At the start of week 19 of our cross-Europe cycle tour we crossed the border from Kosovo to North Macedonia. The week of exploring North Macedonia has been incredible with warm welcomes from so many people whose kindness towards us has been heart warming. The scenery has been spectacular – especially on the hike up Mount Korab, the highest mountain in the country (as well as in Albania). We hope you enjoy our week as much as we have.
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[Music] It’s day 69 and we’re on our way up the ski slopes to Preservita and then onward to Tito. It could be 100 km day today into North Macedonia, but we’re just not sure. Goodbye to Presin. That was a lovely place and uh recommend coming here. Very impressive entry into the gorge which we’re going to be following up along the river. This valley is getting deeper and narrower and steeper. It’s quite impressive. Our ride up the mountain is making good progress and uh these clouds up above are looking threatening, but then there’s also some blue sky. And uh we’ve got 11 km to go. Making good progress and beautifully cool. It’s very It’s very good to have a cool breeze. I was hoping for some cake to keep us fueled, but unfortunately they’re closed. We were just stopped on our way up the mountain by this lovely friendly guy who gave us chocolate to say well done and good luck. I’ve been racing up the serpentine because there was a beautiful stray dog that was following us and it just breaks my heart. But of course, we can’t take them with us. So, I was trying to lose him. He can go live back at the hotel which we passed earlier. Beautiful mountain villages and pleasure places. Oh no. Oh, he overtook me. I better get him. Well, that was a 25 km uphill. Um, and now we’re going probably 20 km or 25 km downhill. What a pleasure. Uh, but we’ve rugged up because we are so sweaty and wet. Um, we know that we’ll start freezing if we don’t. And we’re on the other side of the Sharon Alps going down really fast on this hill. And we’ll be at the bottom in no time at all. Never thought I’d say it, but we are feeling quite chilly and that rain is chasing us. We’ve made it to the bottom to Braza. This is quite typical of this part of the Balkans. You’ll get springs at the side of the road that you can refill your refill your water. Oh, hello. Looking back to the Sha Mountain peaks that we just came over, but now we’re on another hill. As Ethel said, this is a small hill and then we’ll have a big hill on our way to the border. And then the owner of the farm um gave us ice creams. Ice creams and good advice and he said, “No, go back down the hill. Rather go the other way. This is not a good ride. So, we are busy going up our 9 km hill on our way to the border. It’s about 6:00 p.m. and we’ve been rained on quite a bit, but we’re getting there. Our ride up the hill was wet and long. It was a very big day. Um, but it was a day filled with people who helped us out and it was great. Um, now we’re having a pizza at the top of the last hill. It’s cold outside. We’re having pizza in this restaurant and then we’re going to wild camp behind a monument after a hard day of cycling. Our pizza sounds really good. Wow. It’s day 70 today of our cycle. We tried wild camping again, but two strikes out of two strikes. It was a very disrupted night. Uh, apparently there were police checkpoints here or paramilitary or something going on. Lots of noise all night, the cocking of a gun and people walking past our tent commenting. So, didn’t feel great, but it was raining so we had to take cover. Chilly, chilly, chilly. We’ve come from up there in the clouds and now we’re getting lovely sunshine, but it’s still chilly. And it looks like we’re going back into wild weather down that way. But we are in North Macedonia. Another new country. This is a beautiful little shrine that someone’s built next to the road. And we’re going to have some breakfast right next to the shrine. It’s great to see how on one corner of this intersection there’s a church and on the other side there’s a mosque both looking in on each other. We are standing in St. Athanasius’s church in the town of Leach North Macedonia. Incredible murals all around us. This is just an amazing Orthodox church very bright and beautiful um incredible space. This now we’re in the Church of St. Mary’s from the 1300s and this one’s full of frescos dating from the 14th or 15th century onwards. You can tell they’re much older frescos than in the other church we were just in. Today has not really been a day of cycling. It’s a day of meeting people, hospitality, and just finding the huge contrasts of this amazing land and the incredible warmth of the people. It just blows your mind. Ah, what a fantastic day. As seems to be the case with a lot of these cities, as you come closer into the city, this traffic goes slower than a bicycle and you can just weave your way through. These ancient Muslim graveyards look quite amazing with the old stones and I wonder how old these are. We’ve come to the art gallery of Tutov. We’re just walking past on our way to the painted mosque, but it’s a beautiful old building. Um, it’s day 71 and we are off to the monastery tonight at Filip. But here we are standing outside the incredible painted mosque, the colorful mosque which is Italian Barack style. Running through the inner city Tutotovo street and this street has transformed into a fruit and veg and all sorts. Quite a vibrant city is very nice actually. This truck, [Music] what are you drinking? A just gave us a bottle of sour milk, which is like a a local yogurt. Yeah, it reminds me of my childhood cuz