E4 in Bulgaria: General comments

The official section of the E4 Long Distance European trail through Bulgaria crosses the Vitosha, Verila, Rila, Pirin and Slavyanka mountains. Most of it is in the Rila and Pirin Mountains. Very much an alpine trail, the highest point is at 2914 metres. One of the most scenic parts of the E4 in Europe, with rocky ridges and lakes left from now departed glaciers, the Bulgarian section is well worth hiking as a stand alone two week walk. There are some big climbs and descents involved so a certain degree of fitness is needed. Climbing over rocks and boulders is required. This does not require any special skills, however I was glad I did a scrambling course at Plas-y-Brenin first as it gave me the confidence to tackle some of the sections described as "difficult" on my own.
There are some specific E4 signs but for most of its 260 kilometres the route follows red and white waymarks and associated signs. With a few exceptions  (most especially the descent into Predel) I found the waymarks of such a standard that I only occasionally needed to consult my GPS. The paths were also in good condition (again with the exception of the descent into Predel).
I found the Balkans Navitracks map that I loaded onto my GPS more than adequate for use in Bulgaria. The GPS track of the E4 in Bulgaria downloaded from Waymarked trails or Traildino.com was my primary means of finding the route, the Navitracks map allowed for making minor detours and showed the location huts and places of interest that I had not waymarked in my planning. In addition I bought the Domino paper maps of Rila and Pirin, they were nice for seeing the overall route and might have been useful if major changes in my route were necessary due to weather or something. "Tourist Route E4 in Bulgaria" was a better buy. This guidebook split the trip into manageable stages and gave a description of what lay ahead each day. Timings would have been difficult to estimate without the book given the large climbs, descents, boulder fields and other factors.
I found August a pleasant time to walk through the mountains, temperatures were good for walking in a tee shirt and sitting outside huts. It could be cold in the mornings, requiring an extra layer or two. I was fortunate with only a little rain and avoided any thunderstorms, however I would not want to be on a high ridge with high winds or lightening around. I checked various weather forecasts on days when there was access to a mobile signal, especially a local one at vremeto.v.bg  (use Peak Mousala for the Rila mountains and Bansko for Pirin), however forecasts were not that reliable. It looked like the weather could be quite localised - some mountains cloaked in black clouds and others in sunshine. Difficult for a weather forecaster! If you are walking on into Greece then August has the disadvantage that it will be very hot (over 30 degrees C) once you hit the Greek plains.
Once in the Rila and Pirin mountains you can sleep and eat in a mountain hut every night. The quality and nature of these huts varies enormously. Some are excellent such as the Predel and Slavyanka huts, others only have "squat" toilets which I dislike (such as Ribni Ezera hut), some only have outside toilets (e.g. Vihren and Lovna huts) which is not so convenient to me these days as I generally need to get up once in the night. In Pirin hut you clean your teeth etc. at the spring. Cold showers are the norm. Standards of cleanliness varied from very good to very poor, with bathroom facilities generally being the weak point. In Pirin and Izvora huts the mattresses were old and stained. Boots should be placed outside the dormitory door to help keep bedrooms clean. Some huts were very busy when I visited (e.g. Sedemte Ezera, Yavorov and Vihren huts), in others there were only a few people (e.g. Predel, Pirin and Izvora huts).  This reflected the popularity of the stages, some sections of the E4 were very popular with lots of people out walking, other stretches I had too myself. Two types of people stayed in the huts, walkers like myself who went to bed moderately early, and people using the hut as an opportunity to socialise, who partied until midnight. Some sleep disruption could result.
Food options were pretty standard: meatballs (actually a sort of beefburger); omelette; chicken or pork steak; bean, lentil or chicken soup; shopska salad; coffee, tea and Pirinsko beer; sometimes French fries with cheese, or an oven cooked offering such as moussaka. Within the limitations of language most hut staff tried to be helpful, Macedonia hut being the exception, although in some cases they were so busy that help was somewhat delayed. I am happy to read my kindle in the evenings but if you are more social there was usually someone among the people staying in the huts who spoke some English, and there was a certain camaraderie among the walkers, who you might see for a few days in a row as you followed the classic sections.
I was very glad I paid Bulguides to book the huts and provide support. A few huts are on booking.com but I would have had difficulty booking the others as most hut keepers spoke little or no English. Maybe enough for you to order a beer or food but not enough to make a confident reservation. In some cases a reservation would not have been necessary but in others it was essential, either because a hut was full (as in the case of Sedemte Ezera and Rilski Ezera huts) or because the hut keeper may not otherwise be there or there may be limited or no food for you if they do not know you are coming (e.g. Izvora and Slavyanka huts). Margarita from Bulguides was also needed for translating when gesticulating failed (e.g. to tell me when dinner was or ask when I would like breakfast), as well as providing some helpful weather updates. The time I most appreciated Margarita was at the end of my trip through Bulgaria when some villagers seemed suspicious of my presence. Margarita was able to explain in Bulgarian what this strange, solitary man was doing in their village.
If you do not wish to stay in the huts, camping is allowed at some huts and shelters but wild camping in the Rila and Pirin national parks is not allowed, although it is commonly practiced. If walking from Sofia, camping is necessary the first two nights (at locations outside of the Parks). This means carrying the weight of your camping equipment for the rest of the trip, however if you are walking the E4 as a standalone trip, camping can be avoided if you start from Klisura rather than Sofia, Vitosha can then be climbed as a day trip from Sofia.
I was somewhat worried about being attacked by dogs given my walk to Sofia from Serbia but the dogs in the mountains seem more accustomed to hikers and thankfully less aggressive.

