Bulgaria 2023: Margaret's Travel Log
An account of a Journey with a Motorhome and two Bicycles through Bulgaria in the Late Spring of 2023
Updated 30 May 2023
(Continued from: Margaret's Travel Log Greece)
Updated 30 May 2023
(Continued from: Margaret's Travel Log Greece)
We entered Bulgaria from Greece through the Ormenio border crossing after driving 193 miles from Alexandros Camping at Nea Karvali. The Greek guard scrutinised our passports for the vital date that we entered the Schengen zone, then counted on his fingers to check the length of our stay (81 days) before duly stamping the passports with the exit date – no evidence of computerised records yet. Then through a no-man’s land and a disinfectant trough before entering non-Schengen (for now) Bulgaria. Here the guard stamped the passports, a customs official checked our garage, and I bought the electronic Vignette needed for all Bulgarian roads from a machine which charged 27 lev for one month (2 lev = 1 Euro). What a relief – no more counting the days for now.
Just 15 familiar Bulgarian miles via Ljubimets to the village of Biser and the welcome sanctuary of Sakar Hills Camping, less than a mile off the main road, owned and run by the inimitable Jeffes family. Here we were expected and warmly greeted by managing son Matt. Time to relax.
At Camping Sakar Hills, Biser, Bulgaria May/June 2023
Changing Times
This is our 8th visit, starting in the early days of the campsite in summer 2008 when we were so enchanted by the rural peace, cycling opportunities and wealth of historical and archaeological sites that we stayed for 3 months! Matt’s parents Martin and Shirley, who became our very good friends, have now retired to the south coast of England but life goes on in the oasis they created for campers of all types and nationalities, as welcome on two wheels as on four or more.
An electrified rail line (Sofia to Istanbul) now runs right behind the camping field but road traffic is very light here. Even the main road that we cycle to Harmanli or Ljubimets is quieter, since it now parallels a new motorway (with an exit for each of these towns) carrying the trucks bound to/from Turkey. In Biser village, one-horse-power carts and one-donkey ploughs are still very much in use.
Though the Central Bar in the village has closed, the council office, library and junior school still function and the central square has no less than three automat machines offering hot and cold drinks and snacks. The single grocery shop, 5 minutes’ walk from the campsite, by the bridge over the river, was rebuilt and extended after the disastrous flood of 2012. It’s very handy for bread, milk, drinks, eggs and other basics and also has a covered veranda with seating, coffee machine and a communal cigarette lighter secured to the table by a length of string.
Birds, Bees and All Things Bright and Beautiful
On our arrival Matt warned us that local honey bees had recently been swarming “but don’t worry, they’re very docile, I only got stung twice yesterday”! Later the same day we noticed an ominouw swarm in the tree right behind our pitch. The neighbouring beekeeper, who has an orderly row of 15 hives in his productive vegetable garden, was alerted and soon appeared with his wife, both impressively dressed in colourful helmets and overalls. We watched from a safe distance as the bees were smoked into a conical container and carried off home. Over the next few days, two more swarms gathered in the camp trees, duly collected by another apiarist from over the road. We do like honey but the buzzing of the bees as they gathered before swarming had us hiding inside, windows firmly closed! Then as the weather turned cooler with some rain showers, they seemed happy to stay home.
There is plenty of bird life around, with sparrows, starlings, swallows, house martins, crested larks and delightful nesting storks. But I spotted one species that I’ve only seen once before (in Sardinia): an exotic rainbow-coloured Bee Eater, no less, seen twice overflying the hives! Matt said that some Dutch birdwatchers had stayed recently, as Bee Eaters had been reported, but they failed to find one and had moved on to the Black Sea coast. I felt quite privileged.
Storks are a lovely feature in all the local villages, returning in spring to their untidy nests on lamp posts and chimneys to raise a brood. One pair, nesting in full view of the campsite, were taking turns to guard the eggs when we arrived, greeting each other with beak-clacking as they changed shift. Now there are also two small heads to feed, peering over the edge of their home in anticipation of the next meal or plucking up courage for their first flight.
Other wildlife includes tortoises, who sadly think their armour plating will protect them from every foe and so have no road sense at all. They’re surprisingly heavy creatures when picked up to rescue. There are also colourful butterflies and assorted insects to pollinate the brilliant red poppies, other wildflowers, plantations of sunflowers, wheat, tobacco and vines, and orchards of apples and stone fruits – though with a Balkan rather than Mediterranean climate, we miss the olive and citrus groves of Greece.
A Lidl Flooding
To restock our food supplies after two weeks at Sakar Hills we drove into Harmanli (8 miles each way) to the nearest Lidl supermarket, with a generous car park. It rained very lightly as I went into the store, leaving Barry with coffee and a book. After a while he came across to join me and said it had stopped raining. Suddenly thunder and lightning shook the building, the lights went off and on, rain hammered down and a glance outside showed the car park and adjacent dual carriageway under a rising stream of water that covered car wheels! Along with other shoppers, we sheltered in the foyer for a good hour until some valiant workmen arrived to lift blocked drain covers along the road. The water gradually subsided and we paddled across to the motorhome, happily postponing a walk to the bank’s ATM.
