|
Travelling between Sofia and Vidin takes you across the western spur of the Balkan Mountains , an area of forested highlands scattered with tortuous rock formations. Although not as high as the Rila or Pirin ranges to the south, the peaks of northwest Bulgaria present some of the country's most rewarding walking and rambling areas. Practical maps of the area are, however, thin on the ground, and serious hikers will have to pick up local knowledge from the Bulgarians staying at the region's mountain huts, or hizhi . The largely rural, undeveloped character of the northwest marks it out as an ideal destination for off-the-beaten-track travel, although tourist accommodation is limited to the odd hotel, a couple of monasteries, and the aforementioned hizhi . There are several routes across the mountains north of the capital: travelling by train, you'll pass through the magnificent Iskar Gorge before reaching the train junction at Mezdra, and then heading via Vratsa towards Vidin and the Danube, with the mountains to your left. Most road traffic from Sofia (including buses) bypasses the Iskar Gorge entirely, taking the motorway northeast to Botevgrad before turning northwest towards Mezdra. It's a route which is clogged with long-distance trucks at the best of times, so you may prefer to take the minor road north through the Gorge instead: a slower, but much more scenic, ride. An alternative northbound route crosses the rugged terrain of Bulgaria's western borderlands. This takes you via the Petrohan Pass to the mountain resort of Berkovitsa before rejoining the main road northwards at the region's administrative centre, Montana . From here it's a straightforward trip across the plains to Vidin, although minor roads head westward to Chiprovtsi , a historic rug-weaving centre backed by sumptuous mountain scenery, and Belogradchik , whose spectacular rock formations demand a detour. For those who want to explore the area by bus , Vratsa, Montana and Vidin are the gateway towns serving Berkovitsa, Chiprovtsi and Belogradchik respectively. You can also achieve a great deal by train if you're prepared to study timetables carefully, with a branch line serving Montana and Berkovitsa leaving the main Sofia-Vidin route at Boichinovtsi north of Vratsa.
Western Balkan MapsMichael says "I collected some maps that cover the area of Vratshanski Balkan, Iskar Gorge and Lakatnik on my web-site (www.michael-rosemann.de/Lakatnik/Lakatnik.html)
Also, you will find there an updated timetable of the trains that serve Lakatnik.
I hope it will attract more people to this lovely place."
Your Tip for Western Balkan Range
Help other backpackers! Write your own guides and backpacking tips to Western Balkan Range - they will appear instantly on this page - Please only write a tip/guide to Western Balkan Range - visit the main Western Balkan Range forum to ask a question!
Please do not post links to your site here (they won't work) - please use the Western Balkan Range webguide section below! Thanks.
|