To cross all of Bulgaria and link up with the E4 in Serbia and Greece, some walking through the lowlands is needed. The additional four or so days help to give a broader view of what the country is like, passing through villages and farmland. Not all of Bulgaria consists of high rocky mountains! See the first part of my blog for the section from the Serbian border to Sofia for example.

My trip continues in Greece, see johnpone4greece.blogspot.com. You may also be interested in my blogs of the E4 in Hungary, Serbia and Cyprus, or a possible extension of the E4 from Portugal.

Update: Based on my travels on the E4 I have written a book "Six Pairs of Boots: Spain to Cyprus on the E4 Trail" by John Pucknell available from Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.com, the Bookdepository.com, lehmanns.de, bookspot.nl, and other good online bookstores.

Bulgarian flag on Mount Gotsev on border post between Bulgaria and Greece

Izvora hut to Chuchuligovo on E4: Day 20

A very different day in which I crossed into the the lowlands to reach Chuchuligovo, and Margarita saves the day again.
After a breakfast of cheese and tomatoes the hut keeper left me to lock up. As I set off he was already herding his goats. I met a couple of flocks of goats today, each with a few sheep mixed in and being looked after by a goatherd and his dog. Some care on my part was needed to avoid dispersing the goats.
I began along an asphalt road down a narrow wooded valley with plane trees next to the stream and conifers higher up. The village of Petrovo was at the end of the valley. Grapes hung on wooden supports across the pavements, heavy with red and white grapes ready to be picked. Fig trees were dropping their ripe fruits. After the next village of Yanovo I turned off onto a track into farmland. The following countryside was either vineyards, grassland or scrubby trees.
I had picked my route from the map to avoid roads and followed dirt tracks instead. Apart from one overgrown section this generally worked well until I reached the village of Novo Hodzhovo.
Here I spotted a shop and since I was hot and sweaty, having left the cool of the high mountains, I bought a coke and ice cream and sat outside with some villagers to enjoy it. Unfortunately the lady running the shop seemed suspicious of me. I guess we were near the border and me being alone seemed to worry them. Maybe they thought I was a people smuggler. They spoke only one or two words of English but they wanted to see my passport and asked where I was going. They were speaking about the police among themselves and when I got up to leave they made it clear they wanted me to wait, I think for a police jeep. So I phoned Margarita at Bulguides and she spoke to them explaining what I was doing. Then it was allowed to leave.
Not wanting to look suspicious near the border and require Margarita's help again I stuck to the roads for the rest of the way to the Hotel Komitite at Chuchuligovo.
Despite some bad reviews on booking.com the hotel seems fine, well, apart from needing some new, clean carpets, and a few new light bulbs (I had to use my head torch in the bathroom). But compared with some of the mountain huts it was luxury!

Tomorrow I will be in Greece. Follow my continuing travels on johnpone4greece.blogspot.com

The gpx file of the E4 route through Bulgaria (from waymarked trails or traildino.com) ended at Mount Gotsev. A gpx file of the route I then followed into Greece can be found on wikiloc.com and ViewRanger under the short code johnpon0035.

