Stunning photos of Edinburgh man's adventure while stuck in locked-down Kosovo during the coronavirus pandemic
Partners Mike Elm, from Edinburgh, and Rosie Watson, from Cumbria, were partway through a 10,000km trip to Mongolia to raise awareness for climate change, when they were caught up in Kosovo’s lockdown...
The pair stayed with generous locals in the city of Prizren until June, when they restarted their adventure, keeping an eye on local restrictions as they went.
They took separate routes – Rosie running and Mike cycling – into Albania, then Macedonia and Bulgaria, before arriving in Varna on the Black Sea coast.
Rosie had run over 400km of the Kom Emine mountain trail, and Mike had cycled through the Rhodope mountains in the south of Bulgaria.
But the couple hit a roadblock at the Georgian border, which has not reopened since the start of the pandemic.
Now, after spending months in some of the most beautiful regions of Europe, Mike and Rosie are back in the UK and self-isolating. But the pair are already eager to get back on their journey as soon as possible.
Mike said: “We're likely to be in the UK at least until Spring next year as the borders are closed to Georgia and Azerbaijan which were our next planned stops.”
Rosie had run over 400km of the Kom Emine mountain trail, and Mike had cycled through the Rhodope mountains in the south of Bulgaria.
5. A Reminder of Home
Mike said: "A glorious thistle on Rila Mountain National Park in Bulgaria reminded me of Scotland."
Photo: Mike Elm
6. North West Bulgaria
Wild camping in the Tran region of North West Bulgaria, where proposals for a gold mine was recently rejected in a referendum. Instead, the community is developing itself as a destination for cyclists and hikers.
Photo: Mike Elm
7. Cloud Inversion
Mike took this photo while travelling through the forests of Bulgaria. The country has more than 35 per cent forest cover, compared to just 15 per cent in the UK.
Photo: Mike Elm
8. Damn in Albania
Mike said: "Steep ride in Albania, fortunately on paved road. The artificial lake of a dam below, the reality of which disturbs local ecosystems and ways of life."
Photo: Mike Elm