovenia. Its trunk has a circumference of almost 4 metres and it is estimated to be at least 500 years old. In neighbouring Šmihel, the path leading to Predjama runs below the formidable embankments of a prehistoric site, testifying to the historical significance of this area.

Sources: http://www.smihel.si/ (Šmihel)
(Igor Maher)