I had never explored this part of the Rhodope Mountains between the villages of Avramovo and Ortsevo, so it was about time to finally do it – this time by bike.
There were only three of us – Mitaka, Mihaela and me. We left the car next to the bridge over the Mesta River, opposite General Kovachev railway station, near the turn-off for Eleshnitsa. Luckily, we had set off early, as traffic near Simitli slowed us down considerably. Even so, we arrived just in time to catch the train shortly after 11 a.m. and take the narrow-gauge railway up to Avramovo.
Travelling on the Rhodope narrow-gauge railway is always an experience in itself. It was a busy Saturday, with plenty of passengers, but fortunately the train also had more carriages than usual. We left our bikes in the first carriage – two by the front door and one at the other end.
At Yakoruda we passed the fast train coming in the opposite direction. There were plenty of tourists waiting for it as well, heading towards Razlog and Bansko. Our train was running slightly behind schedule, and we eventually arrived at Avramovo station at exactly 1 p.m., instead of the scheduled 12:32.
Avramovo is the highest railway station in the Balkans, standing at 1,267 metres above sea level. It is also an excellent starting point for hiking and cycling trips in the Rhodopes. The highest point of our route would be Veliitsa Peak at 1,711 metres. From the station, we had around 500 metres of gradual climbing ahead of us.
We left the station and followed the paved road to the village of Avramovo. Beyond the village, the asphalt gave way to a dirt road, but it was pleasant to ride on – although perhaps a little too dry and dusty. As we gradually gained altitude, beautiful views of much of the Rila Mountains opened up to our right. We could even clearly make out Mechi Prohod, the mountain pass where Macedonia Hut is located.
At one point, we caught up with a large group of more than 20 hikers. They told us they were also heading to Ortsevo, where they planned to spend the night. Tourism is fairly well developed in the village, with several guesthouses offering more than 60 beds in total. Ortsevo is also often described as the highest village in Bulgaria, with its houses scattered between roughly 1,550 and 1,650 metres above sea level. The E8 long-distance hiking route passes through the area, so the village regularly sees groups of hikers.
We slowly and steadily made our way towards Veliitsa Peak. Calling it a “peak” might be a bit generous – it is basically a spot just off the dirt road, marked by a small rocky outcrop and a sign. Still, it was good enough for a few photos.
From the peak, a short but steep descent took us to Veliitsa Shelter. Several groups had already settled around the tables and benches, enjoying barbecues, beers and a relaxed afternoon in the mountains.
A few years earlier, I had cycled through this area from Ortsevo, passing the shelter on the way towards Bozyova hamlet and the village of Zlataritsa. I suggested that we ride in that direction for a while before turning back towards Ortsevo.
That turned out to be a slight mistake. From what I remembered, the terrain was relatively flat. In reality, it was the typical Rhodope version of “flat” – constantly up and down. In the end, we only made it as far as Bozyova before turning the bikes around and heading back towards Ortsevo.
At around 4:30 p.m., we found ourselves outside Musa's tavern. We received a proper welcome, had a few beers, tried some homemade cheese and enjoyed a few other local treats. We must have spent about an hour there before finally deciding it was time to move on.
From Ortsevo, we continued towards Eleshnitsa through the villages of Chereshovo and Palatik. It is worth mentioning that there is a very good paved road reaching Ortsevo, but it approaches the village via Babyak. Between Ortsevo and Chereshovo, our route included a short section of dirt road, but from there all the way to Eleshnitsa it was asphalt.
The road runs through a beautiful and picturesque valley, and after all the climbing earlier in the day, we finally got our reward – from Ortsevo to Eleshnitsa, the route is almost entirely downhill.
Our original plan was to finish the ride with a soak in the mineral springs near Eleshnitsa. By then, however, it was getting late, and I had a demanding hike in the Rila Mountains planned for the following day. So we skipped the mineral baths and headed straight back to the car.
By the end of the day, we had covered 51 km, with around 900 metres of elevation gain and 1,400 metres of descent.
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