Bulgaria Meet 25th August 2014

[picos mestizo]

Just a reminder I will be travelling from the UK to this meeting and will be taking a quick route through western Europe and then find some gentle bimbling lanes through the eastern part ( Czech republic , Slovakia, Hungary, Romania) and stopping at a few sites aswell taking in the and Stella alpina Transfagarasan passes.
the trip for me will be hotels all the way and maybe a few stops en route such as the church of bones .
I am open to leaving dates at the moment, Martin may be joining me so if any body wishes to ride with us you will be welcome.

That's the sort of trip down me and the good lady want to do, we'll be eurotunneling across from Somerset, I know it's still a way off yet but if nearer the time you could post a meeting location, we'd like to join you for that part of the trip.
Cheers
John

Thats exactly the route I had in mind especialy through Rumania as I've done the Adriatic coast.
Keep me posted as well please with Dates & meet ups. Thanks Brian.

[strimstrum]

For those worried about the state of roads here in Bulgaria ...... a lot of them are in much better condition than those in the UK. The village roads can have potholes but they are easily avoidable. If we do road trips from the Motocamp there will be no roads that would cause any able rider any problems.

Romanian roads can be a bit hit & miss but on the whole most are OK - certainly the main routes have been upgraded in recent years and are no problem for two wheeled riders.

Some of the more adventureous may want to continue to Ukraine or Georgia where the roads may be a bit more shall we say "exciting" but nothing like the roads me and Bushman encountered in Siberia in 2011.

For those that think that Mafia sit on every street corner in Bulgaria..... prepare to be amazed at how nice and friendly most Bulgarians are once you get past the seemingly icy exterior and how few gangsters you will see ie none.

[Simon_100]

For those that think that Mafia sit on every street corner in Bulgaria..... prepare to be amazed at how nice and friendly most Bulgarians are once you get past the seemingly icy exterior and how few gangsters you will see ie none.

+1 for that - as an 'immigrant' here in Spain I get to know lots of others, including plenty of Bulgarians - nice folks, good attitude and I'm waiting to try the home cooked food

Regs

Simon

[Simon_100]

Mornin' all,

Thanks to another topic here I've found this amazing trip report through Bosnia, Montenegro, Serbia, etc and I'm hooked!

It's very very early days but does anyone fancy riding a section on the way to Bulgaria - say three to fours days from Sarajevo?

Regs

Simon

[heavy]

morning simon , that looks really good , wife and I just looked through pics, country is beautiful, have just explained why not poss for us, full bike and camping gear plus wife, varadero bit to heavy for lot of dried river bed and side of mountains, I really envie you if you do it
regards rikki (heavy)

[gspod]

Hi Simon

We are very interested in this meet, perhaps have a chat about it at the HISS. Slovein/Croat/B&H on way down sounds and looks good, then Romania/Slovac on way back. We have a friend whose father in law lives in northern Greece so he may be up for it as well.

Cheers

D

[Simon_100]

Thank D,

Yes, let's talk at the HISS - if we have time

I have to say that the it's a big IF that I'll be able to go to Bulgaria - money being the usual cause

Regs

Simon

[strimstrum]

I have to say that the it's a big IF that I'll be able to go to Bulgaria - money being the usual cause

One good thing about Bulgaria (and neighbouring Balkan countries) is that things are really cheap- the average Bulgarian earns just 350 euros a month. Petrol is just over £1 per litre, 20 Marlboro Reds - long are about £2 a packet, 2 litres of good beer from the supermarket is under £1 and 2 litres of not so good stuff is about 50p. The local restaurant/café can give you a good meal for under £2. A house needing renovation in a small village with half acre of land can be yours for under £5,000 so in general your money goes a lot further than the UK or Euroland.

The trips we are planning will entail for the most part only the cost of the fuel- entrance fees to some of the places we will visit are free.

Motocamp accommodation is very cheap at around £10 per person per night including breakfast and camping at about half that.

Pick up from Sofia airport can be arranged - the cost is usually around 80 euros for the 190 kilometre ride - shared pickup will reduce the cost significantly.

[Simon_100]

I have to say that the it's a big IF that I'll be able to go to Bulgaria - money being the usual cause

One good thing about Bulgaria (and neighbouring Balkan countries) is that things are really cheap- the average Bulgarian earns just 350 euros a month. Petrol is just over £1 per litre, 20 Marlboro Reds - long are about £2 a packet, 2 litres of good beer from the supermarket is under £1 and 2 litres of not so good stuff is about 50p. The local restaurant/café can give you a good meal for under £2. A house needing renovation in a small village with half acre of land can be yours for under £5,000 so in general your money goes a lot further than the UK or Euroland.

The trips we are planning will entail for the most part only the cost of the fuel- entrance fees to some of the places we will visit are free.

Motocamp accommodation is very cheap at around £10 per person per night including breakfast and camping at about half that.

Pick up from Sofia airport can be arranged - the cost is usually around 80 euros for the 190 kilometre ride - shared pickup will reduce the cost significantly.

Hi Strimstrum,

Thanks for this - your advice is worth repeating. But my situation is about whether or not I can go on an fairly extended tour - period. I won't know this until the new year and I don't want to promise to ther folks something that I may not be up for after all.

But in the meantime just thinking about the trip is mouthwatering

Regs

Simon

[jonperry64]

I'm really interested in this trip. Like some others though, I cannot be sure at the moment that I will have enough time available to do the trip justice. So, is it OK to pencil my name in for now please? I will confirm as soon as I can.
I would have the choice of two bikes - a Transalp 700 and a DRZ400. I took the Alp to a meet in the Lot area of France in May but regretted it when I got there as a combination of its weight and my riding skills meant it was pretty crap offroad. Getting to Bulgaria and back will involve considerably more road riding so I would be tempted to take the Alp again - but would I regret it when I was there?
Cheers
Jon