Not even that far a drive inland, this section of the Cetina river shows its true beauty.Drive direction Sinj, or even better, follow the signs directly to Blato na Cetina.
For sure there will be a moment to have to cross the river over a higher bridge.
STOP THERE, and don't forget your camera.
(Click on this picture to enlarge it).
Looking upstream the river is slowly flowing through a "french" landscape, already a fantastic view, with trouts straight below you hunting for insects swimming over shallow water, as clear as a bottle of mineral water (which it is).
Than turn your head to the downstream side of the bridge, where this picture was taken.
Here the river speeds down, with a large sandy beach on the right.
To me an amazing and fantastic location, reason to share it with you.
You will see underwater parts of ancient bridging, and even you'll realise that this very spot was once in use by Roman legions, entering the land from the seaside.
The whole place here breathes history, and no surprise, an archeological researchteam discovered a stunning treasure of historicaly important artefacts going back to Illyrian times, before and after, which can be seen in any museum in Dalmatia.
(Trilj, for instance, the town you passed on your way to Grab, once was the settlement of two large Roman Legions, still visible in the landscape, however much was destroyed by Ottoman and other invasions long ago).
For those wanting to see more of this fantastic river, drive towards Grab, a small village at the smaller river called Grab (yes indeed, river and village are called the same).
The place is special as the Grab river pops up from a spring directly from under the rocky slopes of the mountains all around.
However small the spring in summer, it rapidly fills the river, and soon the river flows thorugh a troutfarm (yes you can buy some there) and next it drives an ancient watermill, still milling today.
That spot is a MUST see, and again, take your camera as the owner gladly shows you the inside ande the milling proces.
After the watermill the river Grab flows on, entering the river Ruda, which after a little while enters the Cetina River.
If still eager to see more of the Cetina, drive up, keeping the right upstream side, between the high mountains of Dinara (border to Bosnia) and the river.
Through an ever changing landscape, all of it unspoiled and beautifull, sometimes over gravel roads, you can drive all the way to the very beginning of the Cetina, passing the artificial lake Perusco Jezero, born to supply you and me of electric power for our airco and tv set.
The spring of it is unique, a large intense blue and clear deep hole where a continuous flow of pure clean water rises from hundreds of meters deep.
Take your time to walk around a bit, do even take a walk on the ancient graveyard, have a look at those old restingplaces, or even better, the oldest known church in Croatia (details available on the church).
Driving back "home" you can speed up a bit, as following the river downstream, you can take the normal road other traffic uses too.
And in about one and a half hours drive you're back in Omis, where the river ends in the Adriatc Sea.
Hope you do follow my invitation to explore the hinterland (called Zagora here), as Croatia's beauty is found for fourty percent at the Adriatic, the other sixty percent are hidden for the blind.
And you're not blind anymore now.
