Otmarjeva Pot Via Ferrata Trail – Gradiska Tura

Reaching the starting point

This trail starts at the Tura campsite in the village Gradisce which is located several kilometers away from the bigger town Vipava. The best way to reach the starting point is by car, but with a bit of effort and hassle you can also get there by public transport.

To reach the Tura campsite you should drive along the E61 freeway and at the Razdrto you should continue towards Vipava on H4 highway. Take the Vipava exit and after that turn left in the first crossroad. After half of a kilometer or so, you will see direction signs for Gradisce and campsite Tura. Then just follow the directions signs for the campsite and after several minutes you will reach it. There you can park your car free of charge on a big parking lot.

If you plan to arrive by public transport, check the time schedules for buses to Vipava on this website. Note that you will have to walk (uphill) from the bus stop to the campsite which will take you at least half of an hour.

Trail

At the parking place of the campsite follow the directions signs for Gradiska Tura and start hiking on the narrow path towards east. The trail is well marked and thus you shouldn’t have any problems with the navigation. In case you are not sure where to go, just follow the painted white and red circles on trees and rocks. After a couple of hundred of meters the trail will become rockier, steeper and cross some exposed stretches where you will have to use your hands. Soon you will arrive to a crossroad with a directions sign (distance of approximately 600 meters altogether). Here follow the directions sign for Furlanova Pot (left) and after 50 meters you will come to a bench just below this relatively easy via ferrata trail.

The bench is a great place to put on your via ferrata gear before you start ascending almost vertically up the mountain. The Furlanova Pot via ferrata is challenging but not too demanding. I think that it’s suitable for anyone reasonably fit and not afraid of heights. As I already described this via ferrata in an earlier trail here, I won’t go into details in this blog post.

After you are done with the Furlanova Pot, go right on the narrow path until you reach the starting point of the Otmarjeva Pot. The path will then descend for around 50 meters and soon you will be under a long ladder where the demanding part of the via ferrata starts.

This very first ladder is also the most demanding part of Otmarjeva Pot. It first takes you directly up and then horizontally to an overhanging section. I had a bit of trouble coming over this overhanging section and thus I used the short arm of my Petzl Scorpio via ferrata set to rest for a minute or two, just hanging in the air. After that I managed to pull myself over and continue. The terrain ahead is very exposed but there are many carved steps and iron rungs which make the ferrata considerably less demanding. Nevertheless, it’s still a thrill to climb on so exposed terrain. Higher up you will encounter several more ladders but none of them is as demanding as the first one. The last ladder is relatively long and just before the end of the via ferrata trail.

After you are done with the via ferrata you only have a couple of minutes of hiking left to the top. There is a big cross at the top and the view on the Vipava valley is just amazing.

Getting back to the starting point

For the way back you obviously don’t want to take the via ferrata trails. Luckily there is a nice hiking path back to the starting point. The path first goes towards south and then turns towards north. It runs parallel to both via ferrata trails and is well-marked, but steep in some places. It will take around an hour to come back to the starting point.

Petzl Scorpio Via Ferrata Set

I wore the Petzl Scorpio via ferrata set for the first time on this trail and I was very satisfied with it. The Petzl Scorpio via ferrata set is a Y-set with tear-out webbing and thus there is no rope hanging around while you are climbing. The best features of this via ferrata set are the elastic arms, easy-to-use carabiners and a short arm for resting. I switched to Petzl Scorpio from a bulky Y-set with a friction brake and it has been a delight. The Petzl set is also very small when packed into the pouch and thus it doesn’t take much space in the backpack. Read the full review of Petzl Scorpio via ferrata set.

Petzl Scorpio Vertigo Lanyard Climbing Set, Multi, One Size

Buy from Amazon

Also available at:

REI | Moosejaw

Montem 3K Carbon Trekking Poles

Now, trekking poles are not something you typically bring on a via ferrata trail but since I knew that the path down is quite steep, I wanted some extra traction. On the way up I mostly carried the Montem 3K carbon trekking poles attached to my Osprey Talon daypack via Stow-On-The-Go system. As they are very small when fully collapsed, they didn’t bother me at all. Furthermore, they are also super light. The pair weighs only 442 grams. Therefore, they are perfect for mountaineering and fast alpine ascents. Read also the full review of Montem 3K Carbon trekking poles.