Pilgrim’s Blog

Distance: 15.3 km – Elevation +60 m -50 m Weather: Sunny. Overnight thunderstorms. Temperature: High 23 degrees Ferocious thunderstorms arrived around 6 pm last night and the streets of Struga were pounded with heavy rain and startling flashes of lightning lit up the dark sky. The storm seemed very close as I dined in the hotel restaurant with the loud claps of thunder reverberating through the hotel. The storm seemed to be trapped in the valley

Distance: 29.3 km – Elevation +960 m -800 m Weather: Sunny. Temperature: High 23 degrees I enjoyed my short time in Ohrid. I stayed in the old town close to St Sophia – the Holy Church of Wisdom built in the 11th century and very beautiful inside. I was a little subdued and concerned as I prepared myself for the day ahead, everything I had read suggested it was a tough day’s walking to cross the

Distance: 30.7 km – Elevation +590 m -570 m Weather: Sunny. Temperature: High 26 degrees It was a chilly morning, just 10 degrees, as I left Resen at 5.45 am and all was closed. On my way out of town, I passed a most impressive building which would have looked very much at home in France. It is the Saraj, built at the request of Ahmed Niyazi Bey who desired to have a French-style estate. Its

Distance: 7.46 km – Elevation +0 m -280 m Weather: Sunny. Temperature: High 23 degrees I slept really well and woke at 7.00 am and with just a short walk to Bitola, my next destination, I took my time in preparing for the day. Breakfast was relaxed too, a very good plate of ham and eggs. I left the hotel at 9.00 am and I was soon walking out of the village with distant views of

Distance: 6.37 km – Elevation +60 m -60 m Weather: Sunny. Temperature: High 25 degrees Today I decided to take a “rest day” and explore North Macedonia’s second largest city. First I crossed the river Dragor to visit the old town with its bazaar and covered market. Followed by a visit to the orthodox Church of St. Dimitrie with its 17th-century icons and the walk through City Park on my way to visit Heracleia. City park

Distance: 32.6 km – Elevation +240 m -200 m Weather: Rain. Temperature: High 16 degrees Today I said farewell to Macedonia and crossed the border into Greece. Today’s route was modified to have somewhere to sleep at the end of the day. So it was a 32 kilometre walk to Florina via the border post at Niki. It was raining heavily as I left the hotel at 5.30 am requiring full wet gear for the first

Distance: 20.5 km – Elevation +160 m -90 m Weather: Sunny. Temperature: High 25 degrees It was still raining as I began to sleep last night and it was cold and I needed a blanket to keep warm. The Greek met office said the storm yesterday was very unseasonal, the weather conditions more associated with autumn. I slept well and left Florina just before 8.00 am.  My destination for today was Vevi. The route out of

Distance: 25.7 km – Elevation +380 m -590 m Weather: Sunny. Temperature: High 27 degrees From the Florina plains to walking in the mountains. The route out of Vevi followed the road that would eventually lead me to Arnissa. It was a long slow climb that would first take me to the highest point of the day at 1012 metres, the village of Kella which is situated on the northerly slopes of mountain Liliakos.  There were

Distance: 22.7 km – Elevation +150 m -380 m Weather: Sunny. Temperature: High 28 degrees The main street of Arnissa was already busy when I left the B&B at 8.00 am and as I passed a small workshop two aggressive dogs came bounding out and were yapping at my heels before their apologetic owner came and called them off. Just outside of Arnissa I came to the “Monument of the Fallen” erected in memory of those

Distance: 16.5 km – Elevation +450 m -180 m Weather: Sunny. Temperature: High 29 degrees Another day’s walk dictated by available accommodation. The Via Egnatia route would take me first to Profitis Ilias and from there to Giannitsa, a distance from Edessa of 45 kilometres, and with no available accommodation in between, I had a decision to make.  Either to break the journey at Profitis Ilias and return to Edessa or attempt to complete the whole