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Accommodation and food
The Shambhala and LukOil hotels in Sopot charge
about 10-15 euro per bed per night.
The family guesthouses
keep the local spirit and offer B&B for 8-10€. SkyNomad Club at the center of the town runs two authentic old Bulgarian style houses. The restaurants Chichovtzi and Rodeo are next to Skynomad Club and 5 minutes walk up the hill is the posh restaurant Kashtata.
Transport
The cable chair lift works from 9.30 a.m. to 6.00 p.m. (4.00
p.m. in winter); A one way ticket costs €2.5 but needs
at least 8 people to gather 20€ for the turning of the lift.
The other option is the 4X4 car used by SkyNomad which has
place for 6 pilots with gliders and takes 15 euro to get to the
take off. SkyNomad also offers trips to alternative take offs in the area and tours in Bulgaria.
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Weather
The active cross-country flying season lasts
from April to September (when the thermals are normally usable
between 11 am to 6 pm) but there have been very good flights
(50 km and more) throughout the rest of the year. In winter,
the air is usually very stable (inversions) but with many
sunny days and good for beginners. During the second half of May
(and occasionally in June and July) it might be unstable
with cumulo nimbuses, but they're not so fast developing
(like in the Alps) and you can choose between zig-zag flying
around them or escape in the valley if it feels rough. There is
a local light east wind in the most of the Rose valley (no
strong valley winds), which combined with a main west wind is
perfect for out-and-return flights and interesting competition tasks.
Possibly the best way to learn more and fly more
in Sopot are the training and guiding services of the SkyNomad
Team. On their website www.skynomad.com
you'll find many interesting articles about thermalling and cross-country
flying, beautiful aerial photos and useful weather links. |