Safe Return Doubtful

55 miles (89 km) – Total so far: 693 miles (1,115 km)

I stayed at an AirBnB in Sarajevo at 15 Euro each night. It had a great location for the Old Town and city centre. Living as I do in a small Lake District village I find city visits can be difficult these days, noisy and full of people rushing around, but I enjoyed Sarajevo. Certainly it’s a city recovering. I’m reading The Cellist Of Sarajevo which is very suitable to get a feel of how it’s residents (and those that left and maybe still haven’t returned) must feel.

Riding past Sarajevo Orthodox Church in the Old Town at 7 am this morning.
It’s about 50 metres from the Catholic Cathedral, and another 50 metres from Gazi-Husrev-Beg-Mosque.
It was a grey rainy day yesterday at about 13C max, and today looks the same, no rain yet though.

This incredible city recovers steadily…

The Siege Of Sarajevo, the longest siege in the history of modern warfare, stretched from April 1992 to February 1996. The United Nations estimates that approximately ten thousand people were killed and fifty six thousand wounded. An average of 329 shells hit the city every day, with a one day high of 3777. In a city of roughly half a million people, ten thousand apartments were destroyed and a hundred thousand damaged. Twenty three % of all buildings were seriously damaged.

(From the appendix of Steven Galloway’s The Cellist of Sarajevo)

Bread shop in Fojnica for lunch – Bosnian meat pie, and very good it is also.

For Rent… a car with no wheels

It’s been a very gradual climb of 100 metres to the village of Tovariste, but that’s about to change…

Losing the asphalt. 16 km and a climb of just under 1000 metres to Prokosko Lake

This was the only sign I saw all route, so be sure to have your GPS primed, and there are several junctions.

It’s about an 8% gradient to the Lake, and the track is in pretty good condition. So steady progress, for me 7-10 kph.

At 1616 metres and the Lake, and in the cloud now.
This is usually quite a tourist destination. There is one restaurant and a few locals selling crafts, and it’s only a couple of hours drive from the city.
Not today though. There’s no view – and it’s about 10C.

How Prokosko Lake can look… (not today though)

The track becomes much more difficult with loose rock, river/stream crossings and washed out parts. It’s steeper also, it climbs another 350 metres in 3.5 km.

That’s the remainder of my pie, a lunch stop…

The things you come across on mountain tracks…
A toilet chair.

And eventually at the top. There’s no marker, so make do with a shot of my GPS. It’s 1960 metres, the new high point of the tour.
And the view…

It’s a tricky descent also, at least for the first 5 km, just as steep as the last uphill section.
It’s tough on a loaded bike. There are certainly push sections. But being at this altitude is rewarding even on a cloudy day.
Some UK companies offer this as an MTB day, but of course they’d are supported with luggage carriers. It would be a great and fast descent with full suspension.

About 15 km and a drop of 1000 metres to the village of Crkvice, and a bit on sunshine. It was only a bit though.

War Memorial in Voljevac

And of course, a sting in the tail, down to 600 metres asl, and then up, but this time on a moderately busy road to 1123 metres.
Then a fast downhill to the town of Prozor.
It’s the worst devastation to a town I’ve seen so far, from the War. Many buildings are left unrepiared after being bombed.
I’m staying a renovated Motel, there seems only to be one.