Up, up and away in Armenia

So with the poor weather clearing away to be replaced by higher temperatures and warmer nights I hoped the pass over towards Southern Armenia would be open as it would save a hundred mile detour via Yerevan. Leaving the shore of Lake Sevan I passed through the town of Martuni and began climbing on a decent road that led over the Selim Pass at 2410m (a shade under 8,000') with just one section on the approach to the highest point being a bit ropey. The snow clad ranges to the south and west were looking superb and just over the pass on the warmer southern facing slopes I stopped at the 13th Century Orbelian Caravanserai. This solid building comprised an entrance hallway and then on the left a long dark room where travellers and their pack animals would have rested over the centuries. It was of sturdy construction and very atmospheric with a real sense of history. Outside a jovial Armenian couple with a reasonable grasp of French were selling various home made trinkets ranging from jams to jewellery, vodka, wine and some very beautiful sewn items such as aprons, caps and shawls. I bought a few bits and bobs at perhaps rather high prices but as in Morocco I felt they deserved support for their initiative.

Following an old truck down the numerous switchbacks I realised there were half a dozen or so cattle tethered in the open back which explained the driver's cautious progress so on a short straight stretch I was soon safely past. Down at Yeghegnadzor it was much milder and spring was well advanced. The Crossroads Camping set up was noted for later use as I turned east on what is effectively the main road South towards Iran but was no more substantial than a minor A road back home. A left turn heading north took me back up towards the mountains and was quite rough in places. A wedding was underway at one church as I carried on through bare mountain scenery under a warm sun to reach Tanahat monastery perched in isolation on a hill. The level car park just below the cluster of buildings seemed the perfect place to stop even though it was only lunchtime and I broke out the chair to top up my Vitamin D. The small monastery was open and had the usual very moving images, candles and tapestries gracing the central altar whilst outside were some interesting carved headstones.

The following morning I dropped down to the Arpa valley once more and pulled in for a look at the beautiful church just before Vayk. The woman who looks after it wanted to show me the terrace, behind a small building where she is trying to start a cafe, which had a good view over the valley. She was delighted that I ordered coffee and she eventually produced a black and fearsome brew supplemented by a homemade cake. She also produced some hard boiled eggs which she indicated were to celebrate Easter. As I left she came over with several egg trays and asked for a lift in to the village but didn't seem to want one back so I left her there and carried on south noting that some of the trucks hauling containers were displaying Iranian plates.

A turning off to Jermuk climbed steeply out of the valley on a series of hairpins and then headed out to the town which was once a hugely popular Soviet spa resort so is of course now somewhat in decline. A chairlift takes you up to a point above the town with panoramic views all round, it was early and I was the only passenger on the surreally smooth and silent journey. At the top a few locals were foraging for mushrooms to sell and a ramshackle cafe was just opening up but before long I was on my way back down and got chatting to an American couple who had clocked my van in the carpark.

Jermuk's other main attraction is the Mermaids Hair cascade waterfall found beneath the bridge that spans the gorge after which I had a look round the small town which sported a couple of grand hotels and the Spa Museum which had four spouts issuing steady streams of the hot sulphurous waters. Just below town on a spur overlooking the reservoir I parked up by a simple chapel for a very quiet night with just a few cattle for company.

The Yerevan - Meghri highway carried on over the Vorotan Pass at 2344m with the usual high spirited driving as ancient Ladas and more modern vehicles risked overtaking on the rare stretches with visibility and many without. Keeping a close eye on my mirrors I was content to tuck in behind the trucks keeping an eye out for the numerous and random potholes that were a frequent hazard. The scenic Spandaryan reservoir had a few park ups listed in P4N but it was a cool and exposed plateau so I passed by and dropped down to Sisian where a rural road took me out over the dam of the Tolors reservoir. This was many metres below its normal level and a church buried beneath the waters for decades was now accessible across the muddy reaches above the reduced water level. The beautiful arches of the door and windows were still visible but the walls had largely collapsed along with much of the roof. I could have stayed there but I felt it was rather too prominent a position and whilst the surrounding mud was baked hard and dry even the slightest shower would have made departure interesting. Luckily just a mile or two further along the road there was a cracking grassy area below the bridge over the river that feeds the reservoir that was an ideal place to stay. An Armenian family arrived for a picnic later and I was pleased to see that they took all their rubbish away, sadly most previous visitors had not.

