Category: Guest Interviews

When seasoned traveller Ginny joined us in North Macedonia this summer, she was looking to explore somewhere new, on a trip that would dig a little deeper than Lake Ohrid.  Everyone who has heard of North Macedonia has heard of Ohrid. Fair enough,  it's one of the oldest lakes on the planet, its water the colour of a gemstone, its old town a UNESCO heritage site dotted with Byzantine churches. But Lake Ohrid is the country's front door, not its house. Behind it: the mountains, the smaller lakes nobody mentions, and the village where an entire community dissolves into a giant wedding once a year. Repeat guest Ginny, who joined our inaugural North Macedonia Activity Holiday in July wanted "to visit somewhere new and to do some hiking, to see another part of the Balkans, having really liked other Balkan countries." She knew, roughly, what she was booking — "a mountainous country, with Lake Ohrid and lots of history" — but not much more than that, and she wasn't at all nervous about it. Asked if she'd had any doubts beforehand, her answer was a flat "Not at all!" From Mavrovo and Pelister to Lake Prespa, North Macedonia has plenty to offer beyond Lake Ohrid, particularly for travellers who enjoy hiking, wild swimming and getting into the mountains. Mavrovo National Park: wildflowers, juniper and a man who makes gin Ginny was surprised by how many mountains we visited: "I knew Macedonia had national parks but not as many as it has," she said. North Macedonia is right up there with Montenegro, topping the list of Europe's most mountainous countries. Roughly 85% of its landmass comprises of limestone peaks and grassy highlands. A gentler landscape, perhaps, than the Accursed Mountains of Albania, Montenegro and Kosovo. But every bit as stunning... "One