A Guide to the Three Castles Walk in Skofja Loka

Picture this; rolling green hillsides, mossy forest, winding pathways and a series of crumbling ruins to explore. Completely free to do, highly enjoyable and just half an hour from Slovenia’s capital, Ljubljana. The Three Castles Walk is a perfect activity for any looking to get into the great outdoors of Slovenia without committing to a multi-day trek

three castles path — THE THREE CASTLES PATH

UNDERSTAND

The town of Škofja Loka is located about half an hour from the capital, Ljubljana. Skofja Loka is a charming little village, complete with a running river through the middle of town, a series of gorgeous bridges, and steepled roofed houses that wouldn’t look out of place in a fairytale. While the town itself may only need a quick half an hour walk to take in, the surrounding hinterland is where the real magic lies. Here, a winding pathway will lead you through dense forests, rolling farmland and a series of ravines, crossing past three castles along the way. It’s a gorgeous way to spend a few hours, and requires very little in the way of fitness, preparation, or planning.

Loka Castle

The Three Castles Path begins at an information board beneath Loka Castle. Loka Castle stands close to the western edge of the old town of Skofja Loka. To get to the castle, merely follow the winding steps leading from the information board up a low hill and you should see another information board, with the picture of ‘the pageboy,’ a little black figure graffitied on the wall. Definitely take note of this figure, as it will be your guide for the duration of the path - where he points, you follow - that will lead you the whole way across the three castles path. Another thing to note is that there are a series of exercise stations along the path - generally, these just detail how to stretch or do push-ups, however, they are a good marker for you - if you stop seeing exercise stations, you’ve probably gone off the path.

From the base of Loka Castle castle, turn left and walk uphill up the path to the first exercise station. The path will then continue to snake uphill, over a series of switchbacks. You should see ‘the pageboy’ spray painted on tree trunks and on a rock, merely follow the way he is pointing. The ground here was a bit muddy when we walked the trail, but the autumnal leaves more than made up for this.

The Tower on Krancelj

After about 5 minuets of walking uphill you’ll come to the ruins of the Tower on Krancelj. Though a ruin, this is a pretty fun place to explore, and you can wander amongst the mossy boulders and rocks that used to form the tower. The path is clearly marked from here - just follow around to the left of the ruin on a thin path until you break through the trees and face a long, sloping downhill.

The farm you can see is called 'Pri Grebenarju'. Nearby there are two interesting natural sights – Mary's and Migut's Abysses. Follow the signpost ahead to the forest edge, where there is a monument to the founder of Loka Tourism, Slavko Flis. It was Flis, who back in 1895, began work on creating walking paths in this area. Thanks Flis.

old castle

From here the path runs through the forest to the Kobila pass, where the image of the pageboy points right towards the Wild Loka (Divja Loka) castle. After approximately 15 minutes of walking, you will catch sight through the tree branches of the ruins of the Old Castle, or Wild Loka. The castle was built on the steep slopes of Lubnik, where it had excellent natural protection. The final part of the path leads you behind the Wild Loka castle and descends right into the Vincar ravine (Vincarška grapa). This leads to the settlement of Vincarje, from where it is just a 10 minute walk to return to the start point in the town.

KNOW BEFORE YOU GO

The route should only take you about 2 hours to complete. While the route is about 6 km long, you can easily add in short walks to other sites along the way.
The easiest way to complete the route is to abide by the motto; ‘follow the pageboy.’ You can’t get lost if you’re following him.
Always try and keep an eye out for exercise stations, which line the entire pathway (see below). These are a useful marker.
The pathway itself is generally well maintained, fairly flat and easy to walk. Even if you aren’t particularly fit, the trail is easily achieved within a few hours.
There are a series of other hikes that interlink with the three castles path. To remain on your trail, just follow the pageboy!