Dryanovska eco-trail, bench of love and the majestic panorama from the Boruna rock crown to the picturesque canyon of Dryanovska River
- Stefan Ivanov
- May 29
- 10 min read
Updated: Jun 2
In my previous two publications "The beautiful Sini Vir waterfall on the Dryanovska River and the picturesque canyon near the Dryanovska Monastery "St. Archangel Michael" and "The wonderful waterfalls of the Andaka River and the fabulously beautiful gorge near the Dryanovska Monastery "St. Archangel Michael" we walked together along the Dryanovska and Andaka rivers, showed you their beautiful waterfalls and enjoyed the two picturesque gorges that the waters have formed. Now it's time to set off along the Dryanovska eco-trail in the direction of the Bench of Love and enjoy the grandeur and beauty of the gorge together, but this time from above.
The starting point of the Dryanovo Eco-Trail is located near the entrance to the natural landmark Bacho Kiro Cave (also known as the Little Cave and the Bear's Hole).
At the time when the Dryanovo Eco-Trail was built, it branched out in several directions and offered truly impressive views from all its points.
Unfortunately, over time, some of its branches are no longer safe to visit, due to the poor condition of the wooden bridges and steps that were built, which are no longer maintained. That is why I will show you only those branches of the Dryanovska eco-trail that are relatively safe, relatively easy to reach and from which a magnificent panorama opens towards the Dryanovska Monastery "St. Archangel Michael" and towards the canyons of the two rivers - Dryanovska and Andaka.
From the entrance to the natural landmark Bacho Kiro Cave, we head along the narrow path leading up the Boruna rock ridge and along the narrow steps built.
The trail is narrow and steep, so I urge you to be careful. If you wish to visit the eco-trail with your children, I advise you to be especially careful and keep them close to you for greater safety!
The trail itself is not dangerous, but it is narrow and can be slippery. Be sure to use hiking shoes with good grip!
Apart from that, the eco-trail is quite busy and there can be a really high turnover of people (up and down in both directions), which makes climbing the steps and descending them more difficult.
Apart from that, in places along the trail there are branches that lead to dangerous and unsafe heights, and it is not right to let your children run in front of you on the trail without supervision and control!
If you are focused and careful, climb the trail slowly, without rushing - step by step, follow the markings and the arrows, everything will surely be fine and you will have the opportunity to enjoy a wonderful walk through the wilderness of the Pre-Balkans and the Strazhata limestone plateau.
So – after these important instructions of mine, let's set off on the Dryanovo Eco-Trail!
At the starting point, three signposts are placed:
Bozhentsi - marked white-green-white, indicating the path to the Bozhentsi Architectural and Historical Reserve
Bench of Love - marked green, indicating the path that we will take together now
Boruna Fortress - marked red, indicating the path to the ruins of Boruna Fortress.
On this journey together, we will take the path leading to the Bench of Love and explore its branches.
The trail is steep, rocky, and for most of you it will probably seem more difficult to climb, which will inevitably increase the number and duration of breaks taken, which in turn will increase the overall time to overcome the elevation gain from the starting point - the natural landmark Bacho Kiro Cave to the end point - Bench of Love.
It will probably take you 15 to 30 minutes to overcome the elevation gain and, following the signs and the green trail markings, you will reach a place where the main trail branches.
Let's first take the narrow and small path, hidden among the dense trees.
The path is narrow and the trees have spread their branches with green leaves everywhere, so I have a hard time pushing through the foliage.
Here is the Bench of Love! The place has definitely changed since the last time I was here – five years ago. Let's remember what the Bench of Love looked like in June, 2020.
I suggest we sit down, take a breath, and rest after the climb, so that we can fully enjoy the views, which, believe me, are truly beautiful!
From the Bench of Love and the Boruna rock formation, a picturesque panoramic view of the Polichki rock formation is revealed.
The entire Dryanovo Monastery "St. Archangel Michael" can be seen in its entirety.
With optical zoom, I captured impressive details.
The picturesque canyon of the Dryanovska River and the railway line above it can be seen.
From the Boruna rock ridge, there is a perfect view of the Strinava rock ridge, which proudly stands before us in all its beauty and splendor!
I tried to use optical zoom to photograph the cross rising above the rock massif and it gave me goosebumps!
After you have rested here and have had enough of the majestic landscape, but from above, I suggest you go back along the same short path you came on, and at the fork take the right path towards the highest part of the Boruna rock ridge.
The trail will take you to the top of the Boruna rock ridge. From here, many branches open up, leading to unique panoramic platforms, providing truly fantastic, beautiful and deeply impressive panoramic views towards the picturesque canyon of the Dryanovska River and the two rock ridges - Polichki and Strinava.
From one of the branches, the beauty of the Dryanovska River canyon is fully revealed!
The rocks at the top of the rock massif are also quite interesting!
On the rocks themselves, strange traces are observed, as if from the movement of a heavy (ice) mass. Of course, I could be wrong - after all, I am an engineer by profession and in this field I am only an amateur.
I will tell you that I couldn't hold back and happily filmed all this natural magic!
To conclude this incredible Dryanovo journey, I'd like to share with you some beauty from the botanical biodiversity that I discovered at the top of the Boruna rock ridge.
Finally, I took one last photo moment in the direction of the Dryanovo Monastery "St. Archangel Michael" and on the way back I returned down there - by the monastery.
How do I get to the Dryanovo Monastery "St. Archangel Michael"?