But the story didn’t end there! Back at the waterlogged campsite, the motorhome got bogged down on the grass (sorry, Matt) and we remained stuck in a rut until things dry out!
Just 15 familiar Bulgarian miles via Ljubimets to the village of Biser and the welcome sanctuary of Sakar Hills Camping, less than a mile off the main road, owned and run by the inimitable Jeffes family. Here we were expected and warmly greeted by managing son Matt. Time to relax.
At Camping Sakar Hills, Biser, Bulgaria May/June 2023
Changing Times
This is our 8th visit, starting in the early days of the campsite in summer 2008 when we were so enchanted by the rural peace, cycling opportunities and wealth of historical and archaeological sites that we stayed for 3 months! Matt’s parents Martin and Shirley, who became our very good friends, have now retired to the south coast of England but life goes on in the oasis they created for campers of all types and nationalities, as welcome on two wheels as on four or more.
An electrified rail line (Sofia to Istanbul) now runs right behind the camping field but road traffic is very light here. Even the main road that we cycle to Harmanli or Ljubimets is quieter, since it now parallels a new motorway (with an exit for each of these towns) carrying the trucks bound to/from Turkey. In Biser village, one-horse-power carts and one-donkey ploughs are still very much in use.
Though the Central Bar in the village has closed, the council office, library and junior school still function and the central square has no less than three automat machines offering hot and cold drinks and snacks. The single grocery shop, 5 minutes’ walk from the campsite, by the bridge over the river, was rebuilt and extended after the disastrous flood of 2012. It’s very handy for bread, milk, drinks, eggs and other basics and also has a covered veranda with seating, coffee machine and a communal cigarette lighter secured to the table by a length of string.
Birds, Bees and All Things Bright and Beautiful
On our arrival Matt warned us that local honey bees had recently been swarming “but don’t worry, they’re very docile, I only got stung twice yesterday”! Later the same day we noticed an ominouw swarm in the tree right behind our pitch. The neighbouring beekeeper, who has an orderly row of 15 hives in his productive vegetable garden, was alerted and soon appeared with his wife, both impressively dressed in colourful helmets and overalls. We watched from a safe distance as the bees were smoked into a conical container and carried off home. Over the next few days, two more swarms gathered in the camp trees, duly collected by another apiarist from over the road. We do like honey but the buzzing of the bees as they gathered before swarming had us hiding inside, windows firmly closed! Then as the weather turned cooler with some rain showers, they seemed happy to stay home.
There is plenty of bird life around, with sparrows, starlings, swallows, house martins, crested larks and delightful nesting storks. But I spotted one species that I’ve only seen once before (in Sardinia): an exotic rainbow-coloured Bee Eater, no less, seen twice overflying the hives! Matt said that some Dutch birdwatchers had stayed recently, as Bee Eaters had been reported, but they failed to find one and had moved on to the Black Sea coast. I felt quite privileged.
Storks are a lovely feature in all the local villages, returning in spring to their untidy nests on lamp posts and chimneys to raise a brood. One pair, nesting in full view of the campsite, were taking turns to guard the eggs when we arrived, greeting each other with beak-clacking as they changed shift. Now there are also two small heads to feed, peering over the edge of their home in anticipation of the next meal or plucking up courage for their first flight.
Other wildlife includes tortoises, who sadly think their armour plating will protect them from every foe and so have no road sense at all. They’re surprisingly heavy creatures when picked up to rescue. There are also colourful butterflies and assorted insects to pollinate the brilliant red poppies, other wildflowers, plantations of sunflowers, wheat, tobacco and vines, and orchards of apples and stone fruits – though with a Balkan rather than Mediterranean climate, we miss the olive and citrus groves of Greece.
A Lidl Flooding
To restock our food supplies after two weeks at Sakar Hills we drove into Harmanli (8 miles each way) to the nearest Lidl supermarket, with a generous car park. It rained very lightly as I went into the store, leaving Barry with coffee and a book. After a while he came across to join me and said it had stopped raining. Suddenly thunder and lightning shook the building, the lights went off and on, rain hammered down and a glance outside showed the car park and adjacent dual carriageway under a rising stream of water that covered car wheels! Along with other shoppers, we sheltered in the foyer for a good hour until some valiant workmen arrived to lift blocked drain covers along the road. The water gradually subsided and we paddled across to the motorhome, happily postponing a walk to the bank’s ATM.
But the story didn’t end there! Back at the waterlogged campsite, the motorhome got bogged down on the grass (sorry, Matt) and we remained stuck in a rut until things dry out!