Grape vines over the pavement in Petrovo

Countryside of vineyards and grassland

Slavyanka hut to Izvora hut on E4: Day 19

A big climb to the Bulgarian border with Greece (1650 metres total ascent) and a bigger descent to Izvora hut, another old base for border guards.
After a breakfast of French toast with jam it was a long climb to the peaks of Slavyanka mountain, through the now familiar forest zones of beech then conifers. Once above the tree line I was into the clouds and glad of my GPS as the path disappeared at times. Reaching a pillar marking the boundary between Bulgaria and Greece the clouds lifted so that I could see Greece spread out below me from the ridge I was standing on.
The border passes through the crests of the southern summits of the Slavyanka mountains, with the land dropping more steeply on the Greek side. After coming down from Mount Malak Tsarev Vrah I stopped to eat the open sandwiches prepared by the Hut keeper this morning, admiring the grass covered mountains of Slavyanka and picking out where the border went with my map. Then it was up the final summit of Mount Gotsev. As the wind had become very strong I omitted the optional summit of Shabran and headed downhill, back into Bulgaria as I was planning to cross into Greece at an official border crossing. There is a shorter, steep route and a longer, more gentle route down towards Izvora. I decided on the gentle route to save the strain on my knees but some way along a cowherd pointed out a shortcut through the trees, also down a steep slope. As he had taken the trouble to walk back with me a little way I felt obliged to take it, so my knees did not quite escape.
After the paths and dirt track I eventually reached the tarmaced (but heavily potholed) road to Izvora. Blocks of marble lined the road in places, remnants of a former industry.
Like the Slavyanka hut the Izvora hut was a former barracks, but it has not been refurbished or maintained to the same standard. However I have a room with an en-suite toilet so should not complain that the tiling is not finished. There are some interesting posters up from the time when border guards had to stop people escaping from Socialist Bulgaria, cartoons telling soldiers what to do if they spotted foot prints in the raked sand by the fence that marked the beginning of the border zone. People trying to escape from Bulgarian put their hands up on the posters rather than being shot.
I had trouble finding the Hut keeper but Margarita at Bulguides was very helpful in alerting him to my presence and passing on timings for dinner (at 8:30 pm after he dealt with his animals) etc.. As I ate the cheese the Hut keeper had made himself with kebabs, tomatoes and cucumbers, rakiya and beer, it transpired that his son had spent a few years in Wales near where I live. A small world!
Given the grandeur of the landscape I was surprised not to see any other walkers out today.

The gpx file of the E4 route through Bulgaria ended at Mount Gotsev. A gpx file of the route I then followed into Greece can be found on wikiloc.com and ViewRanger under short code johnpon0035.

Looking back from my climb up the Slavyanka mountains

The border between Bulgaria and Greece

Popovi Livadi hut to Slavyanka hut on E4: Day 18

While not very scenic, today was an easy walk on forest tracks through the wooded hills where the Pirin mountains peter out.
After passing houses belonging to the village of Popovi Livadi, the first section of forest track was not too pretty. The dirt track was being widened and upgraded, and looked like a great gash through the forest. Last night the hut keeper had proudly showed me on Facebook how he had painted waymarks and put up lots of trail signs in the area. I fear that the track widening has destroyed many of them. Passing a steam roller flattening the new road, the driver asked where I was going and if I had a map. Then there was a digger digging a drainage trench beside the road and later two big JCB's getting ready to dig up tree stumps beside the old track. The trees themselves had been chopped down sometime before. Eventually I reached the old narrow track where nature had long since dressed the rocks with lichen and softened the track's outline with grasses and flowers. Just before I did so I stopped at the spring by a shelter called Dalgia Chuchur where the guidebook said the water was especially "tasty". I found it cool and fresh.
After the excitement of road construction it was an uneventful walk along the vehicle track up and down hills. As there was only one cowherd to distract me today I was soon lost in my day dreams, as I walked through the mist caused by low clouds passing through. So occupied in thought was I that I missed the turn off to the only tourist site of the day, the Sveti Petar Chapel. Or maybe there was a second opportunity for visitors, a sign pointed to an Interpretive Trail and camp ground, but I had not spotted where they were located, maybe along some new yellow waymarks?
Arriving at the Slavyanka hut just after two I was impressed with the modern facilities. I have a room with an en-suite bathroom and hot water. Luxury! There was a curious sign on the wall outside showing the German advance into Greece in the WWII, they must have passed near here. There was also a watchtower, presumably dating from when the building housed border guards, before its refurbishment.
I arrived before the forecast rain and as I lay on my bed thunder was rolling around the hills.
While eating a dinner of pork and shopska salad I watched on old film on the TV. In Bulgarian but looked like rebels out foxing the Turks, all the men had impressive moustaches.

Track out of Popovi Livadi

Walking through the trees in the mist

Pirin hut to Popovi Livadi hut on E4: Day 17

An easier day for my legs with fewer steep climbs and rocky paths than the last few days.
I had established last night that I could have breakfast at 7:00 am. It consisted of bread, cheese and lots of jam with a cup of coffee. Then it was a short climb to rejoin the path I was on yesterday.
In the morning the path went through pine and spruce woods, followed by beech woods. Much of it followed the contours along one side of a ridge or another, with occassional clearings often with a herd of cows. Passing four cowherds and one woman, possibly a cowherd's wife, I had what almost amounted to a conversation with two of them. It helps being able to guess the questions, typically being - where are you going? (in my case Popovi Livadi hut), where are you from? (Anglia meaning England, actually I am from Wales but England is better known) and finally "Sam?", meaning Alone? Any such conversation happens after they have persuaded their large brown and white dogs that I am not to be eaten. While the path was generally good, in one area the mature beech trees had been felled, now a multitude of beech samplings were vying to replace them, blocking the path with their branches.
In the afternoon, once I had dealt with the large packed lunch that Pirin hut had provided, the landscape was more open with creeping juniper or grass as I climbed higher, close to a TV transmitter station but a little below it.
Then it was a descent through trees down to the Popovi Livadi lodge. I took the opportunity of washing my rather sweaty clothes while things were quiet and put them to hang up on a terrace area where a washing line has kindly been provided. First time I had changed my clothes since Predel hut so they were not to fresh.....

