CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Ordered leg totals agree within rounding. Stop distances are approximate sums of rounded legs. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
456 km from Anton to Anton, about 14 h 22 of riding. On the way it passes Central Balkan - Tsarichina Reserve, Central Balkan - Steneto Reserve, Central Balkan - Kozya stena Reserve and Central Balkan - Stara Reka Reserve. The stored terrain estimate reaches about 1,050 m; a measured road-elevation profile is not available.
The Balkan range, the Stara Planina, runs across the middle of Bulgaria from the Serbian border to the Black Sea, and its central section is the wildest, highest and most heavily forested part. The Central Balkan National Park protects this area, and within it, the Boatin Reserve guards a stretch of ancient beech forest on the northern slopes, one of the components of the Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe, a UNESCO site that stretches across many countries.
Read the complete Central Balkan - Boatin Reserve write-up.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Central Balkan - Boatin Reserve is where the day begins. Next is Central Balkan - Tsarichina Reserve.
The Balkan range, called Stara Planina in Bulgarian, runs across the whole of the country like a long, wooded wall, and it gave its name to the entire Balkan peninsula. The Tsarichina reserve lies in its central part, within the Central Balkan National Park, in a deep valley that holds some of the oldest and best preserved forests in Bulgaria. The beech and fir trees are huge, and in places have never been cut, so the forest has the tall, silent, shadowy character of ancient woodland. It belongs to the beech forest sites that UNESCO linked together across Europe.
Read the complete Central Balkan - Tsarichina Reserve write-up.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Central Balkan - Tsarichina Reserve comes up about 43 km into the recorded legs. Next is Central Balkan - Steneto Reserve.
Steneto is a deep, wild valley on the northern slopes of the Balkan range in central Bulgaria, enclosed by cliffs and covered in ancient beech forest, and it is one of the strict reserves of Central Balkan National Park, part of the Primeval Beech Forests World Heritage listing. Access is restricted, and nature is left to itself: old trees fall and rot, and the forest is home to bears, wolves, wild boar and a rich variety of birds, including several species of woodpecker and owl. The Cherni Osam river flows through the valley, and its clear waters are home to trout.
Read the complete Central Balkan - Steneto Reserve write-up.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
about 109 km into the recorded legs you reach Central Balkan - Steneto Reserve. Next is Central Balkan - Kozya stena Reserve.
High on the main ridge of the Balkan range, the Stara Planina, that runs across Bulgaria from west to east, the Kozya Stena reserve protects a wild landscape of limestone cliffs, beech forests and alpine meadows. Its name means goat wall, after the chamois that live on its crags. The reserve is part of Central Balkan National Park, one of the largest protected areas in Europe, and since 2017 its oldest beech stands have been inscribed alongside the primeval beech forests of the Carpathians and the rest of Europe. Wolves, bears and wild boar roam the forests, golden eagles soar over the ridges, and the meadows burst with wildflowers in early summer.
Read the complete Central Balkan - Kozya stena Reserve write-up.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Central Balkan - Kozya stena Reserve, about halfway. Next is Central Balkan - Stara Reka Reserve.
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.
Read the complete Central Balkan - Stara Reka Reserve write-up.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Central Balkan - Stara Reka Reserve sits at 106 km, about halfway. Next is back through Central Balkan - Kozya stena Reserve.
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Central Balkan - Kozya stena Reserve write-up.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
back through Central Balkan - Kozya stena Reserve comes up about 301 km into the recorded legs. Next is back through Central Balkan - Steneto Reserve.
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Central Balkan - Steneto Reserve write-up.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
about 345 km into the recorded legs you reach back through Central Balkan - Steneto Reserve. Next is back through Central Balkan - Tsarichina Reserve.
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Central Balkan - Tsarichina Reserve write-up.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
back through Central Balkan - Tsarichina Reserve, late in the day. Next is Central Balkan - Boatin Reserve.
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Central Balkan - Boatin Reserve write-up.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
The route ends here after 456 km.
Central Balkan - Boatin Reserve → Central Balkan - Tsarichina Reserve is 43 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Central Balkan - Tsarichina Reserve → Central Balkan - Steneto Reserve is 66 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Central Balkan - Steneto Reserve → Central Balkan - Kozya stena Reserve is 44 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Central Balkan - Kozya stena Reserve → Central Balkan - Stara Reka Reserve is 74 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Central Balkan - Stara Reka Reserve → back through Central Balkan - Kozya stena Reserve is 74 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Central Balkan - Kozya stena Reserve → back through Central Balkan - Steneto Reserve is 44 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Central Balkan - Steneto Reserve → back through Central Balkan - Tsarichina Reserve is 66 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Central Balkan - Tsarichina Reserve → Central Balkan - Boatin Reserve is 43 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.