A short route for mountain biking above Vladislavovo district in Varna, including a pleasant ascent and descent on trails and a little ride on the plateau above the city. At the beginning the ascent is a bit steeper, but the effort is worth it, because you cycle on pleasant trails and pass through 1-2 panoramic places overlooking the city and the sea. In general, the route is not difficult in terms of physical load, but technically its difficulty is medium, and it comes mostly from the final trail - the rest of the ride is quite light as a terrain.
The description includes many forks and intersections. The easiest way is to navigate with the GPS on the handlebars, so you do not have to stop and read directions every 100-200 meters.
In some places on the plateau you may come across mud and tracks in the wetter months, but in general the route is suitable for cycling almost all year round.
The beginning of the route is at the final stop of the buses near the upper end of Vladislavovo. There are enough parking spaces around the blocks in the area, and you can come on your own along Konstantin and Fruzhin Blvd. - there is also a bike lane.
The end of the route is somewhere else, at the place where the Boulevard St. Helena separates from the boulevard March 3 Boulevard. If you have come by car, there is no point in climbing back to the bus turnaround. In case you have come by car and you have left it there, you will have to move along St. Elena Blvd. and then to the right and upwards along Konstantin and Fruzhin Blvd. Actually, there is a way to get to the starting point of the route from the end of the trail, but this is associated with passing through a neighborhood that looks dangerous, so it is better to go around the lower side through the boulevards.
Starting point: The bus turnaround at the upper end of Vladislavovo; https://goo.gl/maps/Pfg5U9Z9zfxBNquF9
Length: 12.1 km
Ascent: 195 m
Descent: 265 m
Level of technical difficulty: medium
Physical activity: low
Duration: 1-3 hours (depending on the pace, breaks, etc.)
Water: 0.5-1 l
Food: not required
Terrain:
- Asphalt - 0.2 km
- Country roads - 8.2 km
- Trails - 3.7 km
Description:
The Boulevard“Constantine and Fruzhin” ends just above the turnoff for buses and trolleybuses. There, if you stand with your back to the city and face the mountain, a country road begins on the right (point 01), which immediately turns to the left (northwest) and starts to climb. After a while the road splits (point 02), and we continue on the right side of it. At point 03 (0.5 km) the road turns left to a meadow, and we continue to climb a wide path straight on. There are also tourist markings in several colors. In point 04 (0.8 km) the trail forks - we move to the right along the one with blue, red and green tourist markings. Afterwards there is a short steep section and the path turns left. We follow the main path and avoid a few narrow paths to the right (the clearest one is in point 05).
At point 06 (1.2 km) there is an important fork, where the red marking continues to the right, and we follow the left path with green and blue markings. Depending on the season, the trail may be clearer or overgrown, but it is generally passable. Here the terrain gets leveled, ie. the main ascent is already behind us, but a few shorter ones are waiting for us. At point 07 (1.9 km) there is a fork again and we are to the left again. Then in point 08 (2.3 km) we cross an overgrown path and continue slightly to the left (westwards).
At point 09 (2.7 km) we go out on a wide meadow and join a country road to the right. We continue only on the main road, keeping to the left, skipping in point 10 a turn on the right hand side. In point 11 (3.4 km) we come again onto a country road to the right - there are many forks and small paths, which usually gather again, so choose your path according to the conditions - in some places there is more mud and tracks, in others the passing is easy. In general, we follow the main road, and groves and meadows alternate around us.
At point 16 (4.9 km) we leave the forest near the asphalt road from Aksakovo to the village of Kumanovo. Here we turn on a country road to the right (on the east) along the forest and after 500 m (point 17) we continue straight on a country road between agricultural lands, which runs parallel to the road. At point 18 (7.1 km) we reach a complex crossroads of several roads and continue in the same direction (to the east), first turning slightly to the left and then slightly to the right. After 1.5 km (point 19) we reach a country road, where we turn right and immediately after that there is a fork (point 20), where we choose the road on the left. We move along the border between the forest and the fields to point 21 (9.3 km), where we turn right on a country road and the descent begins.
In the first 200 m we ride our bikes on a slightly overgrown dirt road past an orchard. At point 22 (9.5 km) the countrey road turns left, and we turn right on a path that crosses the gully and exits on its other side with a short climb. In point 23 (9.8 km) we join a country road and we descend quickly down. After 300 m (point 24) there is a fork where you can at meadow with shelter on the left. Anyhow, the route continues straight, following the main country road to the left in point 25 and straight in point 26.
At point 27 (10.5 km) the country road turns left, and we continue descending straight on a path that is initially wide, but gradually narrows and becomes a little steeper and more technical, but without being difficult. In p.28 and p.29 some other paths deviate, but we follow the main path straight on.
In point 30 (11.2 km) we go out at houses, part of a villa zone, and continue down the country road. In point 31 (11.4 km) the route continues along the main street and slightly to the left in oder to finish at the crossroads of Sveta Elena Blvd. from 3 March Blvd. (point 32).
