My sixth day in a row (of a twelve day trip) hiking along the long distance Peaks of the Balkans trail across Albania, Kosovo and Montenegro. This took me from Doberdol in Albania onto Milisevc in Kosovo, followed by a rest day in the beautiful remote Kosovo village of Drelaj.
From Doberdol about a dozen hikers left at a similar time after breakfast to climb steeply up about 500m to cross the 2,170m pass into Kosovo.
The landscape the other side was quite different, less lush grass, more trees, rocks and snow, with some big snow covered mountains in the distance.
The mix of sun and cloud dramatically lit the landscape.
After the initial steep climb the track became more undulating crossing the Bogice, Belegu, and Roshkodoli Passes.
After the final pass there was a long descent down the scenic Roshkodol Valley.
There were a few cows to avoid…
Toward the end of the valley lies Roshkodol, the largest seasonal settlement in Kosovo. There is clearly some money here judging by the newness of many of the houses.
After walking a dull and annoyingly uphill 4WD road I reached my destination for the night, the lovely Guesthouse Lojza.
The next day rain was forecast and the planned walked on the itinerary didn’t look particularly appealing without views, plus after six straight days of hiking up and down more than a thousand metres a day, plus six more days of hiking in the previous nine days, a rest was quite appealing…
I got a jeep transfer from Milisevc to Drelaj, involving a rough hour off-road and half an hour on road. The drive was pretty scenic in places though I was a bit of a wreck afterwards from motion sickness, with lots of switchbacks and bumpy roads.
Drelaj was the ideal place to rest up. Guesthouse Kacaku was probably the best I stayed at in my time in the Balkans. We were the only people staying there, the food was delicious food, and I had a huge room with two balconies. I spent most of the day sat on the balcony enjoying the view as the weather changed.
I stretched my legs briefly to visit the photogenic mosque in the middle of the village.
Next to it was one of the more unusual cemeteries I’ve visited, particularly the relatively recent burials which had yet to be marked with a formal tombstone, just a pile of earth, which felt more confronting.
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