Goli Vrh and Kosmas Castle

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Goli Vrh and Kosmač Castle

Summary: Goli Vrh is one of the easily accessible mountains near Budva, which provides excellent views across the coast and - provided there is fine weather - to the Shkodra Lake and the mountains along the border to Albania.

The hike, which starts at an altitude of about 750 Meter passes the old fortress of Kosmas. The castle is a ruin, but still looks imposing. It would also provide for a short hike for those with little time.

Much of the trail follows the Orjen-Rumija coastal trail. It is very well marked and there is little risk of getting lost. The trail follows old military roads, which later into the hike can become overgrown but remain well visible. The trail provides some visual drama, but is never really exposed.

The final excursion to Goli Vrh departs from the long distance trail at well marked waypoints. From there, we couldn't find any markings any more. This was not a problem - in spite of thick clouds and poor visibility. Thankfully, the wind blew away the clouds at the summit, and we were able to enjoy the grandiose views. For the return, we took a slightly different route that eventually led us back to Kosmas Castle on the old military trail.

The trail more or less follows the description contained in the (German language) Montenegro hiking guide issued by the Rother publishing house.

Maximum altitude:	1075 meter
Minimum altitude:	741 meter
Cumulative height:	467 meter
Cumulative length:	9.95 kilometer roundtrip
Difficulty	easy
Time:	5 hours roundtrip
Date of this record	October 2013
Download GPS info:	Goli Vrh

General location and approach: Near Budva

Other Information: There is a restaurant a few meters from the trailhead and carpark, in the direction of Cetenje

Goli Vrh, on the right above the clouds, seen from Budva

Hiking trails in Montenegro are well signposted. Here at the trailhead for Kosmas Castle and Goli Vrh

The switchbacks on the old military road leading to Kosmas Castle

Kosmas Castle, complete with trail signs and the (empty) box that is meant to keep the stamp marking the waypoint on the Orjen-Rumija trail.

The end of the road, near waypoint House

The trail follows an old military road, which is often heavily overgrown

The turn to Goli Vrh, waypoint 08. From here, we couldn't find any trail markings, and there is no path. In spite of the fog, it was not too difficult to find the way to the summit.

A plaque at the summit, a prominent mountain in the Pastrovska Gora range

View from Goli Vrh to the mountains of northern Albania

Part of the old military road, here in excellent condition, betwen waypoint 11 and 13

At waypoint 14 - an alternative to climbing Goli Vrh

GPS and trailmaps: The map and trailinformation is generated by , based on GPS information collected from the actual hike. Waypoints can be downloaded to a GPS device from Wikiloc. If necessary, use GPSBabel to convert GPS data to different formats. For more hike descriptions by Palmtreetreeproduction, browse this website or visit Wikiloc and search for "Palmtreeproduction". You may also find nearby trails from other authors.

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