Cres Island

Cres runs nearly seventy kilometres north to south and rarely more than a few kilometres wide, so the single road along its spine is the island. The north is unexpectedly green, with the Tramuntana oak forest and stone paths between abandoned hamlets. The middle holds Vransko jezero, a freshwater lake whose bottom lies below sea level and which supplies drinking water to the island, so swimming and boats are banned. The south dries out into sheep pasture and dry stone walls. Griffon vultures nest on the eastern cliffs and are regularly seen circling above the coast road. Lubenice sits on a cliff nearly four hundred metres above a beach that takes an hour to walk down to.

What you actually see

• Vransko jezero - a large freshwater lake in the middle of the island, fenced off as the water supply.
• Griffon vultures - a resident colony on the eastern cliffs near Beli, often visible from the coast road.
• Lubenice - a tiny stone village on a cliff edge with a long steep path down to the beach below.
• The Tramuntana forest - old oak woodland in the north with marked stone paths between deserted hamlets.

When to go

May, June and September give warm sea, open ferries and roads that are not full of campervans. July and August are hot and the single spine road backs up at ferry times. Spring is the best time for the forest in the north. Ferry queues in high season can run to a couple of sailings, so arrive early.

Honest expectations

Distances are deceptive: the island is long, the road is winding, and getting from the north to the south takes far longer than the map suggests. Ferry capacity is the real constraint in August. The lake cannot be swum in or approached closely. Lubenice has one steep, hot path to its beach and no easy way back other than walking up.

Nearby

Losinj is joined to the southern end by a small bridge at Osor, and Krk is one ferry east.