Klek Mountain

Klek rises to 1,181 metres above Ogulin and ends in a bare rock head that from the town below reads as a giant lying down, which is the shape the legends work with: Klek was held to be a gathering place for witches, who flew here on storm nights, and the folklore is dense enough that it still gets repeated. The rock face was where organised climbing in Croatia began - routes were being put up here from the early twentieth century and the mountain remains a training ground. The walking route to the shoulder is straightforward; the summit block itself requires scrambling and is not a walk. A mountain hut sits below the face.

What you actually see

• A rock head above Ogulin - reading as a lying giant from the town.
• A witches' mountain in folklore - the stories still current locally.
• Where Croatian climbing began - routes from the early twentieth century.
• A hut below the face - the base for both walkers and climbers.

When to go

May to October; winter needs proper equipment. A full day.

Honest expectations

The summit block is a scramble with exposure, not a hiking route, and people get into trouble on it. The bura wind hits the ridge hard. There is no water on the route above the hut.

Nearby

Ogulin is below; Plitvice is south-east.