Tag: Bor

Posted on in Vitosha

Goli Vrah – Ushite – Kamen Del Peak – Bor – Goli Vrah

Starting Coordinates: 42.59034, 23.29317

Distance: 11.0 km

Elevation Gain: 395 m

Time: 4½ hours

Difficulty: moderate-hard

Transport: by car, or by bus no. 66 to the last stop

  • The slip road to the top of the Dragalevtsi chair lift, Goli Vrah, 200 metres before the last stop on the 66 bus route.
  • The top of the chair lift.
  • The path right, marked by black and yellow posts, across the peat reserve.
  • The peat reserve, with Ushite and Chernata Skala in the distance.
  • The peat reserve.
  • The brightly coloured flowers.
  • The Ushite shelter.
  • Kamen Del peak.
  • The view of Sofia from Kamen Del peak.
  • As the path descends towards Bor, the TV tower at Kopitoto is visible.
  • In a short while, the path enters forest.
  • It passes a hut and a fountain.
  • Bor mountain hut (inactive).
  • Immediately after Bor mountain hut, there is a small bridge over Boyana River, a nice place to rest.
  • On the return, the views from the Ushite shelter towards the summit, Cherni Vrah, are spectacular.

Part of this walk is the same as for Kominite, along the plateau next to the top of the Dragalevtsi chair lift, Goli Vrah. It takes you all the way across the peat reserve and down to Bor mountain hut, which features in the walks Planinets and Zlatni Mostove. It offers the chance to climb a peak, Kamen Del, the peak which is most visible from the centre of Sofia, next to Ushite, and affords wonderful views of the city itself.

If you are travelling by public transport, you take bus no. 66 to the end of the line and then walk back 200 metres to the slip road to Goli Vrah. By car, you take the road up the mountain from Dragalevtsi village. From the cobbled square at the centre of Dragalevtsi, you take the road in the far corner and drive for 14.2 kilometres, past the turning for the “Vodenitsata” restaurant, past the car park behind Dragalevtsi Monastery, under the Dragalevtsi chair lift, past the middle station on the Dragalevtsi chair lift (Bay Krastyo), past the turning for the ski slope Vitoshko Lale, until you get to the slip road that takes you to the top of the chair lift, Goli Vrah. If you find yourself in Aleko, where the road ends, you have gone too far and need to drive back a short distance. The slip road is on the right, 200 metres before the final bus stop.

Many people use this slip road to access the summit, Cherni Vrah, instead of going to the summit from Aleko, which is nearer, because the slip road climbs more gradually whereas the climb from Aleko is very steep (there is a chair lift). The slip road takes you in five minutes past the top of the Dragalevtsi chair lift, Goli Vrah, and in another five minutes you come to the peat reserve on your right and a path marked with black and yellow posts. Turn right here (it is signposted for the Ushite shelter, “zaslon Ushite”) and follow the black and yellow posts for the next forty-five minutes. You will notice a slight springiness in your step because of the peat, it buoys you up. The views behind you to the summit, Cherni Vrah, right to Sofia, and straight ahead to Ushite (“The Ears”) with Chernata Skala (“Black Rock”) to the left of it are all wonderful. So is the sense that you are crossing a valuable piece of land, the peat reserve, full of grasses and brightly coloured flowers.

The path from the slip road starts at post number 30. In ten minutes (post 50), there is a path on the right going back to Goli Vrah. Keep going straight. In another ten minutes (post 64), there is a path on the right. Ignore it. In another ten minutes (post 89), there is a path going right to the Kominite Climbing Area. This features in the walk to Kominite. Keep going. In another ten minutes (post 108), you reach the Ushite shelter on your left, with Ushite behind it. Immediately after you have left the shelter behind, another peak, Kamen Del, becomes visible to your right, overlooking Sofia, a Bulgarian flag flying on top. This is a popular destination at weekends during summer.

The path you are on, with the black and yellow posts, will take you all the way to Bor mountain hut, but it is worth making a diversion to climb Kamen Del peak. So five minutes after the Ushite shelter (post 116), take the path on the right in the direction of the peak, which you will reach after ten minutes. Enjoy the fabulous views over Sofia! Lots of people stay here to admire the landscape, the valley with Sofia and the airport, Pancharevo (with the lake) and Bistritsa to the right, the Balkan mountain in the distance. If at this point you feel you have walked far enough, it is perfectly possible to turn around here and retrace your steps. Otherwise, come down from the peak, return to the path with the black and yellow posts (you can rejoin this path at post 121 instead of returning to post 116 by taking a path on the right as you come down from the peak).

