recommended route
Stage 7
High Scardus Trail Stage 07 Veshala/Bozovce - Brod
High Scardus Trail Organization
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The valley of Leshnica with its bizarre rock formationsPhoto: Matthew Nelson, CC BY-ND, High Scardus Trail Organization
>>>> ATTENTION: Detailled informations on how to plan your trip, safety instructions, regulations for border crossing etc. are provided by the official website www.high-scardus-trail.com <<<<
Author’s recommendation
- Since this stage is very long and the first 3 km between Veshala and Bozovce are on a small asphalt road, it is recommended to cover this part with a shuttle.
- If you stay at Hotel Axhena (about 3.5 km south of Brod), it is recommended to take a shuttle from Brod to Hotel Arxhena - otherwise the total distance on this day will be very long.
Track types
Show elevation profileSafety information
Attention: The stage is currently not well marked in some places, which in combination with difficult to see sections of the trail and little detailed maps can lead to serious orientation problems in some places. Currently we strongly recommend to hike the trail only with a local guide. If you still want to hike on your own, great experience with GPS devices or the use of map apps (incl. the possibility of offline map storage; Outdooractive app recommended) is necessary!
Attention: For crossing the North Macedonian-Kosovar border (green border) a border permit is necessary!
Start
Destination
Turn-by-turn directions
Now go back a few meters on the same path and in the current view direction on the trail horizontally to the left. After a few meters you will reach a fork in the path: do not take the path uphill, but the one downhill that will take you to a signpost. Here a short cut through the forest will bring you back to the forest road that you left earlier to include the Leshnica waterfall in your hike. Follow the forest road uphill, ignoring the marked trail that leads straight ahead in the next bend to the right into another valley. The forest road ends after some time and you now follow the trail on the left side of the valley further into the valley until you reach the beautiful pasture hut Dinjbeg.
At the hut you cross the stream and now hike on the right side of the valley further into the valley - a steep step soon after the hut is overcome via the logical grass ramp to the right of the deeply cut stream. Continue on the right side of the valley above the stream until the slopes flatten out above you. Now you leave the obvious trail and climb up the slopes to the right along a horse trail that is difficult to see (and later along the trail coming from Titov Peak on the left) until you reach the 2,194 m high grassy saddle "Qafa e Çulës", which marks the border between North Macedonia and Kosovo.
On the other side, you cross the slopes on a path that climbs very slightly and in 5 minutes you reach another saddle that is not very pronounced. Now descend the gentle and later somewhat steeper grassy slopes via a fairly clear path. You cross a stream, reach a ridge and you can already see the village of Brod below you. A nice path zigzags over the grassy ridge down to Brod and the mosque. To get to the official end of the stage, walk down the road to the left in front of the mosque and take the second road to the left after a few stores and cafes. After a few meters you will find yourself at the end of this stage near the post office.
By road
In the center of Tetovo take the small mountain road R1209 in the direction of the ski resort Popova Shapka or Veshala. After a few bends, above the village of Gajre, a small road branches off sharply to the right in the direction of Brodets/Veshala/Bozovce. Follow this road past Brodets to Veshala.The official start of the stage is at hiking signs at the beginning of Veshala. However, if you are already in the car, it is better to continue to the beginning of the next village Bozovce. This will save you the first 40 minutes of walking along the small asphalt road between Veshala and Bozovce.
Parking
Very limited parking at the beginning of the villages Veshala or Bozovce.Coordinates
Equipment
General- Backpack approx. 30-40 liters with hip belt
- Rain cover for the backpack
- Telescopic poles
Clothing
- Trekking shoes at least category B (preferably ankle-high for the pathless passages)
- Flipflops or similar for the accommodations
- 2 pairs of hiking socks
- underwear
- hiking pants softshell or similar (wind- and water-repellent - the High Scardus Trail runs through alpine regions)
- Hiking pants spare (also for accommodation)
- Shorts
- T-shirt quick drying
- T-shirt fast drying spare (quantity depending on the length of the tour)
- Top long first layer (e.g. Transtex-Sleeve) + replacement
- Top long second layer (e.g. sleeve made of fleece or merino wool) + replacement
- Softshell jacket or similar
- Clothing for accommodation
- rain jacket (hardshell jacket waterproof and breathable)
- umbrella if necessary
- Rain pants (hardshell pants waterproof and breathable)
- Sun protection for the head (sun hat or cap)
- Hat (can get cold even in summer!)
Hygiene/medication/personal items
- small travel towel
- personal hygiene items personal medicines (important medicines in addition to personal medicines are e.g. Imodium, charcoal tablets, Bepanthen and a painkiller like Ibuprofen or Parkemed)
- Blister plaster
- Pocket knife, small scissors
- Sunglasses (tight-fitting with 100% UV protection and tint category 3)
- Sunscreen (SPF at least 30, water/sweat resistant, broad spectrum protection, not older than 1 year)
- Lip protection (SPF at least 20)
- Outdoor first aid kitpossibly spare glasses
- small LED headlamp
- bivy sack (at least a very light one)
- Handkerchiefspassport + copycredit card/cash (at many accommodations you can only pay with cash)
- Border Crossing Permit
- Small dictionaries
Orientation
- Travel documents printout
- Orientation App (e.g. Outdooractive with Pro-Account, so you can save the map sections offline)
- if necessary additional GPS-device
- Cell phone (smartphone for orientation app) + charger
- Powerbank for cell phone (not all accommodations have sockets)
- if necessary power socket adapter
Food and drinks
- Drinking bottles (depending on temperature and personal drinking needs 1,5-3 liters; the sources are shown in the map)
- Food for the day (the respective shopping possibilities can be seen in the map)
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Statistics
- 20 Waypoints
- 20 Waypoints
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