Riding from Blagoevgrad to Macedonia Hut is something we do several times a year, but we don't often continue the route down to the Ilina River valley and the Rila Monastery.
The route to Macedonia Hut is straightforward. We ride 30 km on asphalt to Kartala, followed by another 10 km on a gravel road to the hut. From the water utility maintenance station to the hut, I usually prefer to push my bike. It's actually faster than riding, and after nearly 40 km of continuous climbing, my legs are more than ready for a short break.
For comparison, Mitaka, who is in the best shape in our group, always rides the entire detour to the hut, which adds about 5 km. Even so, by pushing the bike from the water station to the hut, we usually arrive 10–15 minutes before he does.
This time, it took me five hours to reach Macedonia Hut from Blagoevgrad, which is probably my best time so far. We took a long break at the hut, had lunch, and prepared for the descent toward Rila Monastery.
The trail is marked with green trail markers. From the hut, follow the gravel road heading west. At the meadow where the road makes a sharp left turn toward the water station, leave the road to the right. From there, the marked trail begins descending into the Ilina River valley.
At first, the route follows a wide, rocky track where you can still see remnants of the old asphalt laid decades ago. Be careful, though. At one point, when the road becomes flatter, the green-marked trail to Rila Monastery branches off to the left. The turn is easy to miss because the vegetation has become overgrown, although there is a signpost marking the junction.
The next 2–3 km are the most difficult section of the route. The trail is overgrown, with deep ruts and large clumps of grass. In one place, a small stream flows directly along the track, leaving it heavily eroded and covered with large rocks. We had to get off our bikes several times and walk them through these rough sections.
Once we reached the better part of the trail, the descent became much more enjoyable. As we entered the Ilina River valley, the road improved even further. It turned into a smooth gravel road that was fast and pleasant to ride. We quickly covered the remaining 9 km to the asphalt road at the junction leading toward the Ilina River, just before Rila Monastery. From Macedonia Hut to this point, we had descended a total of approximately 1,160 meters.
From the junction, we faced another 3 km climb to Rila Monastery. We rewarded ourselves with some traditional mekitsi (Bulgarian fried dough pastries). As in many popular tourist destinations, prices had risen dramatically. A mekitsa that used to cost 1 Bulgarian lev now costs 1 euro.
After leaving the monastery, we enjoyed a fast descent to Pastra. There, we stopped to watch the hydroelectric power station releasing excess water down its spillway. It's an impressive sight because the water is discharged periodically, crashing down the steep rocky slope below. Unfortunately, this spectacle won't last much longer. Most of the snow in the high mountains has already melted, so there will be very little excess water until next spring.
From Pastra, we returned to Blagoevgrad via the old road. We made a short break in Barakovo before tackling the final 10% climb. It's not particularly long, but after nearly 100 km in the saddle, it feels much tougher than it really is.
By the end of the day, we had covered 105 km and accumulated more than 2,200 meters of elevation gain—a demanding but incredibly rewarding ride through one of Bulgaria's most beautiful mountain landscapes.
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