Walking through the woods on route to Popovi Livadi hut

Vihren hut to Pirin hut on E4: Day 16

A day jumping over boulders visiting the Tevno Ezera hut while worrying about rain.
Starting at 6:30 am first there was the inevitable climb up a valley from the Vihren hut. In this valley and the others I walked through today there were lots of cows enjoying the grazing, watched over by cowherds making noises like "Hi"  to make the cows go where they wanted. The cowherds seemed to walk up to their cattle in the early morning and return home in the afternoon leaving the cattle spread out over the chosen pasture overnight.
The ascent passed lakes and people wild camping, not officially allowed in the National Park. The latter part of the climb was over boulders, hoping from one to another to reach the next red and white waymark.  Once on the ridge the path went over various summits. I met people coming the other way or just standing around. They all seemed interested in where I was going. There seemed an opinion that Pirin hut (my destination for the night) was quite far. One party warned of bad weather after 2:00 pm and suggested I stayed at Tevno Ezera hut which was on my way. This warning made me hurry on, not stopping to enjoying some of the views from the narrow ridge I was crossing.
I reached the Tevno hut just before 12:00 and, after removing my boots, enjoyed a cup of Chai (tea) and some chicken soup. It is a small hut by a high lake. A crowd of mainly men were enjoying beers outside, so I headed off climbing over a final ridge before dropping steeply into a valley. 
Around 1:00 pm, ahead of schedule it rained for a while. Initially quite heavy I did my usual pantomime act of struggling into my waterproof trousers, a case of "more haste less speed".
The rain did not last and I continued down the valley to the Pirin hut passing cows, waterfalls and fishermen. I had not seen any sign of fish in the lakes and streams so I thought the fishermen, with their long rods, were a bit hopeful.
The Pirin hut has an unusual architecture and is definitely a relic from a previous era, the mattresses and sheets as old and stained as the three storey building. However it is quieter than the last two huts and I have a dormitory to myself, which should make for a better sleep.
At dinner a group of four Czech students from North Bohemia invited me to join their table. We had been passing each other on the same route for the last few days, I had particularly noticed their happy laughter. I felt a bit guilty as my dinner, arranged with my booking, was rather larger than what they were having. However I was hungry, my belly has lost its usual plumpness and I suspect that with all the climbing I have been using a lot more calories than I have been consuming so my dinner (soup, salad, meatballs and melon) was very welcome, especially as I have another month of walking ahead of me...

A rocky section of path to traverse

Curious cows with fluffy ears

Stairwell of Pirin hut

Yavorov hut to Vihren hut on E4: Day 15

Not as difficult as I expected, I enjoyed some clambering over rocks on a sunny day.
I rose at 6:00 am trying not to disturb the others in the crowded dormitory, and was on my way at 6:30. I thought I was first away but I caught up with another group from the night, two British lads and two Bulgarians. We agreed it was helpful to have Bulgarian friends to deal with the language difficulties! They sent me ahead of them.
The climb up from the hut was the reverse of yesterday's descent but up the adjacent valley. First tall conifers, then dwarf pines and grassy clearings but today I climbed above the tree line to reach the ridge.
Turning south the red waymarked path that was the E4, skirted around various summits traversing steep and rocky slopes. It was a game of spotting the waymarks to be sure I was following the trail. In places slabs of white rock extended above and below the trail, elsewhere the rock formed ledges or blocks. At one point I disturbed a herd of deer enjoying the grazing before the tourists arrived.
I reached the famous Koncheto saddle where a heavy wire was stretched between stakes to help you across a narrow ridge with some big drops. Actually a bit of an anticlimax, not as scary as some of the photos suggest, or maybe it was the scrambling course I took at Plas-y-Brenin which gave me confidence. It taught me to evaluate the difficulty of a section by looking for the foot and hand holds, as well as the size of the drop. There were plenty of ledges to securely place my feet and hands so I knew I could cross safely. The wire got a bit in the way as it kept you to one side of it, not being easy to hop under or over with a large rucksack. I peeled off to the right before the end of the saddle to follow the E4 as it skirted another mountain so maybe I missed a narrower bit.
The final climb was up Mount Vihren, at 2914 metres the highest peak to date on my E4 walk. It was a fun climb, first up the northern ridge line, then a leftward traverse up a long cleft in the rock, and finally straight up to the summit, all climbing over bare rock on a steep sided mountain. Chains were attached to help you up but were not necessary today as the weather was dry making for good grip. As you might expect, distant views in all directions on the summit and people taking pictures of themselves, including a lady and some gentlemen who looked the far side of 70. Hope I am climbing mountains at their age.
After the climb to the top of Mount Vihren it was a very long and steep descent, tiring and painful on the knees. It was therefore a relief to arrive at the Vihren hut.
A lot of people and cars were at the hut. I bought a beer from a stall outside and watched while a shepherd drove his sheep into the meadow above me. His brown and white dogs looked a bit like the sheep! Inside a large orange cat had pride of place on a chair in the canteen. A sign on the door said no dogs!
Diahorrea again! Not so nice in the rather over subscribed "squat" toilets.

