Cycling through the Bulgarian Rhodope mountains

To be honest, we crossed the border into Bulgaria completely blank. We were more preoccupied with the actual crossing than the destination itself. Apparently the border at Kapıkule is the second busiest land border in Europe, so we were a bit apprehensive of the whole process. But we were waved through easily enough (a bike and a sweaty and tired look help) and suddenly were back in Europe. After more than 2 months in Turkey we experienced a bit of a culture shock. Less honking, less clothing (for the women) and pork back on the menu. Luckily the dogs are as happy to chase us, so some things stayed the same.

Our route through the Rhodope Mountains

Our original idea was to follow the EuroVelo route 13, the Iron Curtain route. However, this is mostly still in the planning phase and we read about other tourers having to hike their bike along a goat’s path. Not really our idea of fun. So we were lucky to meet Lucille and Camile from France in Turkey, who just came from Bulgaria. They were so excited about their itinerary, that we simply copy-pasted it into our Google maps and set off. And we are so happy we did!

The roads and traffic

The roads are mostly in good condition, the higher up, the more potholes, but that is to be expected in the mountains. There aren’t any shoulders, but the traffic was quiet, so that wasn’t a problem. The ascents/descents are quite gradual, albeit long. This meant that we didn’t need supplemental oxygen going up, or new brake pads going down: perfect! After dealing with Turkish drivers for 2 months, we were happy that drivers here waited with overtaking until they could actually see around the corner. They even used their indicators! As you can see, everything is relative.

Wild camping

As for wild camping, this whole region is one big campground. It’s easy enough to find a spot to pitch your tent, there are so many dirt roads leading from the main road. Especially between Borino and Batak there are plenty of alpine meadows, with pine trees for shade and coverage, and creeks to wash your smelly feet in.

But wait, there is more! The prime real estate when wildcamping are shelters, and there are plenty of those. Most of them have at least some benches and running potable water, the more luxurious ones even a fireplace or stove. This is like a 5-star resort experience for us. Some of them are marked in the app maps.me, which makes planning a stop more easy.

Food and water

As for food, we haven’t tried a lot of local restaurants, because we mainly camped. We did however have plenty of börek along the way. Börek is tasty and has about 10000 calories per portion, so a perfect snack while cycling. We did our shopping at Lidl and secretly were happy to also have some familiar stuff (Gouda cheese on bread!).

One thing you will never have to worry about is water. There are springs everywhere, some stretches every 100 meter or so. It’s all potable, and most springs have cups, that the locals use for drinking the water. Maybe don’t use those, especially during a pandemic.

And then our highlight: the coffee machines that are omnipresent. That makes life so much better! And cheap! The quality was surprisingly OK, but since we have a combined 25 years of experience in academia, fuelled by shitty coffee, our standards might be a bit low.

When to go

From the locals we understood that the best time would be late May-June; the passes are clear and it won’t be as hot as in high summer. We did this route in 8 days at the end of May and the temperatures were pleasant (max 25 degrees, coldest days around 10), but we did get some rain almost every day.

All in all, we are happy we stumbled across this relatively unknown cycling destination. We highly recommend it; the roads are perfect, the landscapes stunning, camping is easy and there are shelters and springs everywhere. What more can you ask for?