Using adventure cards to explore Montenegro. 2026.
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How do you make sure everyone gets what they want out of an adventure trip?
It's no easy feat. One person may take the lead, maybe they like organising or chose where to go, and others are happy to follow and leave the decision making to others.
Finding riding partners who are all on the same page at the same time is hard. I would be so bold as to say it's almost impossible. Inevitably someone on that trip is going to be outside of their comfort zone, or not being pushed enough, or missing out on experiences because someone else is up front making decisions.
That's the nature of group versus solo trips, when there's more than one in the mix you gain company, safety, companionship... and compromise.
In Montenegro, Jim and I decided to try an experiment to see if we could level the playing field a little.
On day one, back at base before a wheel had been rolled, we sat down with a deck of playing cards and two marker pens.
We would make a list of the things we wanted to do, see, feel, experience over the next 7 days.
Partly a 'To-Do' list, and partly a tool to help us communicate our own personal wants.
This simple exercise created the backbone of an unforgettable short journey into some of the wildest landscapes you can ride in Europe.
Heading north into the mountains from the village Korita near the Montenegro / Serbia border. The trail took us past a small cluster of stone built huts.
The roofs looked to have been made out of repurposed oil drums. There was no one around but the huts and stone walls were well maintained and looked like they had been used regularly. Perhaps for sheltering livestock over the hard mountain winter.
We had been warned that the route may not be passable, and it didn't take long for us to start to find pockets of snow covering the trail.
In late afternoon, after struggling through snow, and without knowing what the descent would be like on the other side we decided to turn around and head back down to find camp. At just shy of 2000 meters this was the highest road we would ride on the trip.
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Jim follows other riders tracks thorough a section of snow at about 1800m on the trail north of Korita. 2026 had seen record snowfall in the Balkan region and even in late may some mountain passes were still a challenge or impossible to ride through. On small 250cc bikes with two riders its possible to drag and push through several inches of snow, but solo on a larger bike would have been a real challenge.
Jim takes a moment to enjoy the scale of the mountain backdrop. The peaks in Durmitor National Park reach almost 2500m and snow is guaranteed in springtime. A well maintained road cuts through the mountains and is popular with big adventure bikes and drivers, many looking for that experience of travelling through a snow cleared cut in the road. On our smaller adventure bikes we explored off the tarmac down twisty gravel tracks until snow stopped our path.
The track north of Korita gave us our first taste of the wild, big sky landscape that was to come. Pine forests dominate this north eastern region of Montenegro, until you reach elevation that's above the tree line.
Jim had ridden / walked ahead to see if he could find a way through while I got to turn around and enjoy the view from the other direction. It felt wild and lonely.
Montenegro is home to the mountain hut. Simple A frame structures that tell the story of harsh winters. We met a local who was living in one of the smaller huts you see in the distance. I imagine the changing season into spring is a time to be grateful and enjoy the land as it comes alive for the year.
We were fortunate to be in the mountains as the wildflower was in full bloom.
Parts of the Katun Road felt like riding through Mongolia. Vast open plains with a track connecting shepherd huts. To ride across this region on tarmac roads involves huge loops that add many miles These direct, dirt gravel roads are hardy to traverse but offer a much more direct route around this landscape.
We followed some of the trails of Montenegro Quest, an off road orienteering event that takes riders to some of the most remote parts of the county in search of hidden checkpoints. Jim disappears into the distance past what may have been an old grain store?
The scale of the landscape is hard to comprehend, yet just when you feel that you are in the middle of nowhere signs of civilisation pop up over the crest of a hill. What was this mountain hut for, and does anyone still use it?
Riding the road loop around the Durmitor national park puts you into more mountainous landscapes. You can't see so far but the mountains add drama.
We joined the Trans Euro Trail heading south at the point where it intersects with the Durmitor loop. The trail was wide and flowing as we descended leaving the high mountains behind us.
The TET route south from Savnik follows access roads to huge windfarms that run to the horizon.
Our final trails took us through wild flower meadows that felt like Switzerland. The Sound of Music but on motorbikes!
We didn't have to wait long to achieve this 'sleep wild' card. At the end of our first days riding north of Korita we had to turn back due to snow, so opted to wild camp in the tree line. We pulled off the trail and along a small valley. We had hammocks and no tents and finding suitable trees to hang off proved a challenge.
Jim ponders the effectiveness of his hammock rigging onto young, bendy pine trees. Will it hold?
Our Modern Ranger Hammocks were equipped with insulated underlayer, making for a surprisingly comfortable sleep experience. Unfortunately we were sleeping in 'bear country' so on this first night sleep was in short supply.
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