In the Footsteps of Elin Pelin
A day in Elin Pelin's home village and up the dirt road to Spasova Mogila, the hill from his story. An easy hike with views of Sredna Gora, suitable for children too.
- Duration1 day
- Level
- Season
The sun is already setting. All around, over the fragrant meadows, the green fields, the thickets and the dark copses that stretch far away, the night lies in wait, mysterious and holding its breath.
Elin Pelin wrote these words in 1905, in his story "Spasova Mogila". More than a hundred years later we set off for his home village, which lies, in his words, "right facing the sun in a beautiful place, where Sredna Gora parts from its mother Stara Planina and heads east", and walk up to the hill from the story.
The hike is easy, with no steep climbs, and suitable for children. We travel by coach and are back in Sofia the same evening. You choose the date.
The order of the stops may change so that we keep to the sites' opening hours.
What to Bring
- Comfortable hiking shoes, ideally ankle-high
- A raincoat
- Long hiking trousers
- A jacket, a warm fleece or a windbreaker
- At least one spare T-shirt
- A hat, sunglasses and sunscreen, SPF 30 or higher
- Food for at least one meal outdoors and at least 1.5 litres of water
Day by Day
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Baylovo, the Writer's Home Village
We leave Ruski Pametnik Square in Sofia at 8:30 and head straight for Baylovo. The village was founded in the early 19th century by Elin Pelin's great-grandfather, Kara Stanyo Ivanov from the village of Poibrene near Panagyurishte, who settled on the deserted land of an older village. We visit the writer's birth house, now a museum, and the Elin Pelin Memorial House, opened on 11 November 1977 for the centenary of his birth. We stop for photos and a short rest.
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Spasova Mogila
The coach takes us to the neighbouring village, and from there we walk up the dusty dirt road to Spasova Mogila. The hill is a real place, like most of the places and people in Elin Pelin's stories, and we walk the roads of old Zahari from the story. Before we set off we read the story once more, so as not to miss a single detail. The story is sad, the walk is not: the hills of Sredna Gora, the harvested fields and the woods that open up on the way get us talking about good things.
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The Chapel of Sveti Spas and Back to Sofia
At the top of the hill the small chapel of Sveti Spas still stands. In the past, as Spasovden (Ascension Day) drew near, sick people from near and far came to it for a cure: they lay down under the sky of the hill, left early the next morning and believed their illness stayed behind. After the views we walk back to the coach and return to Sofia at about 18:00, picking our next destinations on the way.
Included
- Coach transport along the route
- Mountain guide and organiser
- Medical insurance
- Event photographer
Not Included
- Entry fees at the sites
- Personal expenses
Have a Question about the Route?
Write to us or give us a call and we will tell you everything about the kit, the level and the organisation.