About hiking the Transversale in Macedonia – part of my Via Dinarica’16 thru-hike: 1500km from Slovenia to North Macedonia – a new long-distance trail!
Day 10: 22.5 km (+ 825m. uphill and 2350m. downhill)
For starters: a few hundred meters downhill. Continue Reading…
Day 9: 31,9 km. (+ 1540m. uphill and 650m. downhill)
It’s about 8.30 when I reach Kafana Grakavac. I’ve just hiked today’s first 10k. The kafana is a little off trail and situated next to a highway and it’s open. Yeah! They’re serving Turkish coffee. Yeah! They’re serving a hot sandwich. Oh… yeah! Continue Reading…
Day 8: 17km (+ 1130m. uphill and 1200m. dowhill)
According to the way markers today’s goal is about 17km and 8.5 hours hiking. 17km? 8.5 hours? This sounds like a challenging hike and I am about to find why. Continue Reading…
Day 7: 19km (+750m. uphill and 1100m. downhill)
As the clouds move over for a few seconds I see the chapel at the settlement of Velji Zalazi. Velji Zalazi sounds promising. Once, it used to be a village in the middle of the mountains high above the bay of the Kotor. Now it’s no more than ruins. And the chapel. Continue Reading…
Day 5 and 6: 0 + 19,2 km (+1200m uphill and 740m. downhill)
At the town of Budva I take a zero. It’s pretty touristic out here. However, tourist season hasn’t started yet so it is still quiet out here. What’s to say about a zero? Shower, laundry, eating seafood and buying resupplies. At the local market I buy dried mushrooms and raspberries, fresh cheese and dried sausage. I also buy a lighter. No more soaked food! Those kinds of things. Continue Reading…
Day 4: 16km (+ 450m. uphill and 500m. downhill)
OK, last night was really, really, really, really windy. The day starts around 6.30 and I am flying over the PPT. Not because of the winds, but because here there’s a proper trail, with markers everywhere. Continue Reading…
Day 3: 18km (+ 650m. uphill and 600m. downhill)
Showers all night. Heavy winds too, all night. Tarptent is soaking wet. Let’s call it a fresh start of the day. Continue Reading…
Roughly between the border with Croatia and the border with Albania, runs the Montenegro Coastal Trail. This 180km long mountain trail with stunning views on the coast is called the Mountaineering Coastal Transversal, the Coastal Hiking Transversal or the Primorska Planinarska Transverzala. PPT, for short. Continue Reading…
Day 1: 18,2km. (+ 1698m. uphill)
‘Sama’. ‘Ja. sama’. According to the guy I meet outside the tiny village of Stari Bar it’s about 16km. (or is it 21? he’s kind of fast pointing out fives on his fingers) to mount Rumija. Continue Reading…
From Mavrovo I’ve got a few days hiking left to the Transversale terminal at Botún, close to Ohrid. Today, leaving town takes time. First there’s an expedition to a mini-market for snacks and lunch. Then there’s a a few possible trails and having a variety of options I find it hard making a decision.
Gemaakt met in Haarlem