|
On the 8th of May 2010 we were off to Bloody Letter eco track – named after a dramatic historic event. 20 meters away from Smilovene Hotel there is a sign marking its beginning. The track climbs slightly upwards among the trees along a small river named by local people Bela Rechka. There isn’t any special signage but the track is hard to miss because it is actually a dirt road used for timber transportation. We walked around an hour and a half before reaching the countryside Ravna Polyana (The Flat Glade). Unfortunately the glade has been fenced since the time of the communist era when it had been used by the state for agricultural research.
According to the sign I knew we had to make a turn to the right, then walk a little up the ridge and finally descend back to Koprivshtitza. At this point, however, instead of following the track that you can easily see on Google Earth, I suggested we go through the woods. We reached a distribution line that is also visible on satellite pictures. After a bit of hesitation we made another right turn and started walking directly through the woods. My fellows began to grumble thinking we might go back to the starting point and to be honest they weren’t far from the truth but after 15 minutes of descent we lead into another dirt road. It was twisting along beautiful meadows that offered a magnificent view towards the town. This definitely resumed our good spirits and all the critiques stopped. After a short break lying on the grass (unfortunately still wet), we descended back to Koprivshtitza passing by a cemetery. We got back to Smilovene walking down an automobile road.
It had been a wonderful 3-hour walk. All you need is a small backpack with a sandwich and a bottle of water in it. If the water you bring is not enough you can always refill from the crystal streamlets in the woods. Don’t forget to bring a jacket with you because the weather could be unforeseeable. On the Bloody Letter track we marked the places where wild strawberries, blueberries and raspberries grow. I guess we have to go back again in the summer and I really hope that nobody gets there before us.
|