Once you are back on the path with the black and yellow posts, it will begin to descend and soon it will enter forest. Forty minutes after Kamen Del peak, you pass a hut and a fountain on the left. Immediately after this hut and fountain, the path forks. Keep left, join the tarmac road and in five minutes you will be at Bor mountain hut, which is not active. If you keep going straight, after the mountain hut, you will immediately come to a small bridge over Boyana River, which is a lovely place to sit and rest. In the not so distant future, this small river will become Boyana Waterfall, but that’s still in the future.

Then simply return the way you came, taking the same path (signposted for Platoto and Aleko Hut). On the way back, when you emerge from the forest after half an hour, the path divides. It doesn’t matter which fork you take since they have the same destination, but I usually follow the fork with the black and yellow post next to it. That way, I know I’m going in the right direction. In another ten minutes (post 120), the climb ceases and, as you reach the Ushite shelter on your return, the views over the plateau towards Cherni Vrah are truly stunning. At post 50, there is the option of taking a slightly shorter route to Goli Vrah, but I’m a stickler for tradition and prefer to stay on the path with the posts. At post 30, you rejoin the slip road. Turn left, and in ten minutes you will be back at the main road where you started. Like all walks that go and return by the same route, this walk can easily be shortened by turning back earlier. What I like about continuing to Bor mountain hut is that it links this walk with two earlier walks, Planinets and Zlatni Mostove, and I get a better understanding of the mountain (just as the walks from Kopitoto and Bay Krastyo also meet in the middle, but lower down the mountain).

Posted on in Vitosha

Zlatni Mostove – Planinarska Pesen – Bor – Septemvri – Zlatni Mostove

Starting coordinates: 42.6097479, 23.2361762

Distance: 7.8 km

Elevation Gain: 360 m

Time: 3¼ hours

Difficulty: Moderate

Transport: by car, or by bus no. 63 to Zlatni Mostove

  • At Zlatni Mostove, the main road continues right past the bus stop, while a side road on the left leads to the beginning of this walk.
  • The beginning of the path that goes to Planinarska Pesen and Kumata.
  • The moraine river.
  • The path crosses two streams.
  • And then divides. Take the left fork.
  • The path through the forest.
  • Towards the top, before reaching the main road, head left.
  • The path doubles back on itself before joining the main road at the top.
  • Planinarska Pesen (“Mountain Song”) with metal notes.
  • A view from the path below Planinarska Pesen.
  • Large rocks dot this path.
  • The path goes downhill to Septemvri, but take the higher path on the right.
  • Wooden walkways replace the path where the ground is wet.
  • Another westerly view.
  • After thirty minutes, you come to a clearing. Bor hut is visible ahead of you.
  • At the far side of the clearing, take the path that doubles back on your left.
  • Elitsa hotel marks the intersection where you coincide again with the path from Planinarska Pesen.
  • Continue straight until you reach the road at the bottom.
  • Turn left and take the path along the meadow.
  • The path rejoins the road. Continue on this road.
  • A stall selling honey and jam.
  • A view in Zlatni Mostove.
  • The road you are on takes you back to the no. 63 bus stop, the place where you started.

This is a classic Vitosha walk which has as its starting and end point an important location on the mountain: Zlatni Mostove (“Golden Bridges” in Bulgarian). Zlatni Mostove is memorable because of the river of moraines, large boulders, that tumbles down the mountainside and also because of the beautiful open meadow a little to the north, Beli Bryag. It is also where bus no. 63 turns around and goes back down the mountain, so there is no need to worry about where to get off!

