Sopot Bulgaria. After a brilliant Summer with at least two months of good flying weather, Autumn arrived two days before we got here.
Typical! Despite the change in weather, have had several flights from 'the big mountain' - a 25 minute and 3,000' TTB glide when it's not thermic. Launch faces south towards Greece and looks across the valley of the roses which is about 14 kms wide. Winds are usually light anabatic S or SE and are fairly consistent. The run off at launch is very long, smooth and grassy so getting away is relatively easy and forgiving of mistakes - useful for someone like me. Within minutes off take off, you are several thousand feet above the valley floor which always takes my breath away. Some of the more able pilots seem to find lift literally out of thin air and are up and away along the Balkan range for hours. They held a recent leg of the World Cup here in August and apparently managed to complete all the set tasks.
One unfortunate change since my last visit is they have doubled the price of the chairlift ride. It used to be 2.5 lev it's now 5 - that's £2! Talk about profiteering.......
Anyone interested in central Bulgaria,(ancient culture and civilisation), should google Shambala Extreme Sports Centre, Sopot, Bulagria.
Hope the weather holds for our return to Wales.