we used to have this for breakfast. Yeah, incredibly kind. He stopped us. He came following us after buying us gelato and um bought us burek for lunch as well as this traditional milk. So, we just we could not love the Albanians more. It just is ridiculous. There are big mountains somewhere underneath all those clouds, but uh we’re just stopping to have the bare that Azi gave us. Um, it’s nice to have some lunch. Lovely. We’re in the National Park Movo Morovo Lakes National Park and we’ve just cycled about 15 km uphill. So, we are super stoked to see this sign and to start the downhill now. I give you Movo Lakes and Sunshine. Hey, which is just good timing cuz we’re going downhill and we’re wet. So, if there was no sunshine, we’d be cold. Cycling down through the national park, heading to the monastery. It’s nice doing downhills, but unfortunately it means tomorrow we’re going to be going up these hills again to on the way back. What a spectacular gorge this is. We came around the corner and the whole world opened up in front of us. There’s Ethel indulging his passion for Soviet monuments in the village of Chinika in the national park Movo. Today’s day 72. Not really a cycling to anywhere day, just a cycling exploring day. We’re going up to the monastery of St. Javan Borski, which is the most famous monastery in Australia. And we’re going downhill at the moment. And it’s really chilly. So, I’m crying. But then we have to go back uphill to get our tent and relocate to where the hike is going to start for tomorrow. For tomorrow. We are deep in the national park having a look around. Amazing cliffs, stunning river, but looks so cold. We’re at St. Javan Beorski Monastery. It’s beautiful. So, [Music] [Music] We’re bouncing along the gravel road to Strezeamir where we’re going to be hiking up to Mount Kerb. But although the riding is a little hard, there’s a lovely brook just next door. Oh, the road’s getting harder. Time for pushing. Well, this gravel road is pretty good. And what’s also very good are the beautiful vistas and landscapes that it’s bringing us into. And somewhere up there is Mount Carb to be discovered tomorrow. It’s the story of our lives. Pushing up hills through amazing landscape. Almost at the top. Well, what do we have here? Atel has bear proofed the food and it’s hanging from the roof. So, if a bear really wants our food, he’ll have to jump up on our table and come get it that way. Hopefully, there won’t be any bears, but we’re up at Mount Carb and we’re as high up as we’ve been into the mountain areas. So, off on our hike tomorrow, but close to the bears tonight. Today is a very exciting day. We’re going up Mount Carb, which is the highest mountain both in Albania and in North Macedonia. There’s only three mountains in the world like that. So very excited that we could do this today. Yeah. And we have a tented down there at the old border police station. And uh very comfortable, very quiet. But the question is whether Gail’s shoes already. They are on the verge of dying. Um so not good. Not good. Just to say we are going straight up enjoying this beautiful forest. We just popped out of our forest and there we not sure if that’s the top, but that’s a beautiful looking incline. So, we’re heading that way. We’re an hour and a half into our epic walk and we can see everything now. We’re still looking over Macedonia down to that Shepherd’s Hut. And this is all Macedonia, but once we get up to the high peaks, we’ll be heading into Albania as well. We just came around the corner and look what is in front of us here. We’re heading off up those peaks there somewhere. Stunning. It’s morning tea on the mountain and we have Nutella spread on chocolate wafer. That is going to get us up there. Perfect. [Music] The good news is we have found the peak after all that conjecture. There is the peak up there. We’ve seen a few little ant people about to crest and now we know the way. And it doesn’t even look too bad. So, we’re super excited. And we’re very happy it’s not those technical peaks cuz that would be terrifying trying to get up there. Looking into Albania. A good spot for a picnic. Yeah. And then on this side looking into Macedonia. We’re at the top of Albania and North Macedonia. Getting to the top is optional. Getting down is mandatory. And that’s the part that we have to do now. And we’re going down 2,764 m. That’s a long way. These guys definitely are dedicated mountain bikers. They’re pushing their mountain bikes up this massive hill. It’ll be uh quite a downhill ride afterwards. There’s lake the lake in the distance that we cycling to tomorrow. Coming back down through the forest is often the last part of the hike. We’ve just had a delicious tuna pasta bake. So good. But a breaking news. One of the hikers has just returned now and said he and his friend ran the last kilometer because there was a bear. There is a bear one kilometer away from our tent. Those hikers have driven away. We are here and there is a bear 1 kilometer away. Just letting you know. Kale’s nervous. Confident. Confident. There’s a bear in there and two Dutchmen as well. Oh, they come running out. Running fast as hell and it’s thundering. It is starting to rain quite thoroughly, but fortunately, we have our little tent in the shelter. A bag and a rug. Very good. Gail’s having sympathy on this freely ridden dog. And now we’re running. Quick run, Gail, run. [Music] It’s day 73 and we are we are leaving around Carb area and we’re leaving Movo National Park and we’re heading off to Kachevo. So we are heading south through North Macedonia. But breakfast first on the way after a bit of scary gravel