An epic walk from Lovcen National Park down 1,300m to the attractive old town of Kotor, tough on the knees, but a treat for the eyes looking out across the Bay of Kotor. To save a couple of hours of road walking I got a short lift from my hotel to a lookout with these stunning views.

It felt a little daunting descending to sea level from this altitude. There was a vague track across the open, before heading along a rough forest path with occasional patches of wild flowers.

I had an early lunch (and ice cream) at Nevjesta Jadrana, a restaurant with a view!

A much better track through attractive forest followed, with plenty of switchbacks.

It opened up to big views again.

From here the switchbacks continued for hours, with a relatively gentle gradient but they just felt endless!

The views compensated though as I slowly descended down the mountainside.

It was a furiously hot day and there was almost no shade, so I took a welcome break for some pomegranate juice at a small cafe with another incredible view.

The old Sveti Juraj church made a pleasant diversion from the switchbacks.

Beyond which was Kotor Fort, at the top of the City Walls.

My trip notes (and online information) said to enter the fort through a hole in the wall and descend from here to Kotor’s Old Town. I even had a photograph of the hole in the wall, but try as I did I couldn’t find it. I eventually figured out that the hole had been filled in (very recently according to the company I got the notes from), with slightly different coloured stone work next to the white and red track marker.

So instead I had to cut across and take the Ladder of Kotor down to sea level, yet more switchbacks in the sun!

It was a relief to finally reach sea level, and the colourful waters running outside the Old Town, to be covered in a separate post.