The Kupres plateau is one of the high, open places of Bosnia and Herzegovina, more than a thousand metres up, with wide grasslands, cold winters and a sky that seems close enough to touch. Ravanjska vrata, the gates of Ravno, lies in this landscape, between Kupres and Tomislavgrad, and it is known for a group of stećci, the carved medieval tombstones that are found across Bosnia, Herzegovina and the neighbouring countries. UNESCO listed a selection of these necropolises in 2016. The stones are often decorated with spirals, crosses, hunting scenes and figures with raised hands, and their makers remain a subject of debate.
The plateau is a place of shepherds and wind. Snow lies here for months in winter, and Kupres has a ski centre; in summer, the grasslands are covered with flowers and sheep. The history is harder. The plateau saw fierce fighting during the war of the 1990s, and memorials stand by the roads. Tomislavgrad, to the south, is a market town on the edge of the Duvno field, one of the large karst plains of the region, and the town is named after Tomislav, the first king of Croatia, who according to tradition was crowned nearby.
The riding is wonderful in its open, high-altitude way. The roads across the plateau run over long straights and gentle bends with big views, and then drop down through forests to the karst plains below. The surface is mostly good on the main roads, rougher on minor ones, and there can be livestock on the tarmac. Weather changes fast: thunderstorms in summer, fog in autumn and snow from late autumn to spring. Wind across the plateau can be strong. Respect warnings about mines away from roads and marked paths; they are rare now, but the past is still not entirely buried here.
Kupres and Tomislavgrad both have fuel and food. The local cooking is hearty and meat-based, with lamb roasted on a spit, cheeses and bread baked under a bell. Cafés serve strong coffee in the Bosnian style. If you stop to look at the stećci, walk slowly among them, touch the carvings gently, and enjoy the silence of the plateau. These stones have watched over the high grasslands for centuries, and they will be here long after we have ridden on.