The Memorial March in honour of Valentin Stanič, a Priest, Teacher, Humanist and the predecessor of mountain climbing in Europe, goes from the Stanič trg in Solkan (103 metres above sea level) near Gorica, the centre of the former Gorica province, along the mountain ridge of Sabotin (609 metres above sea level) to Vrhovlje (420 metres above sea level) in Brda and over Korado (812 metres above sea level), along the Kanalski Kolovrat to Kanal. The March, therefore, connects Gorica, where Stanič worked for twenty-eight years, with Kanal, which is not far away from Bodrež, Stanič’s home village, and also close to Banjšica and Ročinj, where he had worked before he was transferred to Gorica.

Every year in March or April, there is a traditional March in memory of Stanič’s works. The March is organised by the local Mountaineering Society that is named after Stanič. The main March starts in Solkan (from 6.00 to 9.00 a.m.), while the shorter ones wind themselves from Solkan (from 6.00 to 9.00 a.m.) to Vrhovlje or from Vrhovlje (from 8.00 to 10.00 a.m.) to Kanal. The main March takes around 8 hours of moderate walking (without stops included) for the entire route and 4 hours for the shorter Marches. The entire route is marked adequately with hiking markings. The closing ceremony, with a cultural programme and the awarding of badges, acknowledgements and prizes, is in the afternoon hours at Kontrada in Kanal. A special bus connects Kanal with Solkan and Vrhovlje. The route offers mesmerising views over the Soča Valley and the surrounding hills.

Information: PD Valentin Stanič Kanal, www.pd-kanal.nvoplanota.si

(Vir podatkov: PZS, kataster planinskih poti)

Kanal ob Soči - zemljevid poti.pdf