Ersekë is a high town in the south-east of Albania, close to the Greek border, on the slopes of Mount Gramoz and the Grammos range. At around a thousand metres, it is among the highest towns in the country, and the winters are hard, with snow on the roads and woodsmoke in the air. The town spreads along a ridge above a wide valley, and from the upper streets you can see pine-covered mountains stretching away into Greece. It is a place where the border has always mattered, and families here have links on both sides.
The history of the area runs through the Second World War, the Greek civil war and the long closure of Albania under communism. Bunkers, the small concrete domes built in their hundreds of thousands across the country in the 1970s and 1980s, still dot the hillsides, and you will notice them in fields and beside roads. After 1990 many people left to work abroad, particularly in Greece, and remittances have shaped the local economy. Ersekë has the pleasing slightly worn character of a town that has seen changes, with a lively square and cafés where older men play cards and drink raki.
For riders, the SH75 road toward Përmet is a highlight. It runs through mountain scenery with forests, high pastures and dramatic views, climbing and dropping with long, wide bends. The surface has improved in recent years but is still uneven in places, so keep your speed in check, watch for potholes, and expect sheep and goats on the road. Summer is warm and dry, but evenings are cool at this altitude, and autumn brings coloured beech and oak. Winter riding is not sensible, as ice and snow are common.
With nearly eight thousand people, Ersekë has fuel stations, small shops, bakeries and restaurants, and it is the main service point in this corner of the country. It is wise to fill up here before the descent toward Leskovik and Përmet. Try the local grilled lamb and the thick yogurt, and bread fresh from the oven, and give yourself a little time to simply sit and watch the mountain light change on the Gramoz.