The idea for this trip came from Kami, a Polish blogger who works full-time for a railway company, and also writes about her travels. I've often liked her ideas, so it's nice to give a proper acknowledgement.

Actually, if you're only going to do one side trip from Skopje, it's probably best to go to Tetovo. But you can only get there by bus (and we did a seven-hour bus journey on Tuesday, and have a four-hour bus journey coming up on Monday, so the thought of extra bus travel just didn't appeal...) Tetovo can be for next time, we thought. In the meantime, it's easier to do a day trip by train, we thought. Hah! Little did we know...

Anyway, we eventually fought our way into the railway station, which sits astride a big road, and has an entrance that is not immediately obvious. And we successfully procured tickets to Veles (MKD 360 for two people, return, which is about GBP 5, ie not expensive).

It's quite a modern train:



And the route -- travelling along a big, open valley, and then hugging the river in a much tighter gorge -- is really scenic:







Our prime objective was the Spomenik Kosturnica (Memorial Ossuary), built to commemorate the Partisans who died fighting right-wing German and Bulgarian forces during WWII.

It's set on the hillside above the town:


And as you make your way towards it, you get some great views. Veles is very beautifully situated, among some quite impressive hills. And today, although it was still cold (and felt even colder because of the wind), was the first day we've had sunshine (it's odd, actually -- for the last two days the weather forecasts kept saying sunshine, and it never materialized on either day). So the countryside, backed by snowy peaks, looked very grand:





The monument, designed by Ljubomir Denkovic and Savo Subotin, and conceived as an upside-down poppy flower, is surreally photogenic:



Unfortunately, it wasn't open, even though it's supposed to be open every day except Sunday... If you peer in through the window, you can get some idea of the art within (and the site I referred to above has some good pictures of the mosaics):



There's lots else that's of interest in the city:










As it was sunny, we were able to buy a couple of lunchtime buns, and eat them in the park.

But there were two drawbacks. The first was that all the coffee-and-cake cafes seemed to be shut, thus ensuring that the remaining coffee-and-smoke cafes were packed to the gunwales, and distinctly uninviting. After a fruitless search for a congenial cup of joe, we just gave up, and set off back to the railway station.

Which brings me to the second drawback. The missing train.

Our service of choice was scheduled for 1424. The train this morning had arrived a bit late, so we weren't surprised when the afternoon's incoming train from Skopje, which would be our return train, was late too. Eventually, it rolled up, and we boarded, along with a small handful of other passengers.

And then we just sat there... By now 1424 had well come and gone. Ever-increasing numbers of railwaymen boarded the front carriage, and eventually there was quite a party atmosphere in there. Music, raucous conversation, snacks...

But still we didn't move.

I started to research bus departures...

The next train service on the schedule was the 1524, but that was a train that was coming all the way from Zabeni. This never arrived (at least we never saw it). What happened was that another train arrived from Skopje, and then we left -- at 1524. Go figure...

We had the impression this service was basically for the benefit of the railway workers, as they dropped off at various stations along the way.

Anyway, we arrived back in Skopje more than an hour late.

All in all, I would say that Veles is definitely worth a visit, and the train line is definitely scenic enough to merit a detour. You just need to regard any timetable you come across as aspirational only.