Mojkovac is a small mining and railway town in the north of Montenegro, set where the Tara river runs between the high mountains of Bjelasica and Sinjajevina. It is not a town people travel far to see, but it sits at the right point on the map. Roads fan out from it toward Kolašin, Bijelo Polje and the road north to the Tara Canyon and Žabljak, so riders pass through often and many stop for fuel or lunch. The town has a long association with lead and zinc mining, and the railway linking Belgrade to the Adriatic runs nearby.
History has left a mark here. In January 1916, during the First World War, the Battle of Mojkovac was fought around the town, when Montenegrin troops held off Austro-Hungarian forces to protect the retreat of the Serbian army. Local people still mark the anniversary, and a memorial stands in the area. The Orthodox Christmas calendar means the date falls in early January, in deep winter cold, which suits a story about cold and endurance.
Better for the rider is what lies beyond. North from Mojkovac the road runs up toward the Tara river canyon, one of the deepest in Europe, and the long bridge at Đurđevića Tara, a high concrete arch from the 1940s, is not far away. East lies Bijelo Polje, and southwest the road climbs into the Morača valley toward Kolašin and the heart of the Montenegrin highlands. Corners here are usually generous and rhythmic, and the scenery is a mix of forest, high pasture and bare rock. Surfaces can change from very good to patched, and in winter and spring watch for frost, rockfall and fog.
The town has a few thousand people, so it has shops, cafés and a fuel station or two, which makes it a practical stop before heading into the mountains. Bijelo Polje, about sixteen kilometres east, is bigger if you want more choice. Try a plate of grilled meat or a bowl of mountain cheese and cream, which is the classic Montenegrin highland food, and give yourself a break before the canyon roads, which ask for full attention.