The road from Ilirska Bistrica twists and turns up to the village of Šembije, where you cross the limestone thrust of Mount Snežnik over the flysch of the Upper Pivka Valley. These are remote and lonely places with a couple of nice villages among the grasslands, intermittent lakes and wet meadows. A long ridge runs to the north and up to Šilentabor, where the ruins of the Kalec Kastle and ancient trees underscore the solitude.