Rudina Mountain 2025

Yesterday was our 8th hike on Rudina mountain and by a mile - the best organized. Having been there multiple times before, we have tuned to perfection the hiking speed, the picnic spot and the food and beverages we bring with us. And despite the fact, that the day was scorching hot and the track is in the open, our experience of the track was probably one of our best.

Two of the emblematic flowers on Rudina were in their prime - the wild orchids and the lilacs.

We've seen lilacs in bloom on Rudina - even a secondary bloom in November, which was astonishing, but we had never seen them in their absolute prime - it still amazes me, that lilacs are not only garden bushes, but also found in abundance in the wild.

Hike info:

Дате: 3 May 2025

Destination: Sirishtnishka Rudina (1172 m)

Mountain: Rudina

Total length: 8 km

Elevation gain: 480 m

Total duration (plus picnic and rests): about 3 hours

Average difficulty:  4 / 10

Me-made items, worn on this hike:

 

I: lingerie, Burda blouse, Knipmode flared joggings, (Houndstooth Hoodie in the backpack)

Husband: men's boxers, Burda cargo pants, Burda blouse, (Burda hoodie in the backpack)

A view from the peak towards Vitosha. Although the peak is not very high, it is very panoramic and offers views to at least nine mountains around.

A view to dam Pchelina. This time, as we had planned it in advance, we had our picnic not on the peak, but on the way back on a bench with a small table in front of it and with a gorgeous panoramic view to the village of Sirishtnic, the dam and the mountains around. It was such a satisfying pay-off for the efforts to climb the peak.

A peek at the village of Sirishtnik, which seems to be experiencing a revival, with a lot of construction and reconstruction work, that has been taking place during the last months.

Rudina Mountain 2024

Friday was probably the last of the Indian summer days this year - sunny and warm, and we had an exhausting but absolutely amazing outing!

First, we drove to the village of Sirishtnik and climbed the small Rudina mountain, one of the many Kraishte mountains. As usual on a work day, the trail was completely empty and glorious under the mild autumn sun.

Hike info:

Date: 8 November 2024

Destination: Sirishtnishka Rudina (1172 m)

Mountain: Rudina

Total length: 8 km

Elevation gain: 480 m

Total duration (plus picnic and rests): about 3 hours

Average difficulty:  4 / 10

Because of the long period of warmth this autumn, the wild lilacs on Rudina had blossomed in November!

The views from the peak are simply amazing! The trail is called a View to nine mountains and not in vain :)

Me-made items, worn on this hike:

Husband: men's boxers, Burda Cargo Pants, Burda longsleeve, Hound's Tooth Hoodie

I:  lingerie, Sinclair longsleeve, Hound's Tooth Hoodie 

(most of these stayed in the backpacks on the way up, but were needed on the peak and downwards)

We had our long and delicious picnic on the peak, enjoying the sun and the views.

A blooming wild rose:

The village of Sirishtnik - on the way to the car we came upon a quince tree and gathered a handful of fallen ripe quinces. Now we have 6 jars of quince jam - probably the most aromatic jam we've made recently!

Rudina Mountain 2023

April is almost over and this year it was a bit cold and rainy. This weekend was forecast to be cloudy and coldish again, with Friday being the only sunny day of the week. So husband and I decided - let's clear Friday and go for a hike, it would be such a fun to be along the trails on a workday.

The steep track from the village of Sirishtnik to peak Sirishtnishka Rudina (1172 m) in Rudina mountain is not very popular and yesterday we were the only two people there during the entire duration of our hike. The day, as promised, was sunny with a fresh chill in the air. Because of the cool April the wild lilacs and other trees and shrubs along the track were still not in bloom, unlike last year during the same time.

:The track is short but steep and provides quite a cardio exercise. I'm not in perfect form this spring and I've been thinking of adding running to my workdays, as I need to increase my cardiovascular endurance. At least this is what Chat GPT tells me I need to do to improve my hiking performance, when I asked it, as of course one does nowadays :)

:The scenery from the top of the otherwise low Rudina mountain is quite spectacular, the trail is also called a View to Nine Mountains, as the peak provides a clear view to most of the Bulgarian mountains.

Hike info:

Destination: Sirishtnishka Rudina (1172 m)

Mountain: Rudina

Total length: 8 km

Elevation gain: 480 m

Total duration (plus picnic and rests): about 3 hours

Average difficulty:  4 / 10

Me-made items, worn on this hike:

 

I: lingerie, Houndstooth Hoodie, Sabrina Slims

Husband: men's boxers, Knipmode cargo pants

:The village of Sirishtnik, once prosperous, but now seems almost abandoned

Rudina Mountain 2021

Photos from our hike on Saturday to Rudina mountain. This is a small mountain in the Kraishte region, a beautiful mountainous  area to the west of Sofia, bordering to Serbia. Rudina is only 1172 m high, but its peak is very scenic, with a panoramic view to the entire region. The trail is 4 km long and steep - a good training for more difficult alpine trails.

The day was somewhat surprisingly hot, after the chill first 10 days of September. We climbed the trail fairly quickly, probably for an hour and a half, had a short snack on top and went down to the car in less than an hour. As there was still plenty of time till sunset, we decided to go to lake Pchelina and have another short hike there.

: Chapel St. Nikolay Letni

 :Lake Pchelina in the distance

Hike info:

Destination: Sirishtnishka Rudina (1172 m)

Mountain: Rudina

Total length: 8 km

Elevation gain: 480 m

Total duration (plus picnic and rests): about 3 hours

Average difficulty:  4 / 10

Me-made items, worn on this hike:

Husband: boxers, Knip Mode Cargo Pants, Teal Longsleeve

I: lingerie, Sabrina Slims, Houndstooth Hoodie, knitted socks

 :I was touched by this bench, which is a private donation to the trail and had a plaque, reading This bench is dedicated to X and the moments, in which we share breathtaking views. By Y

 :The Eye - a mosaic composition at the site of the old quarry

:The village of Sirishtnik

Rudina Mountain 2020

After the cold beginning of the week, Saturday was sunny and surprisingly hot. The checkpoints on the exits of the regional centers were lifted and we were able to travel to the village of Sirishtnik, at the foot of Rudina mountain. I checked with the blog and found that this is our third hike on Rudina mountain and all the three times we came there at the beginning of May - which is no surprise, as this is the best time to enjoy the wild lilacs in bloom and the open trail to the peak of the mountain. The trail is about 8.5 km long, well marked and provided with rails, benches and picnic areas, and was quite well visited on the first sunny day after the lift of the lockdown :)

: Though the peak of Rudina is only 1172 m high, it is a very panoramic mountain with views to the entire mountainous region around. Rila in the distance and lake Pchelina 

: The Eye - a mosaic composition at the site of the old quarry

: A view to Kraishte from the top - the entire western part of the country is covered with low mountains

: Among the wild lilacs on the top of the mountain

: A hawk flew above

: Strazha and Lubash mountains in the distance

: Vitosha and Rila at a glance

: Chapel St. Nikolay Letni

:The village of Sirishtnik