Monte means mountain
Date: 6 – 12 June 2025
We stayed in and around Kotor on the coast for a few days, soaking up the warmth and counting cruise ships. Tourism makes up 25% of Montenegro’s economy, and this season there will be 762 of these giants crammed into the bays, delivering around two million customers to the TMZs. The effect on the whole area is exactly what you’d expect.
Our first apartment in Meljine didn’t feel like part of this circus. It was in an older building with a view over the noisy public tennis courts to the surprisingly clean beach, just a minute’s walk away. A funny little kitchen opened out onto a wide deck, and there was no sign of the hordes swarming nearby Herceg Novi (which translates to Newcastle). It’s our favourite accomodation so far.
Kotor Bay is stunningly beautiful, but being tucked into the inner reaches of the harbour, it’s probably best experienced from the deck of a floating hotel. Up close, with every “beach” – usually concrete, sometimes with imported sand – packed wall-to-wall with deck chairs, and the infrastructure straining under the load making the water less than pristine, it wasn’t quite the Montenegro we’d come to see.
Our route north began with the famous Kotor Serpentine. It’s narrow, steep, and dangerous, and climbs nearly 1000 vertical metres up to the tiny village of Njeguši, where our taxi dropped us. Famous for its cheese, smoked ham, fruit wine and rakija, every house seems to have a roadside stall, usually manned by the eldest family member, perched there like a living postcard.Jill’s blackberry wine and my honey-flavoured paint stripper will take a while to finish.
Day two started with the final 200 metres of switchbacks and a quick breakfast at Kafana Kod Perana na Bukovica, in operation since 1881. From there, we passed through a tunnel and emerged onto a biker’s miracle – a wide, nearly brand new two-lane highway with hardly a car in sight and only the occasional rumble of passing motorbike tourists. We were baffled by the quiet until, 20 kilometres later, the new road abruptly ended and continued as a narrow, winding tar-sealed gem, taking us all the way to Nikšić, Montenegro’s second city. One day it will be a major connecting road, but for now it’s a well-kept secret and one I thoroughly recommend to both motorcyclists and cyclists.
Day three began with more tyre trouble from Jill’s bike. We redoubled our efforts and found Goran’s Klub Nikšić, operating out of a strange tent town on the edge of the city. With about 1000 bikes hanging up in neat rows, Goran turned out to be a master mechanic and had the tyre restored to tubeless imperviousness in minutes. He was impressed by our journey and when we tried to pay, he waved us off with a “you are my heroes” and would only accept a few coins. A definite Good Bloke award.
We set off for Plužine via the main road – at least until Jill spotted a scenic alternative. That’s when we passed a large field being rhythmically cut for hay by men with scythes and women raking it into neat rows. No machinery in sight, and we didn’t take photos – they were just doing what they do. We had to use the main road for stretches, but one of the diversions took us to a view of the Piva Canyon, about 20 miles deep, and we both finally understood what it means to be speechless. The tiny road was fit only for locals in small cars and bike travellers – another solid endorsement of our mode of travel. It’s about the journey, not the destination – although in this case, the destination was a treat. Plužine is a developing town perched on Lake Piva, and our tiny bungalow was right at the water’s edge and included a resident cat, and views of vast mountains rising on all sides. We don’t care that it’s a hydroelectric lake and nor did the enormous school of tiny fish right underneath our window.
Day four was all about the climb to Trsa, just 14 kilometres away but 700 metres up in one unbroken stretch. We warmed up with a ride to the head of a lake branch – beautiful all the way – then tackled the steep, tunnel-filled, switchbacked climb to Trsa, a two-pub, one-house village at 1466 metres above sea level. We’re in the older one where the locals gather and to order a beer, you just grab it from the fridge. We’re in our happy place again in clear alpine air, and we’re back on the Transdinarica Trail we came here to ride.
Max elevation: 20 m
Min elevation: -4 m
Total climbing: 291 m
Total descent: -280 m
Total time: 09:05:10
Max elevation: 32 m
Min elevation: 1 m
Total climbing: 264 m
Total descent: -246 m
Total time: 08:39:24
Max elevation: 933 m
Min elevation: -0 m
Total climbing: 1127 m
Total descent: -296 m
Total time: 10:26:18
Max elevation: 1066 m
Min elevation: 616 m
Total climbing: 824 m
Total descent: -1057 m
Total time: 06:01:39
Max elevation: 1182 m
Min elevation: 617 m
Total climbing: 1244 m
Total descent: -1198 m
Total time: 11:08:12
Max elevation: 1543 m
Min elevation: 668 m
Total climbing: 1914 m
Total descent: -1156 m
Total time: 07:49:27
Just loving your blog Steve, google maps at the ready and your photos are just wonderful … terrific cycling. What a ride! Keep upright and enjoying it all.
Love the pictures – looks like a great part of the world to be riding through. Safe travels, Mike n Judy