Pancharevo On The Brink of Spring

It was such a beautiful day today, Alex had a day off and although we are flying tomorrow and have a lot to prepare, we decided to hake a few hours and hike around Pancharevo lake.

Spring is definitely in the air and the trail was spotted with plenty of yellow crocuses

The fresh green grass is starting to displace the old grass and leaves

Hike info:

Date: 6 March 2026

Destination: lake Pancharevo

Mountain: Lozen

Total length: 8 km

Elevation gain: 130 m

Total duration (plus picnic and rests): 2 and a half hours

Average difficulty: 2 / 10

Me-made items, worn on this hike:

 

Husband: men's boxers, Burda cargo pants, socks

I:  lingerie, Page hoodie, CC copycat hat, socks, leg warmers

Alex: knitted hat, RTW hoodie turned into zippered hoodie

The weather was very mild and pleasant, the sun was strong and despite the lingering chill in the air, my jacket and winter hat stayed in my backpack the entire duration of the hike.

We had our lunch with herbal tea and tortillas on our usual spot on the stairs, overlooking the lake, basking in the strong early spring sun.

After a hearty lunch, we continued our walk along the lake. Most of the winter birds seem to have gone, though we still saw the pair of swans, plenty of cormorants, herons and ducks.

I'm so glad Alex was with us, we enjoyed a very lively and engaging conversation. It's always such a pleasure to share your favourite places and experiences with your loved ones.

I'm really happy we snatched this beautiful day and spent a few hours in the open.

Beautiful Pancharevo

Saturday was the first of a spell of warm days, that we've been enjoying after the arctic cold around New Year's eve. The sun was shining warmly and despite the strong gusts of wind from time to time, the weather was divine for the beginning of January.

We were not in the mood for wet snowy trails, so we chose the low altitude trail around Pancharevo lake and were rewarded for our choice with dry trails and beautiful views.

Me-made items, worn on this hike:

 

Husband: men's boxers, Burda cargo pants, Burda Blouse, socks

I:  lingerie, Tweed Chaika sweater, CC copycat hat, Zerda gloves, socks

Hike info:

Date: 3 January 2026

Destination: lake Pancharevo

Mountain: Lozen

Total length: 8.5 km

Elevation gain: 130 m

Total duration (plus picnic and rests): 3 hours

Average difficulty: 2 / 10

We had our short lunch by the lake, our usual tortillas were  replaced this time by the last pieces of the New Year's banitza with good luck wishes, that I make every New Year.

After our lunch break we decided to continue our hike along the Iskar river and by the shore of the lake. It was absolutely fascinating to observe how many birds have found their home in winter by the waters of the lake.

This is the first time I see swans in the lake.

It was a leisurely, but definitely super enjoyable hike, a great start of our active year.

Pancharevo Late Autumn 2025

 Winter is coming :)

The weather this week is cold and wet, with almost incessant drizzling. The forecast for Sunday was a bit more optimistic, with clouds, but no rain in the morning, so husband and I packed the tortillas and a flask of hot tea and went to Pancharevo lake.

The hike on Pancharevo is more like a walk in the park rather than a real mountain hike, but still better than staying indoors. We switched our gears on max speed and walked the less than 7 km of the round trail in almost no time, managing to squeeze the hike between the raindrops. It did start drizzling again once we were back in the car.

 

Me-made items, worn on this hike:

 

Husband: men's boxers, Burda cargo pants

I:  lingerie, Chaika sweater, CC copycat hat, Zerda knitted gloves, purple snood

Hike info:

Date: 30 November 2025 

Destination: lake Pancharevo

Mountain: Lozen

Total length: 7 km

Elevation gain: 130 m

Total duration (plus picnic and rests): about 2 hours

Average difficulty: 1 / 10

 

The trail was a bit muddy and slippery, but all in all easy to tread.

The vibe in the lower mountains is still autumnal.

We started from the Kokalyane end of the lake and reached the wall of the dam at German along the upper mountain trail and returned to the parking lot near Kokalyane along the lower alley by the lake.

The lake is home to plenty of birds and I love to watch them with our binoculars. It was fun to have our tortillas on the steps of the grandstand and enjoy the calm lake life.