Koncheto Saddle

Climbing up Mount Vihren

Predel hut to Yavorov hut on E4: Day 14

A long ascent through trees followed by a long descent to the hut.
After a good breakfast of yoghurt and eggy bread at Predel Lodge I headed off along the busy road, stopping to buy some snacks and toilet paper at a nearby restaurant. I don't think they actually sold toilet paper but when I indicated my supply, depleted by my earlier diarrhoea attack, the lady found a roll for me.
At a nearby drinking fountain and war memorial truck drivers were stopping to fill up bottles of water at the spring, maybe it's better than the tap water? An eagle sculpture stood guard opposite. It was here I turned off the main road and headed south up the beginning of the Pirin range. The ascent fell into two parts. A gradual climb along asphalt and dirt roads through mixed woodland followed by a much steeper path through pine trees and, higher up, dwarf pines. Ants crawled across the path among the pines, busy doing their allocated tasks.
At the top, a saddle between higher mountains, the steep ascent changed immediately into a steep descent. The path entered grassy meadows and then stands of tall, old pines. There was supposed to be a particularly outstanding group of pines called the candle stands. I found the path to them (marked by a red cross) but could not find them, or maybe I saw them but did not recognise them.
Not long before reaching the hut the route diverted off the forest track I was following, for an unexpectedly steep final climb along a small path giving a total ascent today of 1440 metres.
At the hut, while waiting in line for some attention I was surprised to hear English voices behind me commenting on the rather raunchy pop video showing on the TV. They were a friendly family from Britain on holiday, the first British people I had met since arriving in Sofia a week ago. I bought some chips with cheese and joined them for a while. Later other English speaking groups arrived. The hut was bursting with people, my dormitory was full, evidently a very popular area.
The showers had a hot tap so I took the opportunity to have what I thought would be a hot shower. Sadly the hot tap only gave a bracing supply of cold water!
Tomorrow should be a high point of my trip through Bulgaria with a walk across the very narrow Koncheto ridge. Hoping I don't fall off!

Path up through dwarf pines

View from saddle

Macedonia hut to Predel hut on E4; Day 13

Today was one of two parts, a ridge walk over grassy summits followed by a long descent to the saddle between the Rila and Pirin hills.
Walking over the most southerly peaks of the Rila mountains today was less tiring than on previous days, the mountains being more rounded and grassy. Various layers of clothing, my "Buff" covering my ears plus gloves protected me from the cold wind which was bringing black clouds overhead obscuring the sun (more distant hills were in full sunshine, the mountain weather can be quite local). Birds (kestrels?) rose and fell on the fluctuations of the wind as they tried to keep position. Grasshoppers jumped out of my way. A few grazing horses looked up at me. As I progressed the low ground each side of the mountains gave hazy views of distant towns.
At length I reached the last summit and a steep descent began. The path was obscure and trail markers disappeared. I followed where a previous party had flattened the grass as I made my descent around rocks and trees to a clearing with a hunter's tower. From there a path off a dirt road went through wild raspberries, ripe and sweet. I would not have found it except that it had been recently used. Eventually I lost it and blundered through the undergrowth and rocks, among trees until I re-found a path and joined a dirt road. Later my GPS and guidebook said I should leave the dirt road but when I tried I was met with thick undergrowth after a short distance. So I followed the forestry road and making some choices at various junctions rejoined the correct route lower down the hillside.
Eventually the dirt track became an asphalt road beside which were various groups of holiday bungalows. I could not decide if they were abandoned or still available for use, no children or families were enjoying them.
Finally reaching a busy road with cars and lorries racing each way, I crossed with care and went up the lane to Predel hut. It is a grade up on the previous huts with rooms with en-suite bathrooms. They are barbecuing something for dinner it smells goooood.

