I met this little guy on the Fife coastal path near Kinghorn today.
Such a little poser! And so bold, I got right up close. Really made my day.
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Week in review: 14th - 20th December
- Went to meetings.. did some maintenance work.
- Discovered a great source of yarn, in the Rejects department store across town.
- Hiked to Balwearie Castle and back.
- Made a little unplanned trip to Edinburgh, which felt like a scary big city compared to Fife. I'm feeling very attached to Kirkcaldy at the moment, which is a strange feeling I have not had in a long long while.
- Looked after K&M's demon puppy, Lowenna, on two occasions.
- Finished The Mandalorian.
- Finished Shingeki no Kyojin up to the start of season 4... (omg i love it)
- Started crocheting Grogu.
- Joined a Greener Kirkcaldy community bike ride.
- Started getting packages through the post! Having an actual functioning address is novel and exciting.
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Week in review: 16th - 22nd November
- Weather was all over the place this week, so no long walks but a few nearby beach wanderings.
- Less brain fog than I've felt in a long time.
- Persuaded Dave to make bread for the first time ever and it was better than any bread I have ever made. I made a cake.
- Wrote more javascript than is probably healthy:
- to fix bugs and add features to Credentials CG minutes publishing infrastructure;
- to help a friend send multiple hundreds of emails under a set of bizarre constraints for her job, using google appscript;
- to fix/update some DID spec respec plugins.
- Some DID spec editorial work.
- Thinking about policies and mitigations about redundancy, for the Co-op (the idea is to get this sorted before we need it, rather than suddenly having to deal with it in a time of crisis).
- Irretrievably behind on nanowrimo, but had some nice short writing sessions, including on the beach.
- Started crocheting a new wallet.
- Walked to Burntisland and back, fairly spur of the moment.
- Watched some good movies, including Sorry to Bother you and The Handmaiden.
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Week in review: 9th - 15th November
- Hiked from Leven to Upper Largo, up Largo Law, and back (Dave's photos).
- Hiked from Kirkcaldy to Burntisland along a new route (got groceries and took the train back)
- Walked to Dysart and back, twice, once at night which turned out to be clear and mild and was lovely.
- Made two potentially lifechanging decisions, but either could fall through at this point so I'm not telling you what yet.
- Spent a lot of time and energy on things mentioned in previous bullet point.
- Focussed on internal Co-op work.
- Poked around with sloph a bit.
- Watched all of Queen's Gambit, that was great. Slowly watching To The Lake.
- Started Dune Messiah.
- NaNoWriMo progresses slowly, too far behind to catch up now, but aiming to write more than 0 words per day. Did a bit of plotting, too.
- Some things on my street were set on fire. Cool. (Not. Not cool.)
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Week in review: 26th Oct - 1st Nov
- Finished Dune.
- Managed to get the heating back on. Finished crocheting a hat just in time.
- Went to W3C TPAC breakout week sessions, which were amazing.
- Attended some Co-ops UK HR training, which was less than thrilling.
- Hiked from Kirkcaldy to the Wemyss Caves for a tour.
- NaNoWriMo begins. Not off to a great start, but eh.
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Week in review: 12th - 18th Oct
- Started learning about IATI.
- Brief trip to Edinburgh for errands and friends.
- Finished Into the Fire, started Dune.
- Did a 17 mile hike around Glenrothes and up East Lomond with Dave and got some Freegle stuff.
- Made handwarmers for Dave and started a hat.
- Watched lots of movies, and new Discovery.
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Week in review: 5th - 11th Oct
- Another week of ridiculously good weather. Went out to enjoy the sun and various beaches (laptop beach working). It is nice to be so close to beaches for a quick stroll by the sea.
- Walked to Dysart through Ravenscraig to buy furniture. Slight furniture moving accident requiring bandages for my thumb. Thankful to tolerant bus drivers who let us on with a desk and a bedside cabinet.
- Then a walk to the other side of Kirkcaldy to pick up a Freegle desk, which it turned out we also could not carry home; more bus driver gratitude necessary.
- Still more moving house admin to do, somehow.
- New lockdown restrictions in place in Scotland, but the more severe ones don't apply to Fife.
- Not got a lot of work done (blaming house moving).