Further on from Sisian the Vorotnavank monastery occupied a commanding position overlooking the Vorotan river. Some restoration work was underway with a couple of guys working at height to reroof a side chapel on scaffolding that looked likely to ensure a stairway to heaven. The road was again the main route through to Kapan and eventually Iran via Meghri but carried little traffic although there was a noticeable increase in military vehicles as this part of Armenia is surrounded by areas disputed with Azerbaijan. The invasion of the Nagorno Karabakh region displaced 100,000 Armenians and during their hasty departure over 200 people died in a fire at a fuel depot as they fled to Goris and the surrounding areas in 2023. The exclave of Nakhchivan is away to the west and another source of tension as it is a geographically separated region of Azerbaijan. En route to Goris I checked out the Wings of Tatev cable car but being a Monday it was closed : I assumed Easter Monday would count as a holiday but not in these parts so carried on down in to the town where a friendly lad filled the van with diesel. This tank will get me back to Tbilisi and beyond as just ten miles further on would mark my turning point on this trip. Should the borders of Azerbaijan open one day then I would definitely return as I would also like to reach those higher and more remote parts of Georgia closed by snow for the moment. The friends heading to Russia finally made it over that snow bound border after a 3 day wait at lower levels and a 20 hour queue at the border itself, their early reports of Russia and it's people are sounding very favourable. As always a nation's reputation is often founded on news reports of actions and events far removed from the everyday lives of the majority of the populace.

The ancient cave village of Old Khndzoresk was reached by a very bumpy track that would be impossible after rain but after 4km I reached the carpark which despite a slope would I decided do for the night. 

A steep flight of rickety wooden steps took me down to a suspension bridge that crossed a deep valley to reach what was once the largest village in eastern Armenia. Only finally abandoned in the 1950's it housed around 8,000 people in 1,800 households and had two schools, seven tanneries and a couple of churches, most of which remain today and can be freely explored. I spent an absorbing couple of hours nosing around under a hot sun before crossing back over the swaying bridge to head back to the van. A group of enthusiastic army cadets had in my absence set up a small camp for the night but I was well away from them and was amused at how seriously such young people were taking things. Later that evening I booked my tickets online for the Wings of Tatev with a departure time of 10.15 so was off to bed a little earlier than normal.

The cadets were up and about early but quietly and I left in good time, taking the track slowly and thinking about the 4,000 or so miles that lie ahead to get home. I will need an oil change in about 3,000 miles so probably Greece or Italy but I have the filter and lube on board so it should be straightforward enough.

The Wings of Tatev is the world's longest cable car and sets off from above Halidzor to reach Tatev monastery 3.5 miles away. Two cabins run opposite to each other with the journey taking around 15 minutes and at one point sitting 1,000' above the valley floor with the line being in cross section effectively a W as the Tavet monastery is near enough at the same height as the departure point with two towers on an intervening ridge providing the crossing point. I joined a Spanish group as the doors closed and we swayed off over the first abyss with the most remarkable views straight down in to the village. After the mid point we swung out over an even deeper valley where Dinky Toy trucks were grinding up the numerous switchbacks of the steep sided gorge and then the monastery perched on the canyon edge appeared up above us.

After dismounting most people headed off for a coffee so I had the buildings, churches and chapels to myself for a while and then walked up to Tatev village itself, something 99.99% of people never do.. The humble streets and dilapidated housing were fascinating and a small shop enabled me to buy some orange juice and chocolate for lunch at the cliff edge graveyard with expansive views out across the valley to where the plains of Iran begin. The two cabins floated gracefully across in front of me and with my return trip booked for two o'clock I returned to the monastery spotting a campervan with Russian plates. In the cafe terrace I spotted two young touring cyclists who turned out to be French and on a rather demanding tour of the Caucasus, the weather and terrain had been against them for a while now.

Back a little early at the cable car the staff said I could jump straight on and by chance I had the cabin to myself apart from the operator so I could move around freely to make the most of a truly remarkable experience.

I retraced my route to Sisian stopping briefly at Armenia's equivalent of Stonehenge, Zorats Karer, where perhaps 8,000 years ago numerous vertical stones were laid out in circles and lines. A Slovenian woman was heading to Tatev as well but didn't know about the cave village, she was delighted that we had visited Skocjan Cave in her country only a couple of years ago.

I briefly considered staying up by the high reservoir but looming black clouds and the forecast of rain convinced me to return to Yeghegnadzor and try out the Crossroads Camping which has been a good decision. There are few campsites in Armenia and I doubt any would surpass this one. Laid out amongst fruit trees currently in blossom are areas for tents, some raised covered platforms for summer sleeping and two lovely old busses converted for sleeping in with very charming floral decor.

Alongside is the area for campers which I had to myself so I was soon topped up with water and plugged in with a good view across the valley. The shower facilities were clean and efficient although the washing machine was out of order but the ever helpful Svetlana insisted I could use the family machine over at the house. Later a young Iranian couple turned up to stay in a room and we had a bit of a chat with her limited English and Google Translate filling in with Persian as necessary!

My timing has worked well as today has so far seen persistent rain which is forecast to clear overnight so I've been dryIng the laundry courtesy of the fan heater and planning my last ten days or so in Armenia which will revolve around the capital Yerevan and of a few sights to the north en route back to Georgia and Tbilisi by the 6th for a VIP visitor.

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