Bachkovo Monastery stands in a narrow valley on the Chepelare river, a few kilometres into the Rhodope Mountains, and it is the second largest monastery in Bulgaria after Rila. It was founded in 1083 by Gregory Pakourianos, a Georgian-born commander in the service of the Byzantine Empire, who built it as a retreat and a fortress, and for centuries it has been a centre of Orthodox faith and Bulgarian culture. Its stone walls, wooden balconies and courtyard trees have a calm that is quite at odds with the busy road outside.
The monastery's principal treasure is an icon of the Virgin Mary, said to have miraculous powers and to be of Georgian origin, which draws pilgrims throughout the year. The largest gathering comes in August, around the feast of the Assumption, when thousands of people climb the road in procession. The church interior is dark, gilded and richly painted, and in the old refectory there are murals by Zahari Zograf, the nineteenth-century painter, in which the figures stare out with disconcerting energy. Visitors are welcome, but modest dress is expected, with knees and shoulders covered, and photography is restricted inside the church.
The ride from Asenovgrad is the real beginning of the Rhodope Gorge Route. The road follows the river upstream through a gorge, with tight bends, rock walls on one side and the river on the other, and woods of oak and beech climbing the slopes. The surface is generally good but can be patched, and heavy traffic, including pilgrims' coaches and trucks, may slow things at busy times. The air smells of pine and wet stone, and in the early morning there is often mist on the river.
Outside the monastery gates there are restaurants, some built on stilts above the river, serving grilled trout, lamb, shopska salad and a local dish called kavarma, a slow-cooked stew of meat and vegetables. Prices are modest and portions are large, and a long lunch is the best way to spend an hour. A stall sells honey, herbs and tea made from mountain plants, and it is worth buying something to take home.
Fuel is not available at the monastery, but Asenovgrad is only about eight kilometres away and has everything you need. Fill the tank there before heading deeper into the mountains, where the stations become sparse. Spring and early autumn are the best seasons for riding.