Shdugra Waterfall Walk

26/09/2025

A non driving day. Yay!
But J may have preferred that as we walked 13.5km with a very steep up and then down. Not bad for 78. 😙

A popular walk, so we met quite a few people. The standard question here ‘where are you from?’ is more interesting than in Europe. As well as Belgium and Spain. Two from Belarus. A Russian couple living in Armenia since the start of the war with the Ukraine. And a Ukrainian couple living in Moldova … since the war with Russia. I would just love to have chatted and asked inappropriate questions.

Mestia Towers

27/99/2025

Brr 6C outside when we woke. Lots of layers. Jez only warmed up on the 40 minute drive to Mestia, the capital of the Svaneti region.

We saw a number of defensive towers on the way. Then I climbed one with 7 floors. J doesn’t like heights so he stayed on the second level with Corrie, who can’t do ladders. The ladders were mostly made from Silver Birch branches. Very rustic and a couple were vertical. One definitely wobbled as I climbed. The last one popped out through the roof. So fab views of other towers and the town.

The Svaneti Museum was disappointing. Sanitised and didn’t cover the turbulent regions history or many traditions.

We decided against driving the track to the start of the waterfall walk … rain was forecast and I’m still scarred from the road from Hell in Turkey. We went for an ordinary lunch and decided to start the long slow road back south. We picked up French and Australian hitch hikers, with the warning that we would be slow and bumpy. In the event, the descent was much quicker than anticipated and the rain held off. We dropped our passengers in Zugdidi and looked for a parking for us. We didn’t fancy Zugdidi centre, and there weren’t many options on P4N, so we pressed onto our lovely riverside spot in Kutaisi. 5.5 hours driving. So another non dry day!!!