Orpheus and Shiroka Laka

Orpheus certainly made his mark round here. What a guy! A musician, a prophet, a poet and all round charmer, there’s not much here that isn’t named after him. Naturally we couldn’t leave here without climbing Orpheus Peak in homage to him and as it happens, it’s also the second highest point in the Rhodope Mountains (2188m).

As it was a Saturday, we were up and out early, a bit concerned we wouldn’t get a parking space if we left too late. Although not far in distance, the journey from here to Gela where the peak is took around 40 minutes as the roads are very windy. There was also a massive collapse of part of the road which although cordoned off, would probably have caused the closure of the whole highway in any other European country.

We arrived at the start point of our hike and wondered if we were in the right place as there was no-one there. On the whole of the walk, we saw two people, one of whom was carrying a huge axe, but that’s another story.

The hike was very well blazed once we got onto the main track. The stars of the walk were the flowers. The meadows and marshes were covered in them, from wild pansies to marsh orchids. Absolutely incredible.

I had a bit of a wobble when we stopped for lunch. It struck me that we had seen no-one and this was bear country. What if the bears smelt our food and came to investigate? Who would find our half-eaten bodies? I crammed down my tomato pastry and left very quickly.

Thankfully no bears appeared and it wasn’t long before we reached the peak.

The Rhodope mountains cover over 15% of Bulgaria. The views from Orpheus Peak extend as far as the eye can see and then some. It really is the most stunning mountain range and it’s deserted.

We retraced our steps back towards our start point. About 20 minutes before reaching our car, we encountered a huge, middle aged man walking along with what I thought was a walking pole. I greeted him and thought nothing of it, but S hurried me along. When we were out of his sight, S told me that it was an axe not a walking pole. A bit further on, S looked back and saw the man had sat down and was watching us. Not like S to be nervous, but his view is anyone carrying an axe needs to be kept an eye on. Fair enough.

We got back to the car without any mishaps and drove into Shiroka Laka for a look around and a coffee. Shiroka Laka is a pretty little village with a river running through it and restored Rhodopian houses. It’s also famous for its bagpipes and folk culture. It’s quite a draw amongst Bulgarians. Well I’m not that keen on bagpipes and I’m not sure what cultural statement the two stuffed foxes I spotted outside a shop make, I’ll leave that to you.

Tomorrow we move on to Velingrad, a town known for its thermal spas and wellness hotels. Should be interesting but I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the Rhodope Mountains and will be sad to leave.

Note: Roof tyre photo added as requested; enjoy Gill!