A hill after Beli Potok to Sokobanja: Day 40

A day crossing flower filled, limestone grassland and tree covered hills ending at the tourist town of Sokobanja.

Over night I heard animals stepping around my tent and munching. I had heard a stag bark earlier so assume they were deer. I left them in peace and they did the same for me. I left my pitch at 8am and followed the route I downloaded from the Internet for the E4. Differing from the one I took seven years ago it led along winding paths through the woods to the north, whereas I had followed more open land to the south. Yellow and red stripes and circles appeared on trees soon after my camping spot. These were the Serbian waymarks for the E4 and joined the red and white markings used for local paths, both new since my last visit. I liked the open spaces, the limestone rock peeping through the soil, surrounded by yellow and blue flowers. Further away mountain ranges spread across the horizon. White clouds filled one of the valleys below me. A cuckoo sounded.

Limestone outcropping at a high point.

In the woods I was glad of the red and yellow stripes that led me on a circuitous path, overgrown in places. Amongst the trees I passed a well, enclosed within a tiled red roof and wooden trellis, but who collected water here, there was no sign of any building nearby? Finally, the route reached the highest point on the range I was following, Čaplijnac at 1187 metres. I balanced on the rocks at the top to take of photo of distant mountains before descending down into meadows. There was then a final challenge, a climb up to the steep sided peak of Ostra Chuka. A couple were on top, taking pictures, the first people I had seen today. A sign I was leaving the remote area I had been crossing for the last two days and joining tourist trails around Sokobanja.

From the top of Ostra Chuka, dark clouds gathering that would soon turn to rain.

A long descent ensued as the path rapidly shed height. Not easy on my knees. The latter parts were of more mature forest with some tall beech, rather than the hawthorns I had been walking among this morning.

A rather nice orchid among the trees. 

At Sokobanja I entered a town quite different from the places I had visited so far on this trip. A well kept, tourist town with families walking along the pedestrianised main street, the smaller children either insisting their parents carry them, or wanting an ice cream. After a coffee and cake I found my hotel and settled in. Then I wasted a lot of money phoning my wife on the mobile network rather than using WhatsApp on the hotel's WiFi. I guess I was tired, due for the rest day I have planned for tomorrow. 

I am now sitting at a restaurant, outside beside the main drag people watching, stuffed after eating too much.