Derven Canyon – a gorge along the Vardar River. It stretches from the mouth of the Belovishka River to the village of Rashche in a length of 21.5 km. It is cut in the Triassic limestones of Žeden on the right side and Gradište and Dolgi Rid on the left side of Vardar. It connects the Pologka Valley in the northwest and the Skopje Valley in the southeast. There are three narrows and two erosional expansions in the gorge. In the first expansion are the villages of Dvorce and Dolno Orashje, and in the second the village of Radusha and the mining colony. A standard gauge railway built in 1952 runs through the gorge.
Peshter – archaeological site ie. necropolis from the late Middle Ages in the Tetovo village Jegunovce. It is located about 2 km east of the village, at the foot of Žeden near the village of the same name, at a low altitude where you can see graves built of stone slabs, oriented east-west. Today, the Peshter area is a very popular place, especially on the eve of the feast of Saint Great Martyr George the Victorious, or popularly known as George’s Day, when the Orthodox believers from Jegunovce traditionally celebrate it at Peshter. The locality is called so because of the huge depression in the rocky part of Mount Žeden that looks like a cave, about thirty meters long and wide. People from Jegunov have been coming to Peshter for St. George’s Day since ancient times. According to tradition, on the eve or the day before the holiday, on May 5, people come to the locality because there is a belief that it has miraculous powers. The custom and belief says that if a person has trouble or a wish that he wants to be fulfilled, he should come here to Peshter on the day before St. George’s Day. In Peshter, water is dripping from above. If he manages to swallow the drops three times in a row during the day, it is believed that the wish he imagined earlier will come true. A few hundred years ago, there were common cemeteries of Jegunovce and Podbredje near Peshter. People going to funerals sometimes had to take shelter in the cave due to flooding from the Vardar River, which passes nearby. Waiting for the rains and floods to stop, they talked about their troubles. It often happened that the next time they took refuge they would tell each other that the problem had been solved. Hence the belief that the place has miraculous powers. Since 2004, when the restoration of the “Holy Great Martyr George the Victorious” church began, marking the eve of the holiday is done with a small holy water and cutting of the Slavic cake.
Source: Wikipedia
Tour
We start the tour from Skopje – Aerodrom Municipality, where along the quay of the Vardar river, through Gjorche Petrov, we turn off for the village. Kondovo. If you want to avoid the city traffic, you can start the tour from the village Kondovo or from the crossroads near the village of Rashche, as the route will be shorter by 5-6 km.
From the village of Kondo, the traffic is significantly reduced and this is where the real enjoyment begins. We pass the village Rashche and here Derven Gorge begins, where we drive right next to the Vardar River, and to our left the slopes of Mount Zheden loom. The track is ideal for ROAD bikes as it has gentle gradients and the asphalt is excellent. From the village Rashche to the village Radusha we drive approximately 7 km. in a beautiful natural environment next to Vardar. In certain sections, the course of the Vardar River is quite calm, but near the village Dvorce and Dolno Orašje, the course of the Vardar river is considerably turbulent with strong rapids and foaming water that echoes in the gorge with a loud roar – an unusual experience when passing so close by bicycle. We pass Dolno Orashje and after approximately 5 km we exit Derven Canyon and a beautiful view of the snowy peaks of Shar Mountains opens up in front of us – Ljuboten, Piribeg, Ezerski Vrv, Peskovi.. After a few kilometers we pass the forgotten railway station in Jegunovce and arrive at our goal – v. Jegunovce.
From the village Rashche to the village Jegunovce has several water fountains where you can replenish your supplies. And finally, one more day tip: carry at least one spare inner tire with you. Unfortunately on this tour we had to take two breaks for gluing tires!
Bike trails nearby:
Mountain trails nearby:
Village Kondovo – Village Jegunovce (27 km.)
- Above options are included in the GPS link.
