Albania / Montenegro / Kosovo Off-Road Routes

Hi, I'm looking for advice on riding in these areas.
I've put together a tentative route which can be found below.

I have a strong preference for non-paved doubletrack and singletrack riding. We will be wild camping or staying at simple guesthouses.
It's rather difficult to find information and exciting routes in this region.

Have I missed a gorgeous ribbon of singletrack I should add?
Anything else I should know?
Thanks.

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/43869840

I was there last year - further north to where you're planning, in Montenegro - Durmitor National Park area. It was amazing and all I can say is that I wish I'd been on a bike rather than a hire car. You'll have a ball.

We hiked from Peje to Theth along the peaks of the balkans trail last year, which intersects which some of your route, so I may be able to help with some questions..

Much of it was very rideable singletrack or gravel, but a few parts definitely weren't - steep, scree, boulders, snow in june.

I'll see if I can remember more, but Albania was definitely rockier, with more grassy tracks in Kosovo/Montenegro.

Either way it was all so beautiful.

There's this race happening there this year, did you check out their route?

Might have some pics of sections of interest
https://www.komoot.com/collection/1417512

Also, Lost Dot's Accursed Race route might be worth looking at.
I've only been there during TCRs so mostly road.

did you get any further with your planning? Just started looking at a trip to get both Montenegro and Albania in, thinking the Trans Dinarica: Accursed Mountain Circuit but would like to add Durmitor National Park (sounds like a lot of others love that area).

Trying to see if I can get there and back from London by train without losing a week in travelling too :(

Hi there, I am looking to ride this end of April actually, haven't done any more planning since.

If you get any more juicy info let me know...

Have previously done London -> Slovenia with MTBs on various day and sleeper trains, took just over 24h and the last train into Slovenia was a real challenge with nowhere for the bike bag.

There's an article in here https://www.cyclinguk.org/publication/cycle-magazine/cycle-magazine-february-march-2009

about a pre war , ie WW2. trip to Yugoslavia and Albania.

this is fantastic!

You could have a look at the relevant parts of the transdinarica, though it's behind a paywall and I couldn't see anything from anyone who's actually ridden it other than the organisers when I looked into it a while ago
https://www.transdinarica.com/

My partner sent me the Transdinarica link ages ago and has been making various noises about visiting Albania and/or Montenegro in April. I expect the weather to be shithouse (Montenegro is wet as fuck, presume both will be freezing).

Quite tempted to have a crack at some of the Transdinarica routes, just to see what they're like, with a mind to using more of them later on. Would probably fly MTBs or gravel bikes over there for a week. I'd love to re-ride the road descent from after Durmitor on my first TCR - that stuck in my mind (probably PTSD after riding through the massive storms beforehand with no fuel, no accom, etc)

Following this with enthusiasm. we are, in a more sedate fashion, planning to ride the ev8 in april from Dubrovnik to Trieste. I’d like to add the ciro trail, and my partner would like to do some island hopping. we are both hoping the weather is going to be lovely???

the weather is going to be lovely???

:-D

Pray for tailwinds.

I'm going to ride the Montenegro/Albania route or similar proposed above with one forumer and one non-forumer at the end of April.
I doubt anyone will enjoy riding with us but if you're out there at the same time, let's have a Börek together

😘

How are you getting there?

I had a quick look and there's a Gatwick to Tivat direct flight.
I might be coming from another trip though so not even sure I'd be leaving from London.
Why is "fun" so fucking hard to organise?

Flight to Podgorica airport.
Hostel in Podgorica to store bike bags.
I did this travel two years ago and it was easy as.

Route will be similar to my first post in this thread.
One MTB, one gravel bike, one mongrel bike, three of us wild camping and guesthousing.

Hmm.. I only saw Podgorica flights that went via Warsaw or something. As much as I like Poland, I will always try to avoid transfers when travelling with bikes (I'll take this opportunity to once again say FUCK GLS - where's my fucking Mason you thieves?)

I need to do more looking.

Wizz Air goes direct, affordably, just not every day.

I've just noticed the highly questionable ferry? section in your route. Have you no shame?!

I think the missus is on board, she's started looking at flights.

I've now got a rough combo of the Transdinarica Accursed Loop with a bit of your route north of Podgorica to replace their 'all road' option.

I don't know how long we are likely to go for, yet, but I'm probably going to make some kind of Durmitor bonus loop in case we can do both. I would like to go back there again when I'm not completely fucked from racing there. I'd also love to see the road descent I did again to see if it lives up to the images I have of it in my mind.

@giofox made me a great route around Bosnia and Montenegro. Don't have much time to engage right now, but I'll try to find and share the route.

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/39919355

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/39912868

There were route changes on the fly due to access to water and the heat as there was a heatwave.
I'll try to find what we actually rode if you are interetsed.

Nice one, thanks. Will have a look and maybe incorporate some stuff if we do Durmitor.

Ah, nice. I've been around some of these spots but on foot/car, not bike. Thanks for posting.
Now I'm drawn to the slightly wilder Albanian areas.

Now I'm drawn to the slightly wilder Albanian areas.

Have a look at the area around Plav and from there into Albania, there is an offroad way from Plav to Theth that should be rideable/fine as border crossing.

Also worth having a look at Nicholas Carman posts from last Autumn, he's been around there a fair bit (met him in Bosnia 7y ago) and has done different parts of TransDinarica before.