The Trans Dinarica: A new 5,500km bike trail connecting one of Europe's most remote regions

Linking eight Balkan nations, the new Trans Dinarica cycling trail twists through some of the continent's most stunning – and least-visited – landscapes.

The asphalt vanished as the road gently climbed through the pastures. Two small dogs ran towards me from a wooden Montenegrin shepherd's hut, happily wagging their tails.

I was tempted to play with them, but a long gravel ascent lay ahead and I wanted to be on the other side of the Sinjajevina mountain before the looming storm. "Go home!", I told the dogs, worried they would get lost if they followed me, but they didn't listen. Quickly moving their tiny paws, they tirelessly kept me company until I reached the . 

The first thunder caught me in Tušinja, a small Montenegrin village with just a handful of houses and an Orthodox church on a hill. I had no energy to pedal up another steep incline, so I hopped off and began pushing my bike when I heard a man shouting and waving at me, inviting me to his garden.

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