- Spent waaaay too much money, on secondhand furniture (just the bare minimum really) and grocery stocking up. At least I came in under budget for the past few months so I have some leeway.
- Made handwarmers, which Dave promptly borrowed and stretched.
- Finished Cold Welcome, started Into the Fire.
- Ended the week by hiking from Kirkcaldy to the Wemyss Caves and back (16 miles), enjoying the beautiful coastline, cute fishing villages and Pictish rock carvings (Dave's photos).
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Week in review: 18 - 24 May
- Adventure week! The travel restrictions lifted for some plague-free areas of Albania, so I took the week off work and went on a trip.
- To Llogora national park, for hiking in the mountains.
- Along the Albanian Riviera, visiting empty beaches and coves: Drymades, Orikum, Gjipe, Himare and Jale, Porto Palermo, Borsh (and Borsh castle).
- To the Blue Eye near Sarande.
- Inland to Permet, with thermal pools and epic canyons.
- To Gjirokaster for the castle.
- I did do a bit of DID stuff at the beginning of the week though.
- It was good to get out of Sarande, but also very nice to be back 'home'.. I forgot how tiring travelling is..
Along the Albanian Riviera
It is early in the tourist season anyway, and everything has been stunted by lockdown. A roadtrip along the Albanian Riviera revealed many quiet places - in some cases altogether deserted - along with grateful guesthouse and restaurant owners.
The Riviera stretches between Sarandë and Vlorë and is characterised by glorious beaches and charming villages situated in the mountainsides overlooking the sea. The road is in good condition and winds along with amazing views and some breathtaking cliffedges and sharp turns. I didn't manage to check out every single beach, but I saw plenty. There are lots of castles too, and places of historical interest.
I didn't get as far as Vlorë, but did stop in Orikum, the seaside town just to the south. There's a really long beach with (mostly closed) restaurants and bars all along. I can imagine it would be a bit of a party scene during normal times in the summer. It was pretty desolate though. Photos of Orikum are here.
The Llogora Pass is a steep switchback road towards the north end of the Riviera, with Palasë beach at the bottom and Llogora national park at the top. The national park is a different world, with pine forests and cool mountain air. There are plenty of well marked hiking trails, as well as Cesar's Pass, where Julius Cesar's army marched. I stayed in a friendly guesthouse in the woods. The owners run a restaurant with delicious homemade pasta, and kept bringing free dessert. I hiked to the top of Maja Thanassit (GPS trace, photos) and to Cesar's Pass (GPS trace, photos). Visibility was not good.
Palasë beach is renowned for being gorgeous but seemed to subject to a large construction project and not very accessible. The next one down is Drymades. Not a lot there, but nice sand. The next town over is Dhërmi, which is absolutely charming; white houses and cute windows set into the mountainside. Vuna a bit further down is also picturesque, a smaller version of Dhërmi. I'd spend more time there in future.
Gjipe beach is nestled in the base of a canyon. There are a couple of different trails to get there from the road. One is longer but gentle and runs along the coast. The other is more.. exciting.. along the top of the canyon. I took the former (GPS trace). As I arrived on the beach, a couple of other people turned up in a canoe, which is the other way this place is accessible. There's a hut there renting canoes and paddleboards, and a campsite, so I expect there's more action here normally. But for my visit, it was peaceful; here are more photos of Gjipe beach.
Himarë is the 'captial' of the Riviera, as a medium sized town right on the sea instead of up in the mountains. It has a nice promenade, and lots of restaurants and shops that function all year round. There are several beaches and you can follow the coast around quite a way for different vibes. Interestingly the main language spoken there is a Greek dialect, and there are Greek flags flying all around. There's also a castle on the hill overlooking town. I stayed a couple of nights in the hostel, which had no other guests, and was hosted by two stranded workaway volunteers and two small friendly dogs. I didn't get the impression there is much to do in Himarë itself, and on one of the days it rained heavily so I just bummed around the hostel. They had a massive abundance of orange trees so I made fresh juice every day.