Black clouds over the Rila mountains

Ribni Ezera hut to Macedonia hut on E4: Day 12

Today I climbed up and down a number of peaks including some scrambling over rocks.
After a good night's sleep I was away early, climbing up to the ridge that surrounds the Ribni lake. Then it was around a rocky peak and onto Mount Pavlev. Crossing Mount Pavlev involved climbing up a ridge with the ground steeply dropping on each side. A wire was staked into the rock to assist you in the climb. It helped a little but also got in the way. In today's dry conditions it was not difficult. On the other side of the summit there was an area of boulders to negotiate which took a bit more effort, both to avoid a twisted ankle and to work out where the path went. The following summits on the ridge involved some tiring climbs but no rocks to scramble over.
After early sunshine black clouds appeared. For the rest of the day sunshine and clouds alternated, windy at times, wisps of the clouds were caught in vortices, twisting and turning around the side of the mountain.
Unlike the Ribni Ezera lodge yesterday, which could be seen from many kilometres away, the Macedonia hut appeared suddenly at the end of a long descent, hidden by a convexity in the hillside. Some birds (buzzards?) were being held aloft by the wind rising up the hill.
When I arrived at the hut the people in the canteen had some fun with my inability to speak Bulgarian, but left me unsure as to what to do to secure my bed and get some food. After making some efforts I sat down and waited. Some soup appeared and after a further wait I was shown to one of the dormitories. In the evening I managed to get some food and a friendly Bulgarian who spoke English offered me some of his wine and brandy to try. The Merlot wine was very good, smooth and full bodied. His young nephew lived in England and was here on holiday, he had to learnt English at school very quickly and kindly helped me negotiate with the guy in charge.

Ridge up Mount Pavlev

The path follows the ridge ahead

Strashnoto hut to Ribni Ezera lodge on E4: Day 11

A day's walk through beautiful scenery.
I woke at 5:30 am and by 6 am I was on my way as the dawn was just breaking. The first climb took me over boulders and rocks to a saddle on the ridge. There had been some attempt to attach wires to the rocks to help you cross them but only one wire was still in place, not that you really needed them, main thing was to keep looking for the red and white waymarks to make sure you did not loose the way.
After the saddle it was downhill and up the side of a valley to cross over to the next ridge. After passing the small Kobilino Branishte hut it was a long climb to the top of Mount Vodni. The views along the following ridge were superb, on TV they would be accompanied by soaring violins with the horns coming in as they zoomed to a particularly attractive lake.
After the ridge it was downhill again and across a river to climb up to the Ribni lakes and the Ribni Ezera lodge. Tonight I have the luxury of a "bungalow" to myself. It has a naked bulb and chipboard walls but I am sure I will sleep better alone than in a dormitory of of several people who I am fearful of disturbing when I go for a nightly "wee".  They do have showers in a separate disused block, but the water was cold!!!

The rocky path, note the waymark painted on the rock

A morning view across the mountains

My bungalow at Ribni Ezera Lodge

Lovna hut to Strashnoto Ezera hut on E4: Day 10

A long day as I stayed at Lovna hut rather then one of those further on which were full, and with a total ascent of over 2000 metres pretty challenging (even without diarrhoea). In compensation there were wonderful views and the opportunity to see the "white brotherhoods" circles.
Up at 6 am, trying not to disturb the many others in the dormitory, although I woke the guy in charge to pay my bill (I had offered to pay the night before so not my fault). I took the route from Lovna hut to the "Seven lakes" recommended in "Tourist Route E4 in Bulgaria". As promised it was a scenic route through large fir trees then dwarf conifers. It was also rather steep.
The Sedemte Ezera lodge on the edge of the first of the Seven Lakes was surrounded by tents of many colours and suddenly there were throngs of people, young and old, heading up to higher ground many dressed in white. One particularly old lady bent over a stick was walking slowly but unaided, I hope I am still climbing mountains at her age. Most of these people were of the White Brotherhood and later from the top of the ridge behind the lakes I saw them forming huge white circles on the hillside for their religious "dance". In addition to the White Brotherhood there were lots of people out hiking on this August Sunday.
The Seven Lakes are stacked one above the other so that there was a short climb between each one. After the seventh lake it was a steep climb up to the ridge behind and I looked back to the lake below, the white dancers and the ranges of mountains in the distance that I had crossed so far in my journey from Sofia. It helped that the tree line was at the level of the Seven Lakes so there was nothing to obstruct the view.
I followed the route along the ridge which included climbing up and down various peaks. Soon I was overlooking the cirque adjacent to the one with the seven lakes, it also had a few small lakes and such lakes seem typical of the area. In the opposite direction I had distant views of the Rila Monastery.
Mount Maliovitsa was the final peak and I descended steeply from there to reach the busy Maliovitsa lodge. Lots of people, a few with dogs or young children, were climbing up the mountain from the lodge. The lodge itself was very busy but I stopped for a Fanta and a Shopska salad.
Then it was a steep climb out of the valley through dwarf conifers and often across boulders, towards the Strashnoto hut. Painful after the climbs that I had already  completed today. Eventually the path levelled off and in one clearing I saw a small group of some sort of deer. After standing there for a while as I stood still, they wandered off. The dwarf trees thinned out and eventually it was just rocks, grass and lakes. By one of these lakes was the Strashnoto hut, which is unattended with few facilities. I camped by the stream below.
Although today I walked through beautiful scenery with interesting sights, it was rather spoilt by repeated diarrhoea. The number of people around made things particularly difficult when I really needed to "go" in a real hurry. Maybe something I ate at the lodge last night.

