Sketches of a Life

Well, no, not exactly. Only her social networks crash.

But saying the Internet crushed seemed a more intriguing introduction.

Anyway, the girl's Inbox gets jammed with messages asking questions about this amazing place. So the girl decides to write a blog post. Go figure.

The girl is nevertheless amazed by how little people know about this place. After all, on numerous occasions it was proclaimed one of the most beautiful secret beaches in the world. Maybe the secret is in the word "secret". 

The place is, of course, the girl's all-time favourite island of Croatia - the island of Pag. By the way, the girl had also mentioned this place in one of her previous posts, but you didn't pay that much attention, did you? 

Furthermore, the place is actually two places. Two beaches. Situated near the village of Metajna. The village is easy to reach following the main road to Novalja and then following the road signs for another 12 kilometers. Unfortunatelly, the girl didn't take any photos as she was behind the wheel and unwilling to earn another ticket. But she's kindly leaving a Google maps link for you to easily find it if you ever wish to visit.

And the girl will now stop referring to herself in the third person. Because it's just weird.

The Ručica beach
This beach is situated about 1 km from Metajna and can easily be reached by boat or car. The pebbled beach is nestled in a barren bay and perfectly ridden of natural shade. The contrast between the white rocks and the turquoise water provides an incredible sight. You might have noticed this white/blue contrast is what I like most about Pag in general.

The only thing ruining this fully preserved natural landscape is the bar erected nearby. I pray to God someone would tear it down because it's just mincing. The existence of this object, in addition to the easy access, most probably signifies that there are lots of visitors during the summer months (I can't really tell as I went there in April and found not a soul in sight). So if you don't mind crowds, do visit this beach. But if you prefer quiet and are willing to make some effort, then certainly head to...

Beritnica, on the other hand, is not accessible by car or by any other form of transportation except for boat. Alternatively, you can hike to the beach - like we did. The parking lot near the Ručica beach would have probably been the best spot to start the hike, but we chose (unintentionally :)) the more complex route, climbing the stairway someone had built of in situ material, leading uphill the Ručica beach. Eventually, the stairway got us to a building marked "private property", but since it was April and no one around, we turned a blind eye to the signs and somehow got back on the right track. My point is, this is not a recommended route whatsoever. 

Actually, there are two parking lots where you can leave your car, depening on which beach you would like to visit. I'll try to explain using the map below.

Like I said, you can easily reach Ručica by car, so the best option is to follow the narrrow, but easily spottable and fine road from Metajina leading to the spot I marked "Parking for Ručica". However, there's a different, even narrower, dirt road leading to the spot where I think it's best to start your hike if you're heading for Beritnica, and I marked it "Parking for Beritnica". I also roughly marked in red the hiking routes to Beritnica so you could tell why I advise you to start from here. 

However, I must warn you: I was amazed at how much water there is in this seemingly barren place! There are hundreds of streams flowing down the hills to the sea, and I have no idea where they come from and whether they dry out in the summer. Literary no article I have ever read mentioned these streams, and I was totally shocked to find them there. Anyway, the streams make certain areas around the parking lot swampy and the hiking route (which is not easily passable anyway) quite slippery – so wear a good pair of sneakers and mind your steps.

Once you start going uphill, all you have to do is follow the round, orange path markings on the ground. It's basically impossible to get lost. There are actually two routes, and we hiked one on our way to the beach, and the other on our way back. The first (closer to the sealine) is shorter, but steeper, and includes passing through some brownish canyon-like rock formations and leaping over the above mentioned stream beds. The second (further from the sealine) is longer, but not as steep, and mostly extends over the top of the hills and offers some amazing views. No matter which one you choose, the further you go, the scenery gets crazier and crazier. I'm so glad we took them both and would recommend anyone to do the same. 

It took us about 25 min to reach the destination. Just to illustrate the dificuty of the path (at least its final part), it was a partly cloudy April day and we were all covered in sweat and out of breath. I can't imagine anyone undertaking this venture in July or August, except for early in the morning before the sunrise. But as soon as the view on the beach opened, we knew the trail was worth the effort. 

What makes the beach distinctive and recognizable are its two natural structures: the three great rocks that had separated from the hill and slided in the shallow water at some point in history, and the great rock pinnacle, the "tower" of Stogaj overlooking the bay. The later is very popular with climbers (and if you look closely, you could see some in my pictures).