Three daily buses connect Devin with DOSPAT , 40km west. You'll pass through lots of Pomak villages en route before descending into this small town once noted for its folk costumes and festivities but now known for its reservoir and clean mountain air. Downhill from the bus station is a small square with a mosque, where a right turn takes you towards the jade-green reservoir , distantly overlooked by a nice hotel , the Tihiyat Kât (tel 03045/2082 or 2518, tihkut@infotour.org ; US$9-18). To reach it, head uphill from the bus station and fork left - it's at the far end.

Dospat is a turning point, where you can either head north along the desolate route to Batak, or continue westwards past the turn-offs for Dolen and Kovachevitsa, towards Gotse Delchev in the Mesta Valley and the Pirin Mountains beyond. This route passes through some of the loveliest countryside in Bulgaria, with an ever-changing panorama of gorges, forests and meadows dotted with a succession of highland villages, where tobacco farming is the main source of income, which amply compensates for the awfulness of the road. Be warned, though, that there's only one daily bus from Dospat to Gotse Delchev, and one to Batak, and these can be erratic; check times in advance. The Batak bus is signposted for Pazardzhik, as it terminates there.