If you ask someone in Varna where you could make a quick circle with your mountain bike near the city, the answear probably would be “next to the TV tower”. It is located on a plateau above the city, the slope is steep and facing south, which means that the trails dry quickly even after rain. Well, it also means that more and more houses and villas are appearing under the forest belt, but for now there are enough trails for local sports and nature lovers to ride mountain bikes, run, walk, walk dogs, etc.
The "left" path at the moment is a little hard to find because its beginning is quite overgrown. But it offers an easier and safer option for descending, cutting the slope with a more moderate slope and without such a steep slope on the outside.
The route is shorter than the first one because it does not go to the TV tower. However, if you decide, you can use the description of the first route (Varna - TV Tower 1 along the Right path) and go around the plateau. Then point 23 of the first route will coincide with point 16 of the current one.
Starting point: The parking lot of St. Marina Hospital, https://goo.gl/maps/twCezj5Dgx86i8Bv5
Length: 5.2 km
Ascent: 210 m
Level of technical difficulty: medium (R1, R2, T1, T2, T3,)
Physical activity factor: low (PAF =4.5)
Duration: 1 hour (depending on the velocity, breaks, etc.)
Water: 0.5 l
Food: not required
Terrain:
- asphalt road – 3.1 km
- country roads and paths – 2.1 km
Description:
There is a gas station at the eastern end of the parking lot of the hospital "St. Marina (point 01). The route starts from here. A portal with barriers to the hospital yard is next door. We take Lazar Payakov Street, which goes around the hospital yard on the right, while moving northwaeds. At the end, the street turns to the right and ends at a fenced private property (point 02, 0.4 km). To the left (northwards) along the property there is a narrow path, along which after a hundred meters of riding or pushing we go out at a fountain on another street ("Georgi Kitov") in the villa zone - point 03. Here we turn right and in another 150 m (point 04) we make a sharp turn to the left along Ivan Ivanov Street and continue the ascent through the villa zone (Sotira quarter). We follow only the main street, skipping turns to the right in points 05, 06 and 07. The slope is serious, so in some places you may have to push.
At point 08 (1.5 km from the beginning of the route) we reach the last houses and the forest belt - here the street turns into a wide but quite steep path. Along this path we continue to climb to the plateau - by riding or pushing according to our abilities. At the fork in point 09 (2.0 km) we turn to the right.
Shortly afterwards, at point 10 (2.1 km) we go out at the crossroads and take the country road to the right. The terrain is already leveled. After another 50 m (point 11) we turn again to the right on a wide and flat path through a nice and shady forest. Soon you will see a beautiful place on the left where you can sit on the benches and relax. There are tables too. We follow only the main path (at the forks we keep to the left), which has red tourist and cycling markings, and in point 12 (2.6 km) we join a country road to the right. In another 50 m (point 13) we come out at a crossroads, where we take a wide shady path to the right in the forest, following the red markings again.
Only after a hundred meters (in point 14, 2.8 km) another path starts to the right in the forest, which immediately splits (point 15). We turn to the left and start a slight descent, which takes us to point 16. (If you decide to ride according to the description of the first route, this point is №23.). Right at the ravine from here, another path begins - this is the "Right" one. We take it, but very slowly, so that literally after 20-25 m (point 17) we can find through the bushes on the left the beginning of another path, known among the local riders as the "Left". We take it through the bushes and after a while it expands, although in general it is slightly overgrown. The trail cuts the slope and includes other paths and descent routes. In point 18 there is a steeper and more technical section, and in point 19 the path splits into two branches, which converge again. In point 20 there is a fork - both sleeves come out in the same place, and here I have chosen the right one.
In point 21 (3.4 km) we go out on the road / street above the last houses and continue on it to the left, descending between the houses and the villas. In point 22 we take to the right, and in point 23 we turn to the left.
In point 24 we go out on 8th Primorski Polk Blvd. From here we have several options. If you want to return to the starting point (the parking lot at the hospital), it is best to go right on Ivan Ivanov Street with a slight ascent and to turn to the left in point 04. At the fountain in point 03 turn to the left again, and continue on the path downwards the street to the gas station. The other options are to go down to different parts of the city - either on the boulevard itself, or on some of the smaller streets to the Monument to the Bulgarian-Soviet Friendship and from there to Chaika residential area, or to the Sea Garden.