riding. Yep. And off we go. [Music] an idyllic little swimming spot which I’d love to swim in, but at the moment I’m a frozen icicle, so I’m not going to do any sewing. A little Macedonian versail over here. It’s quite incredible. And then a beautiful church over there and a stunning mosque all right next to each other. I thought that was a church, but it’s not. It’s a mansion. It looks like a castle. Incredible. It’s day 74 and we’re leaving the village of or the town of Kacheo. That’s the sign for the hotel that we stayed at last night. We’re on our way to Crochet, the 17 km. But we’ve had some dramas this morning, haven’t we? We had to do some emergency maintenance on Gail’s brakes because they had worn completely through to the metal. It’s always my brakes. Yeah. Yeah. And uh we managed to find the only bike shop in town and I’m fixed. And the guy was really kind. So now we love Macedonians, too. We love the balcons. And it’s such beautiful environment, which makes it doubly sad when we just see the dumping of rubbish in such lovely place. We’re cycling through the rural area from Kachurville on the way to Cresville and we came across this little house with a a newly paved road to it and a picnic spot and it’s a little shrine. You open the door and there you have it. A beautiful little shrine. We’re going up there with This is bicycle maintenance 101. You cannot go touring without a bicycle maintenance guy. I luckily have Athel. And this is the brake pad. And you can see the metal starting to shine through on that. And so that’s why Gail’s brakes all of a suddenly started singing. Yeah. And they are an awful sound. Ironically, we just had the front brake fixed for that reason and the pads replaced this morning. My back break was fine, but literally this is now 3 hours later and my back break has started doing it. So, thank goodness Apple bought some more spares at the mechanics and now he can do it himself. He’s a superstar. This area has seen quite a big fire come through it. And the fire has just happened in probably the last week cuz there’s a bit of smoke still there on the horizon from smoldering embers. And you can smell the um the smell of recently burnt grass. We’re in a stunning area. Look at those gray clouds looking ominously up in the sky towards us. But beautiful vistas, mountains or very rolling hills I should say out to all sides and going through this lovely old village. We’re in back country mass down here and it’s useful old stonework and uh some of it tumbled down some of it’s in good shape. We found an exquisite old building next to the church area. Look at the the blue and the orange. We can’t get into the church, but we hear there’s a lot of people in the town up ahead. So, we’ll go and explore and see what that’s about. We’ve just had a lovely time. Yeah, lovely time meeting two very special girls in this village, meeting Tiona and Bjana. And now, listen to the amazing music. There’s traditions going on today commemorating past um fights in the villages and heroes. And heroes, that’s a better way to say it. We’ve got a bit of an uphill push on gravel through beautiful uh forests of oak. We got to the top of the long hill and now we get rewarded by chocolate spread on wafers. Hooray. We are on our way down the gravel road and we found this beautiful little little chapel with a community hall where the whole community can gather to celebrate their traditions which as we’ve just found out in the village on the other side are so central to bringing them all together. Bringing them from around the world. This is a gorgeous view. But I just hope that’s not our road going up that hill. I think it might be. We headed up the top of the hill where that cross is. Hopefully that’s not across where the last cyclist was buried who tried to climb up to the top of that hill. Athel so intent on getting to the top of that hill, he missed this local church. Isn’t this lovely? We’re getting closer to the cross of Crese. Yeah, the hill just keeps on going, but thankfully we’ve got a bit of cooling rain happening. Hopefully, we won’t be washed away. H I can’t get enough of this beautiful deep green forest under the rain, under the clouds. Don’t you just love the freshness after a thunderstorm? Just the glistening trees. Everything’s feeling a bit refreshed and there could be more rain, but I don’t think so. Almost there. After our massive apple in the rain, Athl has gone further uphill in search of a Soviet monument. He’s very dedicated, that man. came over the top and landed up in these incredible trees. They’re stunning here. Kushville is quite spectacular, especially with a massive storm on its way. Wow. [Music] Today we went to visit the Macedonomium which is a monument built in 1970s to the independence of Macedonia. The story starts in 1903 with the Lindon uprising to throw off the yoke of the Turks the Ottoman Empire and that’s just happened all of the commemorations of that. After the second Balkan uh war in 1913, Serbia, Bulgaria, and Greece carved up Macedonia. And it was only after the second world war that Macedonia was able to declare itself a republic and then join the federated um group of Yugoslavia and they were the only country in within Yugoslavia that was able to negotiate peacefully to leave in 1991. So we wish Macedonia all the best going forwards. [Music] This afternoon we are taking a true rest day with nothing planned other than having our feet up in our apartment and relaxing. Quite unusual for us. [Music]
1 Comment
So lovely to see St Athanasius' church because he was the one who said "God became what we are so we could become what he is"