High on a karst plateau in Herzegovina, between the massive mountains of Čvrsnica and Vran, lies Blidinje, a wide upland valley of meadows, limestone outcrops and black pine forests at around twelve hundred metres. At Dugo polje, the long field, a cluster of medieval tombstones stands in the grass, carved with crosses, spirals, rosettes, hunting scenes and human figures. These are stećci, the distinctive gravestones of the medieval Balkans, made between the twelfth and sixteenth centuries, and Dugo polje is one of the most impressive groups, part of the collection of stećci sites listed by UNESCO in 2016 across Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro and Serbia.
The stones are large, heavy blocks of limestone, some shaped like houses, others like sarcophagi or slabs, and many are beautifully decorated. Their meaning has been debated for centuries, with theories linking them to the Bosnian church, to local nobility or simply to the communities who lived here. Standing among them on a quiet afternoon, with the mountains all around and the wind in the grass, is an experience that stays with you.
Blidinje is a nature park, with a shallow lake, Blidinjsko jezero, at its centre, wild horses grazing on the meadows, and a small ski resort at Risovac. The roads across the plateau are good, with long, open sections and wide views, while the roads up to it, from Jablanica in the Neretva valley or from Posušje and Tomislavgrad to the south and west, are steep and twisting, with hairpins, tunnels and steep drops. The surface can be rough in places, and snow closes the high roads for much of the winter.
Services on the plateau are limited, with a few mountain huts, guesthouses and restaurants offering simple food, often lamb and other grilled meats, cheese and bread. Jablanica, about eighteen kilometres away, is the nearest town with fuel, known for its lamb roasted on the spit and for the ruined railway bridge over the Neretva, a famous episode of the Second World War. The weather can be harsh and changeable, with strong winds, sudden storms and cold nights, even in summer, so bring warm clothing and fill the tank before climbing onto the plateau.