When the rain let up I hiked from Himarë to Jalë beach, via Livadh. It's a really nice coastal hike with a variety of terrains and foliage, and the long beach of Livadh to break it up (GPS trace). Of course as soon as I arrived a torrential downpour began again. Eventually found an open bar and sheltered there with hot coffee and chips. Gave up on waiting for the rain to end, and got wet heading back, but made it in time for the clouds to part and a beautiful golden sunset on the beach in Himarë. Photos of the hike to Jalë and back.
The next stop around the coast is Porto Palermo, home to a castle of Ali Pasha. I was surprised, pleasantly, to be sold a ticket to enter and have a fast, mumbled guided tour with a comprehensive history of the entire place in mostly comprehensible English. It's worth a visit, and the views are lovely too. Here are photos of the Castle at Porto Palermo.
In between Porto Palermo and Borsh are many other little beaches to stop at. But at some point, they all start to look the same. I also skipped Qeparo village which I'd read has some amazing ruins in the mountains. Maybe next time. Borsh itself is in three parts; upper, middle and lower. The middle is the main bulk of the village with shops and restaurants. The beachfront has restaurants too, and lots of hotels. The beach at Borsh is the longest on the Riviera. I walked a good chunk of it and it seems to go on and on (here are photos of Borsh). It seems like it should be possible to walk all the way to Lukovë along the beach. Given a couple of days. There are lots of ruined bunkers. I stopped in the village at the Waterfall Restaurant for a coffee; I would have had a pizza but they'd only just opened and weren't ready for that yet. The setting is pretty unique - tables are among small cascades of water. It's loud, but in a good way.
Borsh Castle is amazing. The road towards Upper Borsh is a bit sketchy, but there's a tiny bit of parking at the bottom of the castle hill, and the trail leading up to it is surprisingly well maintained. It's a complete ruin and there's no fee to enter. The views are incredible, both inland towards the mountains and out to sea. I'll let the photos do the rest of the describing.
The road back to Sarandë winds away from the coast and passes through the villages of Lukovë, Shën Vasil and Nivicë. There are lots of tracks leading off to more secret beaches that are worth investigating one day... (boat tours will take you to some of these from Sarandë in the summer).
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Week in review: 8 - 15 March
- Worked at the weekend and early in the week to get OpenActive stuff moved along.
- Then left my laptop at home to go hiking for a few days, when the weather was good. I walked from Sarande to Ksamil, explored Ksamil and hiked to Butrint and back, then back to Sarande.
- By the time I was back in town, coronavirus lockdown measures were really kicking into gear. Stocked up with smoki and pickles.
Hiking to Ksamil and Butrint
On paper it's a 3 and a half hour hike from Sarande to smaller, even more touristy town of Ksamil. I decided to make a day of it and visit all the beaches along the way. There are so many beautiful ones, and at this time of year, absolutely nobody on them. So in the end, this took more than eight hours (here's the GPS trace) and was exhausting, but worth it.
It's possible to follow the coast for a large part of the way. Sometimes it's interrupted by hotels, but when nobody is around I scrambled over rocks, hopped a few fences, and proceeded on. It was also necessary to plough up a few uneven brushy hillsides in order to reach a trail I was sure would be there..
Did I mention there are a lot of beaches on the way? Some are attached to hotels and bars, but all is quiet at this time of year. Others are coves with little trails or steps down to. And others aren't really accessible at all, except with some rock scrambling.
Part of the way to Ksamil is the village of Manastir, so named for the Monestary on the hill (I presume). To walk through the grounds (it's empty, I think) is a small detour, but a worthwhile one. I lost the trail I was trying to follow from openstreetmap, but there were other trails or easy terrain down the far side of the hill.
It was getting late and I was running out of steam, so for the last stretch I skipped a few beaches and rejoined the road. There is a dirt track running along by the coast through an olive grove in the immediate approach to Ksamil. Ksamil itself has many beaches, and I managed to catch the sunset.
I stayed in 'Apartment Skrapalli', one of a set of small studio-style rooms with kitchenettes. It wasn't fancy, but it was €13 per night, had everything for cooking (including a drip coffee machine and a toastie maker!) and the hosts, an elderly couple who don't speak english, were charming and plied me constantly with homegrown lettuce, lemons, fruit juice (no thanks to raki) and coffee.
