CT-1 Bukumirsko jezero to Mojkovac

Day 1

We got the 0845 flight from Stanstead to Podgoricia. Bought all out food in the UK, all we needed to get in the city was fuel. 

We had pre-booked a taxi with this company and had arranged for him to take us to a petrol station. Met by our driver dressed in white linen and an ordinary car, he took us to a shopping street. Unsure what he was doing, we recognised one word in many - he had taken us to somewhere selling camping gas. Soon understanding it was car petrol we wanted, he took us to a petrol station. 1.6 litres cost us 2 euros.

The drive took us on a newly tarmac 2 laned road, with the driver taking a couple of phone calls and constantly looking at his phone. Even when the road became a single tracked, twisty and steep sided. A couple of stops were made, I think to ask people whether we were going the right way. We came to an information board, ready to get on our way, the driver took his time to read the sign, only to discover this would be an extra 30km to get back en-route. This could be worth investigating as this area looked great to explore, even if it was from a base camp.

Camp on trail, above the spring 

The taxi journey took an hour and half and cost €30 to Bukumirsko Jezero

Left to it, we quickly found the markers to follow and stopped 2km later at a camp spot recommended in the guide - a flat spot above the spring, overlooking the valley. Throughout the evening there was echoes from children herding sheep in the valley and their dogs barking. 

Day 2

A 20km day taking about 10 hours, but at the time we had no way of knowing how far we needed to walk. 

The marking were excellent, as long as there is something to mark them on - the grass and gravel sections were not so great. 

Water was in short supply, the settlement of Katun Sirokar (4km after camp) was the last water for the next 16km. 

The terrain was very varied: 

No paths here

Open hot mountain climb to Maglic

Beech woodlands

Limestone pavements (Karst)

Maglic (2142m) was our high point of the day and which had a slow decent being uneven terrain with the lack of any sort of path. There was an amazing amount of grasshoppers, crickets and spiders seen and heard today. 

We saw several people in the distance picking bilberries, but only came close enough to talk to one man. He had been speaking and singing down a loud speaker on our approach to 

Crkva Sv. Ilije church 

a church at a pass. His hand was stained by bilberries, we had an incomprehensible conversation and left still non the wiser to what he was doing there.

Water was found at Carine, a rainbow formed over the valley as we collected the water and made camp near the Katuns. I believe the largest and newest of these buildings is an unlocked mountain hut. 

Camp at Carine 

Day 3

We had a slightly later start than yesterday, now being on the Komovi map, we had more of an idea of how far we needed to travel - 15km. Straight off the mark was a steep climb between the saddle of the two Komovi summits.

The pass looking back to Carine

There were wild raspberries, bilberries and strawberries, providing a great excuse for a break. A CT-1 mark led us left and up from the saddle. After half an hour we checked the map, we had started following marks for a different trail. The route needed to take us straight over the saddle and into the valley at the other side. If time allowed, this would be another good location to leave the heavy bags and head to the summit.

We stopped to patch up feet with finger tape and compeed in the shade of a rock, to our disappointment, missing the first two hikers we'd seen on the trail. But as we descended further, we came across a lone walker plus a group of young Italians.

The path contoured along a scree slope, into a steep sided and narrow woodland path, before reaching the flatter plateau of Stavna. A busy little village with water, a small shop and eco cabins. Signs read 3.5km to Tresnjevik, a road leading into the valley bottoms and where we knew there was a cafe. From this point it would be possible to get into a town if supplies were needed. Pete ordered  two beers and coke each (€4.80) at the cafe with our newly learnt Montenegrin phrases, which we had spent a lot of time learning whilst walking. A few essential phrases and how to pronounce them

We left the cafe and continued along dirt tracks. Markers getting few and far between, checking the map we were happy we were going the right way. Ahead we heard music and a gathering of several people. Keen to get to camp, we were reluctant with their invitation to join. But we relented. Quickly a beer was in our hands and a plate of meat with bread and cheese in front of us. A couple of the men spoke some English, most non at all. As time went on, more beers were handed to us, the children started speaking the English they leant in school, very well. The gathering of people from the local village, was also joined by a lone passer-by. A 4x4 driver from Switzerland, a quiet man, out on a spontaneous trip of the Balkans. They sent us on our way with a huge loaf of bread and cheese. What amazing kindness and generosity.

Camp for the night was just up the hill from the village of Lisa, a water fountain was were the party was. Our Swiss friend joined us and we combined supplies for a pasta meal. 

Day 4

A totally different terrain crossed today - the 'mountains' are rolling and it was all on tracks. This was another 20km day. 

Tracks to Plan dom Krivi Do, where the stream leads to

The markings were few and far between, but the guidebook was reassuring us we were going the right way. The map has place names and contour features, although the CT-1 is not always accurately marked.

We came across out first proper stream where a German couple had camped that night. They offered us some cheese which had been give to them by some Czech hikers. We took the opportunity to dip our feet in.  

"Basketball court?"

Water was in good supply generally today, we also came across a mountain lodge were we had 2 beers each. This made the uphill section, around a sacred mountain, with a telecommunications mast on, more bearable. 

Niksicko - a very nice Montenegrin Larger 

The Czech couple recommended a lakeside camp spot at Sevarina lake but as Pete's knee was sore, we filled up from a spring and walked on to a lovely spot at a junction where we would have had to drop down the 2km to the lake.

An unwelcome explosion of DEET has ruined a pack of toilet paper and finger tape. We encountered no biting insects so bug spray is possibly not necessary anyway. 

Day 5

The trickiest navigation day yet.  A severe lack of markers made progress slow. There was one place we went 2km off track, and subsequently had to walk back up the mountain. A lack of markers on the ground, our expectation to see and follow them, and the lake which was signposted (to Svatovsko groblje) had a different name on the map (Sisko jezero), were all contributing factors to this error. At the bottom of the detour, a lady was selling food at Katun Dolovi), we got a coke, some lovely hot out the oven bread, cheese and dried meat. Once back on track we used the contours on the map, took the CT-1 marked route with a pinch of salt and used the GPS on the pre-downloaded Google maps. This provided the location of tracks and paths, but not contour features.

Camped to NW of 1966. From here map suggests route goes NW then to Sisko jezero. Possible it actually goes NE to same location. 

There were sections today which were off vehicle tracks, which was a welcome break, but any downhill sections were slow going with Pete's sore knee. We walked through the Biogradska Gora National Park, camping in it caused us no problems, we did ensure tents went up at dusk and down before 8. The scenery was nothing special from what we had seen, but perhaps a day walk to Biogradska lake would be worth it.

Bjelogrivac summit

Our highest point was Bjelogrivac (1959m) and camp is above Vrioco spring at 1476m. Overall distance covered was 19km.

Day 6

Black arrows mark actual CT-1 trail

Another track plod into the town of Mojkovac (pronounced Moychasvacs). Again the map and the CT1 route marked on it did not quite match the ground. We followed what was marked on the map, but have drawn on where the route actually did go - when on the trail the markings were good. 

Hay stack with Mojkovac in the distance 

In Mojkovac, a busy town with all necessary shops to resupply, we decided not to continue the CT1. Pete's knee, still being bad, would make progress slow, maybe meaning we couldn't do the other things we want to do.

We were caught by a taxi driver at the bus station, saying there was no bus to Zablijak. He offered €25 for what turned into an hour and half journey down the beautiful Tara gorge. It looked an interesting river to kayak/raft at the right time of year.