Address: 13 Zdravets Street
Maluk Izvor village, Yablanitsa municipality
Tel: 06990/ 272, 0885/ 31 61 95
[www.littlespring.eu]
A one-and-a-half hour drive, or 90 km, is what separates Sofia from the picturesque village of Maluk Izvor (Little Spring), nestled in the foot of Stara Planina. You should take the Varna Highway and watch for the town of Yablanitsa. From there, you go up to where the small village is located, which welcomes you with the friendly inhabitants, mix of pets and smiling hosts of Little Spring Bicycle Lodge.
Others also meet you at the entrance. One is big and black the house Labrador called Chester and the other is small and whitish, his name is Shehe. At first, the host thought the cat was a she, but later it turned that it was a he, so this is how he got the funny name. In any case, the animals are quite friendly and add a feeling of home to the atmosphere.
The person who developed the idea for the bicycle lodge is Max Breeds; he was born in the UK. He worked for 10 years as a psychoanalyst in Glasgow, but then, after travelling around Bulgaria by bike, he decided to devote himself to his dream of creating a place where people who like mountain biking could meet. It is also located in an area that has unspoilt nature and the right conditions for the sport.
This should not get you thinking that if you are not a mountain biker or if you dont own the proper equipment this not a spot for you. On the contrary, you can rent a bike for about 70 leva a day or 150 leva a week from the house. The lodge is open from April to October.
The area is naturally crossed by various trails for biking, from the least to the most difficult. Take me as an example. I was not equipped or ready to climb, but I succeeded in riding the seven kilometres to the nearby Glozhenski Monastery and to glide back down with pleasure.
Even if you do not want to cycle, you can enjoy a calm holiday at Little Spring. One of the lodging facilities is a house more than 100 years old, but it does not show its age, as Breeds has renovated it successfully in a traditional Bulgarian style. The other is a former two-storey barn that houses what are now four guest rooms. Up to 12 people can be accommodated in total. Most of the construction is wooden and the decoration chosen by Breeds girlfriend reflects a historic Bulgarian interior. There is also a wooden terrace with a splendid view of the sunset, if you are lucky enough to visit when it isnt raining (like it was when we were there).
The house, of course, is not the only thing that would make for a tranquil autumn holiday. A wide but cosy yard stretches out from beneath the windows. Above your head is an arbour on which grow traditional red grapes for wine; colourful flowers and green grass cover the land that extends up the hill. In summer 2008, the outdoor fireplace is expected to be ready.
The other building to be noticed is the hosts house, where the guests are fed. The cuisine prepared at the bicycle lodge is vegetarian and notable particularly because the vegetables are organic and grown on site, in the garden. The hosts also prefer to buy other products like cheese from local producers. This would make a holiday doubly special, at least for someone like me, because it adds to the stay healthy food and supports closed-cycle production (there is also a compost pile for organic waste in the backyard, from which the ground is fertilised). This is one of the few places where I can indeed rest without worrying about where the refuse goes, how many preservatives the food contains or how much we pollute the land under the house, because in such small villages a sewage system is not developed. The washing detergents (washing machines are available on-site for free use) and soaps used in this place are biodegradable.
The package for a one-week stay at Little Spring Bicycle Lodge costs 940 leva a person, while non-cycling clients receive a 20 per cent discount. The price includes breakfast and lunch, as well as afternoon tea, fruit and homemade cakes and free beer and Bulgarian wine. A full week of guided biking for different rides in the central Balkan region is also included in the price, as well as transportation to and from each days ride and, to round things out, transfer to and from Sofia Airport.
