LEANING against a 300-year-old beech tree, our guides did not have to try to
hard to encourage a sense of awe. “This is one of only three primeval
forests in Europe,” one said. “It is the second-oldest national park in the
world,” the other added.
These were not the only numbers they had to hand - on our journey to
Biogradska Gora forest, we had passed canyons, one of which was 4,000ft deep
(“The second deepest, after the Grand Canyon”).
And did they mention that Montenegro is one of the youngest countries in the
world?
At first sight, a primeval forest looks a lot like its less venerable cousins.
Trees? Present. Leaf litter? Ample. Moss-covered rotting stumps? Artfully
placed. Look closer, though, and the trees seem taller.
Their slender trunks stretch into the rising canopy, in lofty genetic battle
with their neighbours. The rivers, too, are different - less obedient. Not
yet the neat, managed meanders of the lowlands, they sprawl across the wood
in squelching bogs. And the moss is - well - mossier.
No timber has ever been felled from Biogradska Gora. Trees may fall and rot,
but in those that replace them is a sense of the ancient, of something
preserved. In this one spot, protected among the mountains, forest has been
growing uninterrupted and untroubled for as long as the mountains have
existed.
The mountains have been Montenegrin for only a few decades. Discounting the
disputed claims of Kosovo (as all good ethnically Serb Montenegrins do),
Montenegro is actually the world's newest country - gaining independence
from Serbia after a referendum in 2006. Before that, its brief flirtations
with sovereignty were soon crushed by more powerful neighbours.
The first direct flights to the country started this summer - previously
tourists had to travel over the border from Croatia.
Most come to see the coast - a continuation of the beaches, islands and
medieval villages that have made Croatia famous. They will visit Kotor, a
walled port and Unesco World Heritage Site, perhaps stay in the peninsula
village of Sveti Stefan (disconcertingly pronounced Sweaty Stefan), or relax
on the country's beaches.
That is a shame. Beaches are not the soul of Montenegro. The country's name
means “black mountain”, and its historic hilltop capital held out against
the the Ottoman Empire - so it is among the mountains that the true
Montenegro can be found. In fact, from the shores of Lake Kotor, southern
Europe's deepest fjord, to the border with Serbia, there is little to
Montenegro but mountains.
Half an hour from the spring heat of Sveti Stefan and the first snow is
visible. The road climbs away from the coast as it winds towards Cetinje.
From this small city between 1878 and 1918 the Montenegrin royal family
ruled its proudly independent mini-state, resisting the ambitions of
imperial neighbours.
So grateful were the populace that the residents of the northern region of
Kolasin, on liberation from the Turkish overlords, presented their King
Nikola I with a gift - a patch of forest where he could enjoy the mountain
air. He decreed that it, and the flora and fauna within, would be protected.
At a time when Snowdonia was still known as a place for extracting slate,
Montenegro had created one of the first national parks.
More than a century later, the wild garlic that grows in tufts on the floor of
Biogradska Gora is descended from the same wild garlic that received King
Nikola's patronage. Here it is known as “bear onion” - named after the brown
bears that come down from the mountains to feed. Our guide warned us not to
leave the track. “The bears have seen no tourists all winter,” he said.
“They will not be shy.”
It is comforting that, just a few hours from the urban sprawl of southeast
England, somewhere this wild still exists.
THREE-HOUR FEAST
Eating in Montenegro is a serious pastime, as we discovered at our first
restaurant. Following on from salted meats and cheeses came doughnuts with
honey, soup with meat, and meat with soup.
Kacamak, the country's signature dish, preceded the main course. A mix of
flour, egg, cheese and grease, it forms a semolina-like consistency - but
with a density that would challenge the digestive system of a hyena. As a
treat, our restaurant had topped the dish with grilled cheese.
Food arrived so quickly that it became all but impossible to distinguish
between courses. By mid-afternoon the meal had belched its way into its
third hour before coming to a close. Lucky - it was almost time for dinner.
NEED TO KNOW
Montenegro Airlines (0207 864
4032) flies from Gatwick to Tivat twice a week (three times a week from
September 19), from £220 return.
Stay: Bianca Resort and Spa (00
382 81 863 000) in Kolasin has rooms from about £111, including breakfast
and use of the spa.
