A short drive from Kocani is an area of natural beauty known as the Stone Dolls. I have been there a few times and have to admit to missing the turn off by the village of Kuklica every time! Its a small road taking you through this tiny village near Kratovo. The village has around 100 inhabitants. When you pass through the village your keep driving along small open roads and eventually, after crossing a couple of old rickety bridges you come to The Stone Dolls. The dirt track car park is free and from there its about 200m to the souvenir kiosk where you can also pay your entrance fee.

The entrance fee, when we went was equivalent of 2,50 euro although if you are a citizen of North Macedonia then its only 50 euro cents. There are signs to say that the area has been developed thanks to UNESCO funding but the ongoing development seems to be very vague.

The last couple of times we visited, we were greeted by a Dutch man who lives in the village and mans the kiosk. He has a couple of dogs that bark loudly when people approach the area but never come near the visitors. Although he doesn’t seem to have much up-to-date information, he is enthusiastic about the area and very pleased to welcome visitors.

He informed us that they sometimes get a coach full of tourists who come to visit. I think the problem is that the area hasn’t been developed. There is little information available, and although you can walk freely around the pillars and even climb on them, there is remarkably little emphasis on either health and safety or the long-term damage that may be caused. It is advisable to do so only if you are fit and healthy and have a good pair of walking shoes!

There are plenty of legends and folklore surrounding the Stone Dolls. The one that gets told the most is of the man who was in love with 2 women and was unable to decide who to marry, so decided to marry both on the same day but at different times, legend has it that the woman who was to marry later in the day went to see who else was getting married. When she saw her fiancé she cursed everyone and turned them all into stone. The stones called the “Bride and Groom” can be seen at the front of the formation.

Every visit sparks new ideas about what the stones resemble and how they were formed. It’s great fun to see everyone’s interpretations! Our current favourites include a family of snowmen and various talking, walking dogs. Each stone seems to tell a story, inviting us to let our imaginations run wild.

To dispel the legends geologists explain the formations as a result of natural erosion processes, but lets just ignore that and go back to our imagination!