At the end of August, with my friends, we visited a part of the Rhodope Veliysko-Videnishki area. We spent two days in the Velijtsa shelter and during that time we were able to cycle around the area and spend unforgettable moments in the mountains.
To get to Veliitsa shelter, we passed through the village Krastava. From there we continued to the village Gorna Birkova. After that we started climbing with the car in a westerly direction on a rather rough forest road.
The road took us to a fountain with a gazebo and a barbecue and a crossroads from which dirt roads lead to the villages Ortsevo, Krastava and Avramovo.
The shelter itself is located at 1640 m above sea level, on a beautiful and spacious meadow surrounded by charming coniferous forests.
The construction of the shelter was carried out in 2018 through volunteers and a number of campaigns. You can read more about the story on the shelter's website.
The shelter is a cute two-story building made of wood. When we arrived we were met there by two friendly dogs who were with us for a while and then disappeared.
In the yard there is an open hearth and a fountain with a wooden trough.
On the first floor is the dining room, which is equipped with a variety of tableware. There is a wood stove.
On the second floor is the bedroom, which is reached by a wooden staircase. There are mattresses and a large window revealing a unique view of the surroundings.
The shelter can accommodate 10 people, but if necessary + at least 5 more.
It was a bit of a mess in the shelter so we set about cleaning it up and making it look fresh. We put the blankets out in the sun, swept, cleaned, brought wood for the evening.
Later, we took a cycling trip to peak Velijtsa.
We rode the bikes on a black forest road, surrounded by coniferous trees.
We reached the meadow where the Velijtsa monument is located.
The monument is located near the top and it is a tribute to the victims of the battle that took place at this place in 1912 and which marked the beginning of the Balkan War between the Principality of Bulgaria and the Ottoman Empire.
We continued to climb and soon a sign pointed us to a narrow forest path which we took.
That's how we got to the top.
The peak is one of the two peaks that give the name of the Rhodope Veliysko-Videnishki partition and is the highest peak in this partition. It is at 1711 m.a.s.l.
In the late afternoon, we took a walk in the area and collected a lot of edible mushrooms, with which we prepared a delicious mushroom dish.
The next day there was a cycling trip to village Otsevo, but I will tell you about next time.
Thank you for stopping by!
