Strazha Peak - the Highest Point of the Paramun Mountains

We set off from the western edge of the village of Lyalintsi - a small Tran village squeezed between the ridges of the Paramun and Lyubash mountains. The starting landmark is the bridge over the river: just before it, on the right between the last houses, a short dirt track leads out onto the open ridge. From here up the route is clear - we follow the path up the open stony slope and gain height.

The opening section is the steepest and the most breathless. A good deal of height is gained over a short distance - the mountain makes no secret of its character. But every step up unfolds the reward: the views behind us widen steadily, and to the left, like a faithful companion, the neighbouring Lyubash ridge gradually rises. The slopes of the Paramun mountains are almost bare - stunted oak and drought-loving grasses - and this open, windswept landscape gives the walk a sense of wildness and space.

When we reach the ridge the gradient eases. A wide panorama opens before us - the Ezdimirska mountains, Greben and Ruy are all in view, and in clear weather the eye reaches far towards the western Balkan Range and Midžor peak. Along the comfortable open ridge we walk for about half an hour to the longed-for sign - Strazha peak, 1,389 m. Here we take a break, breathe slowly and take our fill of the Kraishte from a bird's-eye view.

We descend by the same route back to Lyalintsi, where the minibus is waiting. A short transfer follows to the turn-off for the village of Paramun, which gave its name to this whole fine mountain country. On the main Breznik-Tran road, right at the turn-off, the Paramun inn welcomes us - an establishment with cult status across the whole Pernik region. Before leaving we look into the fridges: goat, buffalo and sheep cheese, home-made sausages and yoghurt to take home.

The last stop of the day is about an hour away by minibus - the Tsarnogorski Monastery of Saints Cosmas and Damian, set into the foothills of the small but lovely Tsarna Gora at around 1,000 m. The monastery's history reaches back to the 11th-12th century, making it one of the oldest on present-day Bulgarian soil. During the National Revival the Metropolitan of Sofia ordained the priests of the whole district here, and in the monastery school children from the neighbouring villages learned faith, reading and writing. Driven out and burned in the mid-18th century, the monastery was revived, and today it draws hundreds of pilgrims from across the country. In its spacious courtyard we are met by the bell tower, the holy spring with its healing water, and a silence of the kind only such places know how to keep.