Sedemte Ezra lodge surrounded by tents as people rather for the celebrations of the White Brotherhood

The circular religious "dance" of the White Brotherhood photographed from the ridge I climbed. "White" refers to purity, it has no racial connotation.

One of the many lakes, formed as a result of glacial action in the past.

Klisura to Lovna hut on E4: Day 9

A shorter walk today through trees and meadows to the Lovna hut. I had wanted to walk further but the Sedemte Ezera and Rilski Ezera huts were full, I had apparently picked the busiest day of the year when a religious organisation called the White Brotherhood was congregating.
The first part of route was along a well used vehicle track up through trees to a meadow which stretched along a ridge. The meadows was being grazed by cows, their bells clanging as they bent down to eat the grass. Knowing that where there were animals being grazed, some aggressive dogs would be nearby I readied my walking stick. Sure enough three dogs raced towards me. Fortunately it was just for show, however the next group of dogs I encountered were more serious which jaws and teeth that looked like they could do some damage. Fortunately the cowherd appeared, told them off and threw a stone towards them and after a polite exchange I was on my way.
Coniferous trees followed as I climbed steadily onto progressively more scenic paths. By midday I reached the Lovna hut. The shower shared a small room with a WC and the floor was soon awash with water. Maybe I should have stood in the bowl that was in a corner? It was good to wash off the sweat of the last few days. The walls were partly papered with pages from climbing magazines and included some artistic photos of naked ladies climbing vertical rock faces.
Lunch was Shopska salad and meatballs. I spent the afternoon relaxing listening to classic hits being pumped out by the music system, Tom Jones and the like singing to the Bulgarian mountains.
Now, after a beer, bean soup and macaroni pie I am ready for bed, I need an early start tomorrow as it would be a long day.

The track to Lovna hut

Dormitory accommodation at Lovna hut, which was full (at night)

Smilio Hut to Klisura on E4: Day 8

Today's 29 kilometre walk was through grassy meadows and mixed forest in the Verila hills, a lower range between the Vitosha and Rila mountain ranges.
I left before my Dutch fellow campers were up enjoying an early start. I soon reached the Petrus hut, where there was a better spring to fill up with water. The one at Smilio Hut was muddy and unattractive. All of today's walk followed vehicle tracks through meadows and mixed woodland. Among the long grass of the meadows, summer flowers were scattered; yellow, blue, white, purple and shocking pink. The yarrow, cornflowers, dandelions and knapweed may not have looked as fresh as in spring but they gave the meadows a jolly air. In places flakes of mica reflected the sun, like sequins scattered among the dust. At one point the driver of a 4 wheel drive Lada stopped and suggested an alternative route where I could use a chair lift to reach the huts in the Rila mountains. I explained I was walking, no chair lifts allowed.
The Rila range rose above me, getting progressively closer, patches of snow still visible despite it being August. Due to the haze the jagged peaks proved difficult to photograph.
Although the total ascent today was only 690 metres, the last 9 kilometres into Klisura was rather tiring, maybe an after effect of the large climb yesterday.
I stopped at the village of Klisura for an early meal of Shopska salad (tomatoes, cucumber, sweet peppers and a mild sort of feta cheese) and a chicken breast, served with just a couple of slices of bread. As there was no accommodation in the village I was able to book, I walked a few more kilometres and picked a secluded spot in the woods to camp away from the main track that was well used by vehicles. The insects which had bothered me all day, whenever I stopped, continued to try to attack me, so I am now hiding from them in my tent.

