On a sunny summer's day, Velika Planina is one of our favourite, if not most favourite places in Green Slovenia, (and that is saying something)!

You take the cable car up to this huge meadow on top of a mountain, with Alpine peaks opposite and the odd cloud floating past. Cow bells jangling and little wooden hobbit houses scattered over the top. We've said it before, but it feels like being in heaven.

Well.. you don't just have to take the cable car to get to this mountain paradise! You can hike there and here is how you do it..

Hiking to Heaven on Earth.. Big Mountain Meadow.. Velika Planina:

As you would expect, any place that you have to take a cable car to get to is gonna be tricky to get to, but not if you go around the other side!

There is an absolutely stunning drive you can do around the side, up a pass for fantastic views and then double back and heading up towards the mountain meadows, parking up in a choice of several mountain car parks and then just follow the signs to the meadow. Even better, there is another mountain meadow called "Little" Mountain Meadow or Mala Planina.. so you can choose which one to go to!

Kamnik is the key to this trip and you follow the same road out of this beautiful town as you do for the cable car, but instead you turn right before Stahovica and head towards Krivcevo and the curvy, wiggly road up to Podlom and Crni Vec.

This road will be empty and amazing as you wiggle your way up past picturesque villages, pretty churches and cows munching green grass. High up, you will see the sign at Podlom up into the mountains to Velika Planina, which is where you want to go, but we very much recommend you go all the way up the highest point at the Pass of Crnivec, where there is a really good restaurant serving yummy local dishes, (check out that amazing soup presentation in the photo below!) and if it isn't time for lunch then just have a drink here.

The roads up here have the odd hairpin bend, but it isn't narrow and scary at all, the vistas up here are well worth it!

Suitably refreshed, then go back to Podlom and take the stunning road towards Luce and Velika Planina. Be prepared to stop and take photos. We had a small pick nick at the amazing little church above left.

In the end, the roads turn to stone and you will see little idyllic wooden houses dotted around and get a "national park feeling". You will see these big wooden signs (below) at several car parks for either Velika Planina or Mala Planina. The signs are very good here and also have the time it takes to walk the walk displayed on them.. we were surprised and amazed that from these little car parks we could be at Velika Planina in say one or two hours, depending which route we took!

So there you have it.. Park your car and hike up through the mountain forest following the red circles and signs. Never forget you are going up a mountain, so keep an eye on the weather and take some provisions. There is a nice café on top of Velika Planina serving soups and drinks as well.

Now you know where to park, have a great day out hiking up to heaven on Earth!