Day Fifty-One

02/07/25 - Day Fifty-One


Don’t much feel like writing tonight, but we will give it a go anyway. I didn’t sleep well. I stayed up too late planning my route after Sofia, then couldn’t get to sleep for a while, my mind still very much active. Eggs and coffee for breakfast helped get me going though, and I attacked the day, and the hills! 

Twenty miles in I reached the town of Belogradchik, and after a savage hill I made it to the fortress overlooking the town. I wasn’t going to let my toil go to waste, despite the entrance fee. It was worth it in the end too! The area was full of amazing sandstone towers poking out of the trees, and one such collection made the focal point of the fortress. It was quite the sight to behold. Some time later, the rumbling’s of my belly pulled me away from the views. I found a park in the town and lunched. 

The afternoon was less hilly, but the lack of sleep caught up with me and a deep weariness set in. I powered on, with a couple of essential rests. I had hit 60 miles and over 1000m of elevation for the day, I was happy and I had spied a promising looking farm track on Google maps for tonight’s camp. My phone was almost out of charge and I thought about charging it with my panel whilst there was still some sun. Oh no, where the fuck's my panel. I had a sinking feeling and realised I had left it where I’d had lunch, probably still charging now. It was a double whammy, solar panel and power bank, 40 miles away, gone. I shrugged my shoulders, and told myself there was nothing I could do now. Still it played on my mind a little and I was furious with myself briefly. 

I grew more and more exasperated as a campsite alluded me. I was knackered man! Funny how when small loses compound and you find yourself at your wits end, doubting everything, feeling like you could cry. I snapped out of it after a short while of feeling sorry for myself, snuck through a hedge and found a place that’d do. Not perfect, but I wasn’t being fussy anymore. It was just about hidden from the road, as long as no one looked too hard! Belly full I feel better. Tomorrow’s climb looks savage, but no point dwelling on it now, there will be plenty of time to do that when I’m in the thick of it. Still, damn annoying about the solar panel… an expensive mistake! I even remember thinking I better not leave it behind because it wasn’t right next to me! Can’t change it now though… time to heed my own advice!

 

 

 

 

 

1/3

  

 

 

This spring gave me a lot of joy!

 

2/3

 

What a guy

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

z 

 

 

 

3/3

 

 

 

A lovely derelict church, being consumed by nature

 

 

 

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