The Dryanovo Monastery "St. Archangel Michael" is located in Northern Bulgaria, about 5 kilometers southwest of the town of Dryanovo and about 15 kilometers northeast of the town of Gabrovo.
A good asphalt road leads to it.
It is served by the "Bacho Kiro" railway station, which until October 20, 1949 was named "Saint Archangel", on the "Ruse-Momchilgrad" railway line. The railway station is located about a kilometer from the monastery.
You can leave your car by the road leading to the monastery, where no parking fee is required.
Near the Dryanovo Monastery "St. Archangel Michael", as well as directly in the parking lot in front of the entrance to the monastery, parking is paid.
After leaving your car in a convenient place for you, head to the path leading to the right and along the waters of the Andaka River. It will take you to the natural landmark Bacho Kiro Cave.
What can you visit nearby?
Dryanovo (spelling until 1945: Drѣnovo) is a town located at the foot of the Stara Planina Mountains, in Central Northern Bulgaria.
It is located in the Gabrovo region, at the crossroads between Northern and Southern Bulgaria, near the cities of Veliko Tarnovo, Tryavna, Gabrovo and Sevlievo.
The town is the administrative center of the Dryanovo municipality.
Dryanovo is located among the beautiful and rounded hills of the Central Fore-Balkans.
On the territory of the municipality is the continuation of the Mikren Heights – the rocky limestone plateau of Strazhata, cut through by the bizarre gorges of the Yantra River and the Dryanovska River.
The altitude varies from 180 to 640 meters above sea level. The highest point in the region is Balabana – over 620 meters above sea level.
The city is located on the highway Ruse - Veliko Tarnovo - Gabrovo - Shipka - Stara Zagora. The station is on the main railway artery connecting Northern and Southern Bulgaria - Ruse - Gorna Oryahovitsa - Dabovo - Podkova.
In the Dryanovo region, the oldest traces of life on the Balkan Peninsula were discovered - in the Bacho Kiro cave near the Dryanovo Monastery "St. Archangel Michael".
Numerous remains of ancient settlements, fortresses, columns with inscriptions and decorations from the time of the Thracians and Romans have also been found.
During the Ottoman rule, Dryanovo managed to preserve the Bulgarian spirit, with Dryanovo's spiritual centers being among the great guardians of the Christian faith and Bulgarian writing, traditions, and culture.
In 1778, a clock tower was built in the center of Dryanovo, which was destroyed twice.
Dryanovsk masters and builders were extremely prominent and worked in various parts of the empire, and even beyond its borders. This gives grounds to speak of a Dryanovsk building school.
Undoubtedly, even today the most famous Dryanovec and prominent representative of the school is Nikola Fichev, better known as Usta Kolyu Ficheto.
The historical museum in the city presents in an extremely interesting and impressive way the work of the most famous Dryanovo resident and Bulgarian Renaissance builder.
Dryanovo is located:
212 kilometers (about 2 hours and 48 minutes by car) from the capital
156 kilometers (about 2 hours and 46 minutes by car) from the city of Plovdiv
244 kilometers (about 2 hours and 57 minutes by car) from the city of Varna
227 kilometers (about 2 hours and 40 minutes by car) from the city of Burgas
Only 21 kilometers south of the city of Dryanovo (about 25 minutes by car) is the city of Gabrovo. In Gabrovo, you must visit the Architectural and Ethnographic Complex and Open-Air Museum "Etar"
Just 16 kilometers from the city of Gabrovo (about 26 minutes by car) you will find the charming jewel of Bozhentsi, which you should definitely visit.
Just 22 kilometers east of Gabrovo (about 34 minutes by car) is beautiful Tryavna, which I definitely recommend you visit.
About 23 kilometers south of the city of Gabrovo (about 34 minutes by car) is the Freedom Monument, known as the Shipka Monument.
About 48 kilometers south of the city of Gabrovo (about 58 minutes by car) is the city of Kazanlak.
In Kazanlak you can visit the Rose Museum.
After you have viewed the rich exhibition of the museum, I suggest you take a relaxing walk through the wonderful alleys of the Rosarium Park in the town of Kazanlak.
In the town of Kazanlak, I suggest you also visit the church of St. Elijah, also known as the Kulen Church.
Just 5 kilometers south of the town of Kazanlak (about 8 minutes by car) is the village of Buzovgrad, where the wonderful adventure of the "Path through the Ages" eco-trail begins.
You shouldn't miss it for anything in the world!
48 kilometers east of Kazanlak (about 40 minutes by car) you will find the Zhrebchevo Dam. The ruins of the submerged church of St. Ivan Rilski still stand near the dam.
23 kilometers west of Kazanlak (about 25 minutes by car) you will find the town of Pavel Banya.
3 kilometers east of Pavel Banya (about 5 minutes by car) you will find the village of Viden. Near the village still stand the ruins of the wonderful church of St. Anastasius.
4 kilometers south of Pavel Banya (about 7 minutes by car) is the village of Turia.
Here you can visit the birthplace of Chudomir.
On the square in front of Chudomir's house you can see a monument to the Chetnik Tsanko Minkov Dechev - Komitata, who was born in Turia Botev.
In Turia you can enjoy an authentic Roman bridge called "Skoca".
8 kilometers from Turia (about 9 minutes by car) you can enjoy the natural landmark "Kichest Gabbar".
Very close to "Kichest Gabar" you can explore Kutela.
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