You again go through the district/village of Boyana and continue up the mountain, going past the Dendrarium on your right and the turning to Kopitoto on your left, until you get to an open area on the road with a large bus stop. This is Zlatni Mostove. It is fourteen kilometres from the ring road that goes around Sofia. Park the car somewhere nearby. The main road continues up the mountain and soon becomes cobbled, but for Zlatni Mostove itself you want to take a side road on your left. Continue up this road for three minutes and, as the road veers to the left, with the river of moraines on your left, you will see two paths departing from the road. One heads to Artistite and Selimitsa, it sort of doubles back. The path you want is the left of the two, signposted for Planinarska Pesen and Kumata. You climb some steps with the moraine river on your left. After fifteen minutes, you come to a stream (actually, two streams with small bridges over both of them). A short distance after the streams, the path divides. Continue left.

The path now heads straight up the mountain for about twenty-five minutes. Towards the top, you come to an intersection. If you continue up the mountain, you will cross the main road and the path will take you to Kumata. If you go right, you will come to Ofeliite. But you want to go left. Follow this path for about ten minutes. It doubles back and climbs to the main road. At the main road, go left (the smaller road opposite leads to Kumata). You will come to three mountain huts located close together: Boeritsa on your left; ahead of you, then on your right, Borova Gora; and finally Planinarska Pesen, which means “Mountain Song” and fittingly has a few metal notes affixed to the wall. Just before this last hut, there is a path descending on your left, signposted for Zlatni Mostove and Bor. Take this path.

The path descends abruptly and then levels out with some wonderful views in a westerly direction. It winds through the forest, past large rocks, across minor streams. After about twenty minutes, the path begins to descend. It is signposted for Septemvri. But a new path begins on the right, signposted for Bor and Momina Skala. You want to go right in order to maintain your elevation, not to go down the mountain yet.

You continue along this new path, again with wonderful views in a westerly direction, for about thirty minutes. There are some wooden walkways where the ground is wet. After thirty minutes, you come to a clearing. This is the same clearing that features in the walk from Planinets. Directly ahead of you is Boyana River and Bor mountain hut, but when you reach the far side of the clearing, there is a path that doubles back on your left. It is signposted for Septemvri and Zlatni Mostove. Take this path and follow it all the way down the mountain. Again, there are some wooden walkways where the ground is wet. After twenty minutes on this path, there is a turning right to Septemvri. You can ignore this. In a few more minutes, you reach an intersection with the hotel Elitsa on your right. The path coming down the mountain on your left is the path you joined at Planinarska Pesen, but then left in order to join a new path on the right. None of this matters. You continue straight and in less than ten minutes you come to the road that connects Zlatni Mostove and Momina Skala.

At the road, turn left and take the path that goes past an open meadow called Beli Bryag. The view here always reminds me of Switzerland, I don’t know why. It is a lovely open area with benches where people like to picnic and have barbecues in summer. The path skirts the meadow and rejoins the road further down. At the road, continue left and follow the road for ten minutes. It will lead you directly back to the main road with the no. 63 bus stop.

This route up, across and down the mountain, which affords some wonderful views and has the added attraction of the moraines or large boulders, is shaped like an upside-down triangle. You go up one side, across the top and back down the other side until you return to the same point. The route can be shortened by following the path to Septemvri and turning left at the bottom (with Elitsa hotel in front of you). This new path will take you to the road, with the meadow, Beli Bryag, on your left.

No visitor can consider themselves acquainted with the mountain until they have come to Zlatni Mostove. On the final stretch, between the meadow and the bus stop, there are several stalls selling corn and jam and a couple of restaurants where you can get bean soup or meatballs (kyufteta).

Posted on in Vitosha

Planinets – Zlatni Mostove – Bor – Momina Skala – Planinets

Starting coordinates: 42.6246831, 23.2397177

Distance: 6.1 km

Elevation Gain: 320 m

Time: 3 hours

Difficulty: Moderate

Transport: by car, or by bus no. 63 to the Dendrarium

  • Planinets mountain hut and restaurant.
  • The beginning of the path.
  • After ten minutes, the path divides. Keep left.
  • At the large stone steps, turn right.
  • Water flowing down the mountainside, with ice in April.
  • The cobbled road that connects Momina Skala and Zlatni Mostove.
  • After a short descent, turn left and climb for forty minutes.
  • On this path, there is a stone wall.
  • There is also a broken wooden walkway where the ground is wet.
  • At the top of this path, you come to a clearing.
  • On joining another path, turn left and after a few metres you will come to Boyana River, a good resting-place.
  • On the other side of the bridge over the river is Bor mountain hut. Turn left and take the road or the path to its left (which is more direct).
  • You descend some steps to Rodina mountain hut.
  • Boyana River as it descends from Momina Skala (it will shortly become Boyana Waterfall).
  • The meadow in Momina Skala.
  • Head west and go downhill to rejoin the road to Planinets.
  • Where you rejoin the road to Planinets, there is a disused fountain.
  • When you reach the road, Planinets is just on your left.

