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Walks, Wildflowers & Wines in Macedonia

Author Paul Bloomfield joined Walks Worldwide in Macedonia to discover mesmerising landscapes, a fascinating history and some fabulous hikes to burn off the delicious cuisine!

I’ve often felt that Walks Worldwide is erroneously named. And on my recent jaunt to test-trek the new Hiking in North Macedonia tour, it hit home again. Could I suggest a rebrand? Try this for size:  Walks, Feasts, History, Wines & Wildflowers Worldwide.

OK, so it’s a bit of a mouthful. But then, as I discovered early in my Balkan sojourn, so is North Macedonian cuisine. The landlocked republic – wedged as it is between Greece, Bulgaria, Serbia, Kosovo and Albania, and with a culinary heritage influenced by long Ottoman occupation – is a great place to try the various flavours of south-eastern Europe. You just need to remember to tackle enough hiking to burn off the excess calories.

We’d barely left Skopje airport before the feasting and tipples began. Driving south towards our first night’s hotel in Bitola, local guide Gorki had introduced Walks’ own Samantha Manning and me to the fruits of North Macedonia’s fertile soils and 260 days of sunshine at Stobi Winery. Here we tasted wines ancient and modern, from unexpectedly vanilla-y oaked chardonnay – more like deliciously boozy cream soda than wine – to ancient varietals such as Rkaciteli, Vraneč and Kratošija, an indigenous grape that, according to Gorki, Alexander the Great would have imbibed. And to line the stomachs, we savoured the fresh salad, red pepper relish called ajvar and sirenje, the ubiquitous feta-like white cheese that accompanies every meal in the country.

Having marvelled that evening at the spectacular mosaics and echoing Greek-Roman amphitheatre in ancient Heraclea Lyncestis (founded by Alexander’s father Philip of Macedon, no less), and soaked in the ambience of Bitola’s café-lined Širok Sokak (‘Wide Street’), next day we laced up for our first hike. But not before another taste sensation: the honeys and hive-products from local beekeeper Mavo Jovčevski. Ever tried propolis? Me neither, but this waxy, floral bee-product makes a sweet medicine – thought nothing comes close to the taste sensation of honey oozing straight from the comb.

Suitably fuelled, we embarked on the ascent to the ‘Pelister Eyes’, a pair of alpine lakes near the summit of the eponymous mountain in Pelister National Park. The climb was spectacular enough, but the three-hour walk was enlivened by regular lessons in flora and history from our expert mountain guide Jonce Ilievski, who pointed out sprouting ‘donkey tea’ – a herb dried to make a local beverage – and the endemic Molika pines for which the national park was designated in 1948. And as we traversed the dramatic pass to the west, we followed a rocky trail built by the French army during World War One, when Bulgaria and Germany occupied ridges above Bitola. Mostly, though, we drank in the views: east to Bitola and the wide, fertile Pelagonia valley, then west to glistening Lake Prespa as we descended through meadows of wildflowers and an oak forest where bears might – just might – be watching. That night we slept the sleep of the righteous after another banquet of cheesy filo pie, more-ish stuffed peppers and fiery shots of rakija, the local hooch.

Next day took us on a relaxing boat ride over the lake to Golem Grad, a bijou island packed with interest. Though the island is just a few hundred paces across, our walk nevertheless took a good couple of hours, pausing often to admire the frescoes in 14th-century St Peter’s Church and ruins from Roman, Byzantine and later eras, including the summer residence of 11th-century Tsar Samoil. Here, too, we were distracted by lumbering tortoises, white Dalmatian pelicans and the raucous colony of cormorants whose guano has bleached their nest trees bone-white.

Over Galičica mountain we drove to revel in views across Lake Ohrid, shared between North Macedonia and Albania. Unsurprisingly, this is a popular holiday destination for North Macedonians and foreigners alike, though the lakeshore is only part of the appeal. The historic city of Ohrid, another settlement developed by Philip of Macedon, was occupied through the centuries by Romans, influential Slavic saints (it’s said that the monastic school founded here in AD 893 by St Kliment, co-creator of the Cyrillic alphabet, was Europe’s first), Tsar Samoil and the Ottomans, leaving their marks in the form of a hilltop fortress, mosques, Byzantine churches and another Roman theatre. Another draw is, of course, the cuisine: Ohrid trout are renowned around the region, and rightly so.

The biggest challenge on the tour is the ascent of Mount Korab, highest peak in both North Macedonia and neighbouring Albania. Though far from technical, the ascent is a consistent uphill hike of perhaps four or five hours, and even in early June there’s a risk that snow will block the trail. The far-reaching views along the jagged ridge of Korab and wildflower-strewn alpine meadows are a joy, though, whether you reach the summit or (as was our experience) you’re denied by snow tongues.

Our final day offered a different kind of calorie-burning treat: a kayak along Matka Gorge. North Macedonia has a number of hydro-electric dams creating alluring lakes, but Matka is arguably the prettiest, squeezed between soaring limestone cliffs a-chatter with birds. An hour or so’s paddle brought us to the hopping-off point for Vrelo Cave, its bizarre stalactites and stalagmites lit in bright colours to accentuate their peculiar shapes as cave swallows swooped overhead.

Skopje, the nation’s capital, is a memorable mixed bag of ancient-looking (though very recent) monumental statues, newly-reclad communist-era blocks and truly old hammans, mosques and bridges. Most fascinating is the old bazaar, a slice of Ottoman life that begs to be explored – don’t miss the fine walnut lokum (a dense Turkish delight) at the confectionary emporium called Europe, where it’s been concocted since 1882. That evening, in a characterful restaurant in the courtyard of a restored khan (caravanserai), we feasted one last time on rich pasha kjofte meatballs and toasted a week of mesmerising landscapes, fascinating history and a succession of terrific hikes that only just about justified the delicious dining. Na zdravje! To health! 

Join us on our Hiking in North Macedonia walking holiday and experience this alluring nation for yourself.