Just above Karlovo, the Stara Reka tumbles out of the Balkan mountains through a steep gorge of beech and rock, and climbing alongside it you leave the town's lowland heat behind within minutes. The reserve that bears the river's name protects the upper part of that valley and forms part of the Central Balkan National Park, one of the largest protected areas in this part of Europe. Its ancient beech forests are included in the UNESCO listing that ties together primeval beech woods across the continent.
Up here the forest is the main event: tall grey trunks, deep leaf litter, mossy boulders and a cool green light even at midday. Above the treeline lie open ridges grazed by sheep in summer, with cliffs where wallcreepers and golden eagles nest, and the forests shelter brown bears, wolves and chamois. Access inside the reserve itself is on foot by marked trails and is strictly regulated, so the motorcycle stays at the edge and you continue on your own legs for a while.
Below, history is close. Karlovo is the birthplace of Vasil Levski, the revolutionary who is something like Bulgaria's national saint, and his house is a museum. A few kilometres east, Kalofer gave the country its great poet and rebel Hristo Botev. Both towns lie in the Valley of Roses, where the Damask rose is grown for rose oil; in late May and early June the harvest fills the air with scent at dawn, when the petals are picked before the sun gets strong. The whole valley sits between the Balkan range to the north and the gentler Sredna Gora to the south.
For riding, the valley road between Karlovo and Kazanlak is fast and pleasant, and the crossings of the Balkan range to the north are what you came for, notably the Troyan pass with long climbs, open views and surfaces that vary from smooth to patched. Snow can close the high roads in winter. Karlovo, with around twenty thousand people, has fuel, cafés and grilled kebapche, and the mountain springs by the trailheads run cold and clear on the hottest days.