This is a wonderful, circular walk that starts and ends at the mountain hut and restaurant Planinets. To get there, you need a car. The alternative is to take bus no. 63 to the Dendrarium and to walk from there, but this will add at least an hour.

You take the road to Vitosha that goes through the village of Boyana, follow the road up the mountain. Immediately after you pass the Dendrarium on your right, there is a turning on the left to Kopitoto (where there is a hotel and a television tower). Take this turning. Before you get to Kopitoto, there is a turning on the right to Planinets. Take this smaller road, but be careful, it is full of potholes. The mountain hut/restaurant is at the end.

To start the walk, go past the mountain hut on your left and take the path that descends directly in front of you. After a short descent, this path begins to climb gradually through beautiful forest. It divides after about ten minutes. Take the left fork. A trunk has fallen across the path, so you have to bow your head. Continue for another ten minutes until you reach some large stone steps. At the top of these steps, turn right and after five minutes you will come to the cobbled road that goes from Momina Skala on your left to Zlatni Mostove on your right. Cross the road, climb the steps directly opposite and join the path that connects Momina Skala and Zlatni Mostove. Go right, the path descends steeply for a few minutes. At the bottom, take the path that climbs directly on your left (the road is on your right, and Zlatni Mostove is in front of you). You will now stay on this path for forty minutes or thereabouts.

The path climbs steeply for ten minutes (this is the hardest part of the walk, but nothing too strenuous). Ignore the crossroads, with a hotel (Elitsa) on your left. Keep going straight. After a few minutes, ignore the turning to Septemvri on your left. Keep straight. The path levels out, you cross little streams and pass large boulders called moraines. Eventually you will come to a clearing with plants. Here you join another path coming from Planinarska Pesen. Go left, and in a few metres you will reach a bridge over Boyana River. This attractive river tumbles down the mountainside and further down becomes Boyana Waterfall. This is an ideal spot to have a rest. It is also about halfway through the walk. From now on, the walk is downhill.

When you are rested and have enjoyed one of my favourite spots on the mountain, cross the bridge over the river. There is a mountain hut on your right, Bor. You want to go left (not straight). You can walk on the road, or better take the path that is on the left of the road. On the path, you will keep crossing the road as it winds down the mountain (the path is more direct). After a few minutes, cross the road, and then you will reach the mountain hut Tintyava. Immediately after the hut, turn left, with the building on your left. Cross the road again, and you will descend some steps to the mountain hut Rodina. Go straight past the building on your left. Cross the road again, and now you are on the path to Momina Skala. After fifteen minutes, a path joins the path you are on from the right. At the bottom, turn left and cross the bridge over the same river, Boyana River, you were sitting by earlier, except that now you are further downstream. Pass the mountain hut Momina Skala on your left and climb the short path to a large open area where there is a meadow and places to sit. This is Momina Skala, a popular destination in summer.

Cross the meadow (do not take the path that veers off on your right, this goes to Kopitoto). On the far side of the meadow is a restaurant. Pass the restaurant on your right and a hundred metres away, on the other side of a parking area, is a path marked “Planinets” heading west. This path goes straight down the hill and has wonderful views west of the mountain. Keep going straight down the hill. After ten minutes, you will cross a path connecting Zlatni Mostove and Kopitoto, but do not take it. Keep going downhill. Towards the end of the day, the light here is very attractive as the sun begins to set. Twenty minutes after leaving the restaurant in Momina Skala you will reach the road to Planinets. The mountain hut is just on your left.

This is one of my very favourite walks on Vitosha, but it can be shortened. When you get to the cobbled road, instead of going right, you can go left. The path will take you straight to the meadow in Momina Skala, and from there you can head downhill to the road leading to Planinets. This will shorten the walk by several kilometres, but I recommend the longer route.