Stuck in Sofia for the weekend, and cannot be bothered to commit any significant time for travelling and sightseeing, but you do want to escape, if only briefly, the urban madness and grey reality? Well, do not despair, as apart from Vitosha Mountain and the Pancharevo Lake, Sofia has a few other numbers up its sleeve, in close proximity and easily accessible by car, bicycle or even by foot.

One such overlooked destination is the town, or borough, of Bankya. Technically, Bankya has the status of a town and municipality in western Bulgaria, however, administratively it has been assimilated within greater Sofia. It is close to the industrial town of Pernik, but, thankfully, it bears no resemblance whatsoever to the latter.

Bankya, was a village until 1969 but then promoted to a town and subsequently engulfed by Sofia in 1979. It is renowned for its mineral springs and baths that have been used for their medicinal properties for hundreds of years. Some people still do the weekly pilgrimage to get their mineral water intended to last them for the week – now, whilst the water is healthy for you, drinking it day in and day out means you are consuming half the Mendeleev’s periodic table, so tread carefully there. Bankya is the proud home town of none other than Boiko Borissov, Bulgaria’s new Prime Minister.

The town was first referred to as Bankya in historical chronicles in the 15th century. In its own right, it has subsequently expanded and incorporated the villages of Verdikal, Gradoman and Mihailovo, which are now its boroughs, while Ivanyane and Klisoura are part of the municipality. The name of the town itself derives from the common noun bankya, ‘hot spring’, a diminutive of banya which in Bulgarian means ‘bath’. At only 10km west of Sofia, at the foot of Lyulin Mountain, the town has an average altitude of about 650-750 meters. For those interested in history and archaeology, excavations conducted near Ivanyane have unearthed remains of ancient Roman buildings, walls and sewers, and bronze bracelets from the fourth and fifth century CE, but the first human settlement in the area is believed to have been by Thracian tribes about 2500 years ago, who upon arriving here, took one look at Pernik and decided to settle in Bankya instead.

Among the historic, cultural, or just plain and simple interesting things to visit there are Vazov’s Oak, which, tradition has it, was the favourite resting place of Bulgarian revolutionary poet Ivan Vazov; the Church of Martyrs Quiricus and Julietta, built in 1932 and inaugurated by bishop Stephen of Sofia; the state residence built by Bulgaria’s communist leader Todor Zhivkov, which now houses the Museum of National History, and the Bankya Palace, a spa hotel.

Then, of course, it has Lyulin Mountain, which is a gross overstatement of the term mountain, just like the Pennines in England. Regardless, it is a beautiful range, easily accessible, easy to climb and, most importantly, easily traversable in a single day. The highest point in the range is Doupevitsa, at 1256m, while the Bouchino pass cuts the range into two, a western and an eastern part with Bonsovi Polyani being one of the most popular attractions of the mountain.

Armed with a small backpack, water and some food, you may spend a pleasant day in the lush forests of Lyulin Mountain and enjoy a congenial stroll or ride on your bicycle. The paths for hiking are numerous, but they can accommodate bikes as well. One such is the ‘Health Path’ route, which starts from Bankya and, at about seven km in length and a vertical prominence of about 55 metres, can be walked in two hours. Starting from the centre of Bankya towards the military sanitarium, the path leads along the right bank of the Gradoman River, then into Mihailovo borough, swerving through a thick pine forest. The route then passes through the Teneviya Hill, pouring into Staro Selo, eventually reaching the St St Kiril and Yulita church.

The Bobosh route embarks from the Verdikal borough, four km in length, requiring about an hour and a half of walking, with vertical prominence of 35 metres. Starting at the Klisoura bridge, along the Klisourska River, following the left bank, the path then crosses the river several times along its course. The route reaches Balabanitsa, an area where the Divotinski Monastery River and the Klisura River merge. From there, one may chose two options – either take due east, along the pine forest and end up at the Hristo Smirnenski borough or turn left and head down towards the town.

A slightly more demanding route, which entrails an inconsequential amount of climbing is the Esperanto, which launches from Mihailovo, with a prominence of about 175 metres and total length of nine km, which takes about two and a half hours to walk. From the last bus stop in Bankya, the route follows the left bank of the Mihailovska River, eventually reaching the ridge of the Lyulin Mountain itself. Progressing along the ridge there is a junction towards the Panorama Rock presenting a beautiful view of the surrounding area. Then the path continues along the ridge gradually descending onto the north slope of the mountain through a forest. Eventually, the path swerves out of the forest and into the Yabuka from where the marked path leads towards the Maloubichinski Pass and Grandoman borough.

For a walk or a ride up to the Divotinski Monastery, one must set from the Mihailovo borough, a walk of no more than eight km. It shadows the path towards the Lyulin lodge, progressing through pine and fir forests, crossing several expansive meadows, and 20 minutes later it reaches a junction towards the lodge itself. Roughly 150 metres onwards, the route swerves to the left and then descends to the Divotinski Monastery St Trinity. In order to return to Mihailovo borough, one must take the path which oscillates upwards from the main entrance of the monastery, up to the ridge of Lyulin mountain in 20 minutes. Heading due east, 30 minutes later you are in Mihailovo borough.

Neither of the aforementioned routes require anything specialised or demanding in terms of kit, apart from good walking shoes, water, food and some common sense. If you are on a bike, however, you would be well-advised to carry your spare repair kit and extra tires as punctures are a likely occurrence – especially if you have a humble bicycle like mine. Have your bicycle checked and avoid going up there unless you have disc brakes.

Having attempted taking my own modest bicycle up Mount Vitosha, within 15 minutes I was left with smoldering brakes and melted rubber, plus a wrecked front suspension, leading me to swiftly regret the experience. And that was even without getting to Mount Vitosha proper. While the surroundings of Bankya are likely to put less of a strain on your bike, best play it safe unless you are confident in your bicycle.