3 June 2022
An early…but breakfast-less start…so we had early stop for coffee….and a packet of chips between us (alas!!)…which carried us through the day’s ride!!
Lovely scenery today as we followed the river upstream…
…but…as we experienced yesterday…they have laid a cable (or something) at the edge if the road…..which has left a rough groove just where you want to ride!! This went on for over 60kms…!!!! So with some quite heavy traffic it did make it more difficult than it should have been….with too many wobbles at the wrong moment!
At the top of the valley….we then climbed up a 400m ridge…and stopped for a re-charge of Iain’s battery….(we have seen lots and lots of these little bunkers…apparently covering Albania during the communist era)
…and just when I thought they should maybe turned into ladybirds…this came along! (..looks more like a tortoise!)
Anyway…over the top for our first view of Lake Ohrid…..(& our first sign post to Greece!)
And when we arrived at the lakeside (just clocked 2.5k km for the trip so far)….it was like a new country!! A 20km bike path alongside a brand new road (they even had installed underpasses at every bus stop!!…and we are really still in the middle of nowhere!). A great change after this morning’s busy road!!
Through the town of Pogradec….a lovely lakeside esplanade…onto a traffic-less road (lots of cyclists!)…which itself turned into the road to the border with North Macedonia. It was so small…and so deserted that I did fear we might have a repeat of our failed border crossing from Bosnia into Montenegro!! But no….the crossing was open!! And we were the only ones there!!
Immediately everything changed once again…for on the North Macedonia side of the border…this whole area is a National Park. Much greener…all very beautiful. (…still more bunkers too!)
And to our overnight stop at Trpejca.
A place pocked on the map as it looked like a pleasant location!!
And it is extraordinary.
And despite the lake being at 700m with snow still clinging on to adjacent hills…the water is pleasantly warm!! What an great place for a swim!! Just beautiful water!!! Loved my swim!!
And the view from the balcony of our accommodation is not bad either!!
North Macedonia…an unexpected diversion…but already looking just fantastic!! More tomorrow…….
Albania looked fascinating and with great people who you met. You have really overturned my prejudices about the people, Neil. In UK we see frequent press reports of many Albanian organised crime networks, plus it being the recipient of countless stolen Mercs, Range Rovers etc., but here you have shown another side and you cycled out even with your iPhone back in your rucksack!
Man what a gorgeous wee place!!!!