I was up at 6am & set off walking through the town & headed for Gjerbesi road. I visited the restaurant I had visited yesterday, I was really pleased to see it was open so early. (The place says 'Bar Restaurant' on the window & is on the right hand side as you are heading out of Çorovodë.) I was given Kos (yoghurt) & rice with lamb & bread by the lovely lady. It was certainly enough to set me on my way.
I reached the Ottoman Bridge (again) at about 7:45am . I was just about to take a photograph when a donkey & his owner appeared which was perfect timing!
The road ascended very quickly, & I was glad it was a little shaded in parts. There was quite a bit of traffic heading in both directions, many were the lorries transporting the stone which is quarried higher up in the mountains. Along the way I met a few locals, who were bringing their cattle lower down to graze. With some of the looks I received I wondered if they had ever seen a foreigner before! I also spotted some lone farmers working in the fields. The further I hiked the better the landscape became, I imagined it being very dramatic in the winter.
I continued to walk further along the main road towards Gjerbes before spotting another quarry site, with a few lorry containers & a camper van. Nearby I spotted a patch of grass which I thought would be an ideal place to pitch my tent, as it had great views overlooking the mountains. Just as I was about to make my way over, a lorry arrived & a man jumped out. I asked him if it was ok to pitch my tent, to which he replied 'no problem'! Whilst pitching my tent a couple of young Chinese men came over to say hello (They actually gave me a bit of a shock!) They could not speak any English but they seemed friendly enough. I assumed they worked at the quarry & lived on site.
After a couple of hours sleep in my tent, I decided to walk around the quarry site. I noticed the lorry containers were being used as accommodation. I spotted a large wok through one of the windows (initial thoughts were food!) & decided to pop my head in where I then saw three Chinese men huddled around a laptop watching a movie! I asked if there was any food on offer, & one of the Chinese men just waved his hand as if to say 'Sod off'! I continued to walk around the site a little more & spotted two more Chinese men in another container (who did not seem the slightest bit interested in me!) living in what can only be described as pretty horrible conditions. I decided to leave the Chinese to it & head back to my tent. I assumed the local man who I'd met earlier was the boss looking after the Chinese? He appeared to live in a proper camper home, rather than some disgusting lorry container!
I reached the Ottoman Bridge (again) at about 7:45am . I was just about to take a photograph when a donkey & his owner appeared which was perfect timing!
The Kasabashi Bridge near Çorovodë
The road ascended very quickly, & I was glad it was a little shaded in parts. There was quite a bit of traffic heading in both directions, many were the lorries transporting the stone which is quarried higher up in the mountains. Along the way I met a few locals, who were bringing their cattle lower down to graze. With some of the looks I received I wondered if they had ever seen a foreigner before! I also spotted some lone farmers working in the fields. The further I hiked the better the landscape became, I imagined it being very dramatic in the winter.
The Tomorri Mountains & the road out of Çorovodë
Gredec Cliffs near Çorovodë
Mountain countryside in Radesh
Mountain countryside in Radesh
A young Albanian herds his cattle to lower pastures
After about four hours into my hike I spotted a water well (set back a little). It was a great place to stop & rest for a while. The water was lovely (freezing cold), so I refilled my bottles. After another hours hiking I passed a large quarry site, it was amazing to see all the large pieces of stone (some as big as cars) cut away from the mountain side. As I passed the large quarry site the views were amazing with Mt Kulmakut in the distance. I began to wonder if I was getting close to Gjerbes, I spotted a few houses in the valley below & decided to head down.
A stone quarry high in the Tomorri Mountains near Milove
The Tomorri Mountains including Mt Kulmakut near Milove
The Tomorri Mountains including Mt Kulmakut near Milove
I made my way down into the valley to a small house where I could see a man in his garden (carving a gravestone) & introduced myself (although he did not speak any English). Soon his two young boys & his wife came out of the house. I showed the man my map just to see if I could work out exactly where I was. The man soon confirmed I was in 'Milove', which according to my map was only half way to Gjerbes! I was a little disappointed, especially as I had been hiking for nearly seven hours with quite a heavy backpack. (Although the man did say it would only take about another two hours to reach Gjerbes) The man offered me a coffee, but I declined as I wanted to keep going. I bid the family farewell, I think the two young boys wanted me to stay as they were fascinated with my backpack!
A cemetery in Milove high in the Tomorri Mountains
After a couple of hours sleep in my tent, I decided to walk around the quarry site. I noticed the lorry containers were being used as accommodation. I spotted a large wok through one of the windows (initial thoughts were food!) & decided to pop my head in where I then saw three Chinese men huddled around a laptop watching a movie! I asked if there was any food on offer, & one of the Chinese men just waved his hand as if to say 'Sod off'! I continued to walk around the site a little more & spotted two more Chinese men in another container (who did not seem the slightest bit interested in me!) living in what can only be described as pretty horrible conditions. I decided to leave the Chinese to it & head back to my tent. I assumed the local man who I'd met earlier was the boss looking after the Chinese? He appeared to live in a proper camper home, rather than some disgusting lorry container!
Back at my tent, I dug out my bread & cheese & got stuck in! It did get a little cold as the night drew in.
5 star accommodation in the mountains near Milove!
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