Petrus shelter

The path through summer meadows

Dragalevski to Smilio Hut on E4: Day 7

Today involved a 1600 metre total ascent. It was a long climb up the Vitosha mountain, a bit of plateau, then a steep descent.
After a hearty breakfast at the Hotel Romantic, the climb was through sycamore and beech followed by fir trees higher up. Finally above the Aleko mountain lodge there were no trees just juniper creeping at ankle height. Shortly after starting my day's walk I deviated off the E4 to visit the Dragalevtsi Monastery. One of its churches was open, a nun on her cellphone sat outside with a playful cat. Inside the dark frescoes on the wall looked old, those parts that remained. Icons with their gold leaf added a bit of light. Periodically crossing a cobbled road and the wires and pylons of a chair lift (not in operation) I reached the Aleko mountain lodge. Too early for lunch I enjoyed a coffee, mango juice and kit-kat. Just before the lodge a wooden walkway took me over an impressive "river" of boulders. There were not many people before the lodge, just a party of children picking wild raspberries and some workmen, but from the lodge to the summit the path was popular, and I exchanged a "Dober Dan" with several walkers. After the lodge it was a steep climb, scrambling over boulders in places, up to the highest peak of the Vitosha range, Mount Cherni Vrah. The ground was surprisingly wet for August, mud could be an issue at other times of year.
At the summit was a weather station, said to have a tea room, although it was not at first apparent that it was open. Then I noticed people climbing the steps on one side of the building and entering through a closed, unmarked  door. I followed and enjoyed a lunch of bean soup. On my way to the summit I had been sweating profusely, drips dropping from my chin, my handkerchief wet from mopping my brow to avoid sweat stinging my eyes, but at the top (at 2290 metres) there was a cold wind blowing forcing me to add a layer of clothing.
From Cherni Vrah it was a gentle walk across a plateau to the lower summit of Mount Yarlovski Kupen. The summits I could see reminded me of the granite tors of Dartmoor in the UK, piles of rock rising above the grass and creeping juniper.
After Yarlovski Kupen the steep downhill section was hard on my knees, until a lower ridge where the trail led me through deciduous trees to the Smilio shelter, where I am camping tonight. Two Dutch people, also walking the Bulgarian E4 had arrived a little before me. There was not much in the hut, referred to as a shelter, a wood burning stove with some matches, a table and benches. Someone had put some grass on the floor in one part to make a sort of mattress.
Climbing up Vitosha, once above the tree line, I had extensive views across Sofia. On my descent I had views of the Rila mountains ahead. As they drew closer they looked a lot more irregular and rocky than the mountain I climbed today. A sign of things to come.

On this and subsequent days I was following a gpx file for the Bulgarian section of the E4 that can be downloaded from traildino.com or waymarkedtrails.org.

Inside a church at Dragalevski monastery

Part of the track up Vitosha mountain

Weather Station (and cafe) at the top of  Cherni Vrah, highest summit of Vitosha

Sofia to Dragalevtsi on E4: Day 6

Today I returned to Sofia in Bulgaria, arriving from London Heathrow and then walking to Dragalevtsi, a southern suburb of Sofia.

This is the start of one of the more challenging sections of the E4 Long Distance European trail, as the route follows ranges of high (2000 metre plus) mountains to the south, with some sections having scary looking drops off the edges of steep sided, rocky ridges. Not being the greatest one for heights I prepared for this by taking an introductory, 5 day course in "scrambling" at Plas-y-Brenin in Snowdonia, UK's National Mountain Sports Centre. Dave Evans, the instructor, took me and three others up some pretty exposed ridges ("exposed" is a euphemism for big drops, so big that if you fall off you will do yourself some serious harm). Hopefully he managed to teach me enough to get me through the next few weeks.
The route is a popular one with an English language guidebook "Tourist Route E4 in Bulgaria" published by the Oilaripi Trekking Association in 2018. There are a line of mountain huts that you can stay at, and to avoid language difficulties I arranged for Margarita Angelova at Bulguides to make reservations at them for me. Bulguides can also supply the above guidebook and maps.

I flew from London Heathrow's Terminal 5 with British Airways arriving from the nearby Thistle hotel by "Pod", a new experience for me. These are self driving little capsules on a track which reminded me of some Science Fiction film, maybe the Russian version of Polaris. Arriving at Sofia's new Terminal 2 I followed the lines on the floor of the arrivals hall to reach the Metro, which took me calmly to Serdika station at the centre of Sofia. Stations were helpfully announced in Bulgarian and English and displayed in the carriage, avoiding the need to worry about whether you had reached the right stop. Fortunately for me, English seems the second language in Bulgaria.

The E4 is not defined through the suburbs of Sofia, so I reached Dragalevtsi following the Sultans Trail, based on a GPS trail I had downloaded. Initially this led down Vitosha Boulevard, a pedestrianised thoroughfare lined with bars and restaurants with tables on the street, with the mountain of Vitosha rising in the distance. Fortunately there was some shade at the sides of the street as it was a little hot in the direct sunlight. A sign indicated it was 29 degrees Celsius.
Although from the air Sofia looks like a large area of white apartment blocks the trail took me through a succession of parks and green areas with trees, a brook, sculptures,  round boulders, and people with prams or dogs. The final section was along roads, one wide and busy. An increasingly steep gradient took me into the suburb of Dragalevtsi where I saw my first red and white waymarks which the E4 follows, and a Sultans trail sticker.
After walking 9 kilometres from the centre of Sofia I am now at the Hotel Romantic one of several hotels in the area. My room looks down onto Sofia, where the lights are now coming on. Tomorrow the climb begins...

I have loaded a gpx file of the route I followed on wikiloc.com and ViewRanger (short code johnpon0034).

A pod between my hotel and Terminal 5

A park in Sofia on my route

View from my bedroom window of Sofia at night, you can just see the start of the Stara Planina mountains in the distance.