Why this ride
curated scenic road. Albanian Alps, hairpins, remote valleys. From Shkodër it runs 178 km to Gusinje; allow about 5 h 45 of riding. The highest point is about 1,550 m. It was put together for the scenery rather than the shortest line.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Albania SH20 Kelmend Road
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 178 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 5 h 45
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
The recorded total and the leg detail need reconciliation. Inspect the leg notes before using this record for timing or navigation. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Scenic road chapters
Albania SH20 Kelmend Road
Expect company on a summer weekend. Early is better than fast. For 44 km this is Albania SH20 Kelmend Road, a road with a name of its own and a reason for it.
Rider note
Check the pass is open before you commit to it.
Chapter facts
- Length
- 44 km
- Named road
- Albania SH20 Kelmend Road
- Pass
- Leqet e Hotit
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Shkodër
Shkodër is one of the oldest towns in Albania and the cultural capital of the north, a place where Catholic bell towers, mosques and Orthodox domes sit within a short walk of each other and bicycles outnumber cars in the old streets. It lies on a flat plain between the huge Lake Skadar, the largest lake in southern Europe, and the first foothills of the Albanian Alps, and the Buna river, a short, powerful stream, carries the lake's water to the Adriatic. Above the town stands Rozafa Castle on its rock, with views over both rivers and the lake. Legend says the walls kept collapsing until the builders agreed to wall up a woman alive, and the mother of a baby in the family agreed on the condition that one breast, one eye and one hand be left free to nurse the child.
Read the complete Shkoder write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Albania SH20 Kelmend Road point 1 sits at 0 km, early in the day. Next is Albania SH20 Kelmend Road point 2.
2. Near Kastrat
Planning note
Albania SH20 Kelmend Road point 2 comes up 27 km in. Next is Albania SH20 Kelmend Road point 3.
3. Near Kastrat
Planning note
55 km in you reach Albania SH20 Kelmend Road point 3. Next is Albania SH20 Kelmend Road point 4.
4. Near Gusinje
Gusinje is a mountain town at the foot of the Prokletije, the range whose name means Accursed Mountains, and from the main street you can look up at limestone peaks that crowd the border with Albania and Kosovo. It lies in a high valley of the Lim headwaters near the lake of Plav, a place of green meadows, old stone houses and a population that is largely Bosniak and Albanian. The town's character is more Ottoman than Slavic, with mosques, small shops and family-run cafés, and the pace of life is slow.
Read the complete Gusinje write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Albania SH20 Kelmend Road point 4, late in the day.