Rrajca is a village in the hills on the western side of Lake Ohrid, in North Macedonia, a short way from the small town of Vevčani, and the point lies in a rolling country of orchards, beech woods and pastures just above the lake. The hills here belong to the Jablanica range, which forms a rugged wall between Macedonia and Albania, and the sound of cowbells and the smell of woodsmoke in the evenings are part of daily life. The village has a mixed population, and the local name in Albanian, Rrajcë, reminds you that this is a border region where Macedonian and Albanian cultures live side by side.
Vevčani, nearby, is a village of stone houses and cobbled lanes known for its springs, which pour out of the mountainside in a cascade of clear water, and for its carnival, held each January around the old New Year, when masked locals parade in satirical costumes in a tradition that goes back many centuries. The village once declared itself an independent republic as a joke in 1987, an act that is still remembered with some pride. Lake Ohrid itself is a few kilometres below, with the city of Struga at the northern end, where the Black Drim river leaves the lake and a poetry festival has been held each August since 1962.
The riding here is gentle and rewarding. The roads wind up from the lakeside through woodland and small villages, with views opening out to the shining lake and the mountains of Albania on the far shore. Traffic is light, apart from the busy road between Struga and Ohrid, and the tarmac is mostly sound, with some potholes in the villages. Spring brings blossom and green hillsides, while autumn is rich with gold and red in the beeches. Summer is warm, but the hills are cooler than the lake. Winter can bring snow to the higher lanes.
Oktisi and Radolista are small villages with a shop or two, and fuel is best taken in Struga or Ohrid, both a short ride away. A meal in a village restaurant will probably include shopska salad, grilled meat, local cheese and fresh bread, and perhaps a glass of rakija. The people are friendly and curious, and a few words of Macedonian go a long way.