We planned our route down to Mavrovo and Vrben via what looked like the country route rather than the highway - and set off at a leisurely 10am in order to have a hotel breakfast first (which was on offer only after 9am). However, the country route turned out to be endless seamless ribbon development along the road; houses, cafés, the occasional shop (most shut due to the 1 May holiday) and desultory small workshops. And the same again - kilometre after kilometre. With high forested hills to our right - but cycling along a road that kept parallel to the range. At about km30 - a stretch that calls itself Zdunje - we turned off onto a rocky track - and finally left the urban sprawl behind. We clattered (the track was quite bumpy) along past unkept meadows, small vineyards, low bush, scattered trees and prostrate dogs that mercifully stayed or feigned asleep. At one point - an elderly man (probably about our age) with a fine walrus moustache was walking towards us along the track. As we approached - he broke into a huge smile and welcomed us warmly in Macedonian with scraps of German. We returned his warm greeting, shook his hand - and said 'England'. Oh - he beamed 'Manchester United, Liverpool'. 'Chelsea too' we responded. 'Da, da, da - Chelsea' he laughed. We tried through gestures to ask where the track led - and, also in gestures with enthusiastic German words thrown into a stream of Macedonian - he explained that we were on the old Tetovo-Manrovo road - and that a kilometre or so further on we should turn right to get onto the Tetovo-Ohrid highway. We parted rather regretfully - and continued along the steepening track. The highway was not a joy. An excellent tarmac road with no hard shoulder and heavy traffic roaring past us. We escaped for a suspect hamburger lunch at a restaurant set off from the road - but carried on with cars, lorries & motorbikes zooming past us us leaving little leeway. We'd hoped that turning right up towards Manrovo would leave the traffic behind - but not a bit of it. We laboured 5km up a 5-8% ascent with traffic too close to comfort and then about an hour of rain. Before turning off towards Vrben and enjoying a last half hour of easier riding over rolling hills, rain clearing and spectacular views to our left down the Manrovo lake and then a deep valley. We had booked an 'apartment' which turned out to be half of newly built house in the little village of Vrben. A little group of old & new houses, old barns (like in the Alps - a stone base with wooden superstructure), motley other farm buildings and a church clustered at the head of a valley, a mountain stream running through the lower end. Chickens scrabbling around, cows in small yards (a calf in a dark shed - I fear to become veal), dogs asleep, a couple of men battling with an unwieldy wheely bin . . . . Yasmina (35-ish?) showed us the apartment with the help of younger Elena. Elena spoke great English (despite - we found out on complimenting her - having never lived outside Macedonia) and delicately inquired whether we would be sharing the room with a double bed or using two bedrooms . . . . . In response to our question - she let us know we could buy beer in a shop in the village that opened after 7pm. Which it did - and we had a welcome supper of nuts, crisps & beer.