Gostivar sits at the head of the Polog valley in the west of North Macedonia, at the foot of the Šar mountains, and it works as the gateway from the main lowlands into the high country of Mavrovo. The town is large, around fifty thousand people, and mixed in character, with a mainly Albanian and Macedonian population, minarets and church towers, busy markets and the sound of two languages in the street. The Vardar river rises just outside the town, springing from a karst source below the mountains, and that is the start of the longest river in the country, which flows eastwards to Skopje and eventually to the Aegean.
Gostivar is not a pretty town, but it is a lively one, with a big bazaar and a reputation for good meat. Grilled kebapi and the local pastries are easy to find, and cafés serve strong coffee and sweet pastries late into the evening. The landscape around it is very pleasant. To the north-west, the road climbs through beech and spruce toward Mavrovo Lake and National Park, North Macedonia's largest, while the Šar range stands bright with snow into late spring.
On a motorcycle, Gostivar is a jumping-off point for the road to Mavrovo and on to Debar, a fine ride with long, graded climbs, tunnels and open bends that follow the Radika valley. The surface on the main road is generally good, though winter weather can leave potholes and rockfall, and the higher parts of the route can be icy or snowy in colder months. Summer is the sweet spot, with warm days and cool nights, but afternoon thunderstorms can build over the mountains, so keep an eye on the sky. The route also passes the little church of St Jovan Bigorski, a monastery famous for a carved wooden iconostasis, a short distance beyond Mavrovo.
Because Gostivar is large, it has plenty of fuel stations, shops, banks and repair services, and it is a sensible place to prepare before climbing. Stock up on water and snacks, check the weather forecast for the mountains, and perhaps eat something substantial. With a full tank and a clear sky, the road into Mavrovo is one of the best in the country.