The next day I let my feet recover, and just wandered around the Ksamil coastline. There are many separate beaches, and it's possible to go directly from one to the next all the way around, with occasional rock climbing or fence-hopping (GPS trace of the first half, the rest I did in the evening without runkeeper on). Probably only an option in the off-season, realistically. It was wonderfully deserted. There's a bit of a headland that sticks out, with the main road through town going on the inside of it. Following the outer edge is a lovely foot/cycle path.
I hiked on to Butrint (GPS trace). The most straightforward route is to follow the road. You could take the very long, very scenic route around the coast and I'm certain find some lovely beaches, but I didn't do that. It's so worth going though. Under normal circumstances, the ancient city is 700lek to enter. Unbeknownst to me, I had headed there on the first or second day of lockdown, so historical sites had been closed. Fortunately someone who worked at the hotel just before the ancient city saw me passing, and told me about a secret hole in the fence up past his beehives. Having walked all that way I was hardly going to just turn back, and I'm so glad I snuck in. The ruins are beautiful, overgrown with grasses and mosses and wildflowers, embedded in the sides of hills, sitting in ponds of cloudy water, and lining the coast with stunning views. There's a castle - with a museum, cafe and giftshop - at the top of the hill, which I couldn't go inside. But there's plenty more to walk around.
There seemed to be some kind of on-demand bridge ferry service operating to take people across the channel where the lake flows into the sea. On the other side of there is a Venetian Triangle Castle. It wasn't clear how or for whom this ferry was operating though. I saw some people who looked like tourists drive up to the old men hanging around there, and come back. Someone else on a scooter was able to cross. I was too shy to find out more, and a bit worried about getting stuck on the wrong side.
Instead I walked to the end of the track that led in the direction of Ali Pasha Castle. The Castle is on a little island that you can only get to by boat.
I would have liked to explore this little peninsula more, but running out of energy and daylight, I headed back the way I came to Ksamil.
The next day I wanted to explore the area more and take the bus back to Sarande, but during my little outing full scale lockdown was introduced. The local buses were definitely not running. Aching from a lot of walking, I headed more or less directly back to Sarande (GPS trace), though I did stop at a couple of beaches I missed on the way out. One of these was at the Kep Merli Marine Villas, an under-construction cluster of super fancy houses with pools and a glorious beach. I snooped around a bit before getting politely (and confusedly) chased off by some staff who couldn't understand how I'd got into the premises - I had scrambled up the hillside behind Gjiri i Hartës, following a non-trail, then over some rocks for a while, before joining up with a construction-related mud road that wasn't on the map. That eventually joined with a small trail that was on the map, down to the private beach. From there, up some beautiful stone steps to the paths between the fancy villas...
Instead of following the coast the whole way I took the road inland for a while, which runs alongside the lake. I detoured back down to the beach by the river, and followed it the whole way almost back to my flat, but Hotel Visad blocked the final part of the route and sent me back up to the road.
I took many more photos than those in this post.
- The walk from Sarande to Ksamil.
- A day chilling around Ksamil.
- Ancient city of Butrint.
- Walk back from Ksamil to Sarande.
Update: I went again to Ksamil in July, catching the early morning bus out and an early afternoon one back. The beaches started to get busy around 9am, everything was open, and it was like a different place. I did manage to find a quieter spot, and swam out to one of the farther islands. Sitting in a little stony cove there for half an hour, I could imagine, almost, that there was nobody else around.
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I'm going hiking without my laptop for a couple of days, back on Friday.
Week in review: 22 - 28 July
- Hiked to Matka Canyon and went kayaking and hiked back.
- Did lots of Skopje touristing.
- Did some work probably, maybe BODS..?
- Watched a lot of Red Dwarf.
Week in review: 27 May - 2 June
- Finalised BODS internationalisation / translation workflow stuff.
- Explored around Lepetane, across the bay by free ferry.
- Hiked to Kotor from Lepetane, partly in the rain, takes 6 hours or so.
Walking guide at Lake Chivero national park
10usd (€8.93)
Week in review: 22 - 28 April
- Lived in a container house in the side of a hill in Dubravka, cat-and-dog-sat, went for lots of walks in the woods, fetched water from the spring, looked after the garden. Things sprouted!
- Occasionally cafe worked in Bratislava or Vienna.
- Ran to Sandberg and back.
- Relocated back to Bratislava city.