Markovščina Shepherds’ Trail

Interesting points along the road 

The trail starts at the roundabout where a cattle trough is located. It was made during the Second World War for horses and oxen pulling carts and travelling past. Two old limepits can still be found near the trough, although in the past there used to be 12. Each had its owner; they used to store slaked lime in them. The trail leads to the Kramar Cavern, then to an old military bunker, up to the highest point – Bezljak Hill. It got its name from the Slovenian verb ‘bezljati’, meaning ‘to bolt’. Namely, in the past cows grazed here and used to bolt in search of places with a better supply of grass. The hill also features some remains of bunkers and a panhole. Water stays in the panhole throughout the year and it is not known exactly where it comes from. On top of the hill, a Slovenian flag is flying. 

The trail proceeds to Mihec Cavern, all the way to Bečun. ‘Bečun’ is a water container made of stone which was in use from the 17th century onwards across the region of Čičarija. It was a valuable source of drinking water since it did not run dry even in serious droughts. A long time ago, village women used to wash their laundry by hand here. Water from ‘bečun’ was also used for bathing, cooking as well as for sheep and cattle. There is also a pond in the close vicinity at which forest animals are often seen drinking water. 

The trail then leads to a hunting stand. The next sight is Staje, named after the word ‘staje’ which in Slovenian means ‘livestock pens’. Namely, there are two huge oaks under which the locals used to drive their cattle in the midday heat. The main road passed here in the past, leading towards the village of Skadanščina and Mt. Slavnik. Close to the end of the trail is the last sight – Cajna. It was named after Jurjeva Valley, which is shaped like a basket (in the local dialect: ‘cajna’).