Description
Sarah is flying ahead of me, I am chasing. After a morning of climbing, we are now flying deeper into the heart of the Rhodope Mountains, Bulgaria. With every minute, I can feel the temperature dropping, the air becoming dense with moisture and rich, earthy chemicals radiating from the woodlands that shroud us
Together, we slingshot back and forth, sharing wild glances of ecstasy. There is perhaps half an hour where all else is forgotten; we are in a haze, completely drunk on the moment. In hindsight, I realise it felt all the more special knowing it wasn’t where we were meant to be.
Together, we’d planned a route that wiggled through Central Bulgaria, tying in mountain plateaus and wine harvests. It sounded brilliant, from an outsider’s point of view, pulling in suggestions and clues from Google and Komoot. But then we’d met Pam and Deyan in the Pirin Mountains, two local adventurers who suggested a change of plan. They could help us build a cycle route through the Rhodopes, a region we’d not considered but that was steeped in folklore, tradition and never-ending forested hills. In our experience, you can’t beat the advice of locals. It is their land after all. And so, with the grace of an open plan, we were sold.
We set off on our new journey, slowly carving right through the heart of the Rhodope mountains. Our days were open-ended, picking up supplies in the morning, saying yes to local invitations, and finding camp when the sun started to dip. Sometimes the best way is to forget about plans and just let things flow naturally… Deeper and deeper into the valley we rode, feeling like we could cycle forever.
Print details
• Printed on premium Type-C Fuji Matt photographic paper
• Available in multiple sizes
• Made to order
• Carefully packaged for delivery
• Photograph taken during our cycle journey from England to India
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— Josh & Sarah
