Safe Return Doubtful

Despite best intentions this morning, and when situated in such a spectacular place, I wasn’t able to make the most of hiking opportunities as it was one of those days when sciatica, or just general nerve pain, in the legs flared up. I still struggled around for a couple of hours, and managed to get some views before calling it a day.

The problem does occasionally crop up, and goes away almost as quickly as it comes on.

I was therefore able to get away earlier than I had planned, continuing on scenic route 1 down 1200 metres into Andrijevica, and then up again, to Gusinje and National Park Prokletije. From Gusinje there are two valleys I want to explore in the next few days. Both head south into the Accursed Mountains and Albania, and are specular settings.

There’s a 3 euro daily fee to enter the National Park payable at a booth just before the village of Grebaje, the same name as the valley. The village was originally just a couple of shepherds’ huts, but now has quite a tourist development of cabins, holiday homes and a couple of restaurants, all empty now as the season concludes, though I guess a few visitors may be around at the weekend. Just out of the village is a meadow where camping and vans are permitted. There was one other motorhome there, a Belgian guy with his dog, who is hiking, and a family from Tirana who arrived to cook dinner over an open fire. They were an American guy, his Chinese wife and their daughter, and we got on well. they offered to share dinner, I put the kettle on, which turned to a beer as the evening went on. Also, four visiting dogs, who spent the evening scavenging around us, all very politely. I fed them something, but they managed quite a few scraps from the cooking also.