Safe Return Doubtful

I’ve been a few days now in the Prokletije National Park, (Bjeshkët e Nemuna in Albanian), a name I prefer, as it means ‘the accursed mountains’. The Albanians are strong with local folklore, and this legend says that the mountains were created by the devil himself, who was unleashed from…

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…

I decided to spilt to the journey over to the Accursed Mountains into two parts, each of about 90 minutes, in theory.. The roads are slow, but that is quite understandable. I’m following Montenegro’s scenic route 1, and it really is an incredible drive. I began at the Croatia border,…

After the unseasonably warm and dry spell, the foreboding forecasts came to pass as winter duly announced itself overnight. There had been some sleety rain in the early hours that had frozen by first light, and the temperature didn’t get above 3C all morning. After an indulgent weekend of 8…

Friday 13th October From my bed I can see the outdoor temperature monitor at first light, this morning at 2C, and watch as it creeps up at first, then as the sun rises the climb gains more momentum. Within ten minutes of watching it it had risen to double figures.…

Thursday 12th October My original plan was to head across the border into Montenegro after the weekend, on Monday, but I’ve an eye on the weather forecast. This spell of hot and dry weather is unusual for the time of the year here, and is forecast to break on Monday,…

Tuesday 10th October Driving through the towns and villages of Bosnia, as I did today between National Parks, it is impossible not to be reminded of the war, and will be for many yes to come. There are many shelled buildings, now just ruins. There are also abandoned houses, whose…