Crazy Roads and ‘Crusty’ Wines

Biokovo Nature Park is one of those places where the journey is at least as good as the destination. In fact, in this instance, I think the journey is actually more ‘thrilling’ than the ‘thrill’ itself. To get to Biokovo, it’s a hair-raising half hour journey along Croatia’s highest road (1,744 metres above sea level). The road is paved but it’s narrow and winding and there are some sheer drops in places, and a couple of 23% gradients, but there are plenty of laybys to allow vehicles to pass and you just need to drive slowly. If you edge your way along the road, the mountains unfold in front of you and the views are breath-taking.
But that’s just the journey. At the end of it, there’s the Skywalk – a crazy semi-circular steel and glass viewing platform that juts out 11 metres from the edge of a cliff. The panorama is spectacular, offering views across Hvar and, on a clear day, as far as Italy. And because the platform is made of glass (even the floor), if you look at your feet, you can see all the way down the craggy mountain. Highly recommended unless you have vertigo!
To manage numbers, tickets to enter the park and the Skywalk must be booked in advance. Tickets can be purchased up to 5 days before visiting. In high season, I advise booking as early as possible. Book online.

The pretty village of Zivogosce makes a good place for a rest stop. Stretch your legs with a stroll along the seafront promenade towards the huge TUI Blue Hotel on the beach. You can follow this path along the beach until you get to the mermaid statue, after which you can head back to the car.

Shellfish farming is big business on the Peljesac Peninsula, and this casual tavern is perfect for sampling some of the freshest and juiciest mussels and oysters you can buy.
Grab a seat on the outdoor terrace for a stunning view of the islets around the bay – you can see all the shellfish nets from here – and order a platter of oysters, some bread, and a cold beer for the perfect lunch. The place is understandably popular, so I recommend reserving a table in advance. Contact the tavern here +385997824522.

As well as shellfish, the Peninsula is also famous for its wine, and this place serves the most unique wines that I’ve ever come across. The wine is made in the traditional way, from Croatian Plavac Mali grapes, but it is then stored in glass bottles inside amphora (clay urns) on a sunken fishing boat 20 metres under water. The wines are aged in the sea (which maintains it at a constant temperature) for around 2 years, during which time they gather hundreds of barnacles until they are ‘harvested’ by scuba divers and ready for drinking. By now the surface of the amphora is crusted with shellfish and resembles something that the pirate Davy Jones might have in his locker, but it tastes delicious.
The wine bar has a tasting menu where you can try a range of these wines, coupled with a snacking plate of prawns, anchovies, cheese, and ham. An experience that’s definitely worth trying.

The old city of Ston is the jewel in the crown of the Peljesac Peninsula. It’s famous for its medieval wall which hangs around the hill above the city like a stone necklace and is Europe’s longest wall. Acquired in the 14th Century by the Dubrovnik Republic, this enormous 7km long wall was constructed around Ston to prevent access to the Peninsula from the mainland to safeguard the salt pans: salt commanded very high prices in Medieval times as it was one of the best ways of preserving fish and meat.
From a distance, it looks like a miniature wall of China (although that wall is over 21,000 km long), as it snakes its way around the forested hills. Although only 5.5km of the original 7km wall remains (some of the stones were removed to build houses when the wall fell into disrepair in the 19th Century), you can walk along the wall from here to Mali Ston. It takes around half an hour to walk there. There are a lot of steps, and it can be steep in places, but there are handrails, and it’s not precarious at all. It’s a beautiful walk and the views along the way are stupendous – and I don’t use that word lightly!
You’ll need to buy an entrance ticket here at the gate to access the wall and it closes to the public at 7:30pm. That gives you plenty of time to walk there and back, with a rest and an ice cream stop in Mali Ston.

Hopefully you’re not sick of seafood yet (or fantastic views!) because the owner of this traditional taverna on the banks of the estuary will often fish to order. If you want the freshest ‘catch of the day’ get a fish platter and watch it being caught, prepared and grilled, while you sip a glass of wine on the terrace, with a fabulous view across the bay.

This has been a trip of exciting and unusual experiences and hopefully you’ve had a chance to see and do a few ‘firsts’.