DAYS OF THE JACKAL

Hungry for a touring destination less ordinary, Simon Thomas sets the controls for southern Albania and North Macedonia

- Simon Thomas

As I battled along brambly footpaths and unmade suburban roads, chased out A of Tirana by street dogs, I had my doubts about this trip. I'd arrived with the sinking realisation that I'd forgotten to pack my multitool and had to scour Tirana's bike shops to find one, and then my route failed to download on my Garmin. It was early afternoon before I'd picked up the right road and found a cafe with a satisfying view back to the capital. When the waiter said my proposed route to Elbasan was "not possible", I panicked, only to realise he just meant it would be easier on a motorbike. The road would turn out to be not only possible but quiet, smooth and scenic. The only hazard was crossing tortoises, varying in size from halfwalnut to half-football.

Since retiring from work in 2021, I've ridden across Scotland, Spain and France. For my next trip, I wanted to explore further afield. Stumbling upon a UNESCO heritage route in southern Albania, I was intrigued, but all I knew about Albania was that it was a mountainous country in the Balkans, had a king called Zog and had been closed to the rest of the world from 1945-1990 under the communist regime of Enver Hoxha. As I began plotting my route, I was drawn in by the irresistible-looking Ohrid and Prespa lakes and the town of Ohrid in North Macedonia. Adjusting accordingly, I planned to start and finish in Tirana, riding 50100km per day over 17 days in June through south-eastern North Macedonia and southern Albania. On paper at least, it looked spectacular.