St. James’ Park
An Alternative Campsite and Hostel in Bulgaria
Camping/Rent My Field
- Also in this section:
- Booking
Prices are given in Leva
A rough exchange rate is:
£1 (GBP) = 2.4 Leva
€1 (Euro) = 1.98 Leva
This is the perfect place to organise your own mini festival or gathering.The field is big enough to take around 30 people comfortably- but its not just a field!
I’m slowly landscaping the whole field or perhaps that should read that I’m slowly turning my lovely field into a very big, lovely garden. It has loads of trees, most of them fruit trees and I’m constantly planting more beautiful and interesting plants to create some structure and some shade.
There are neat little places to find and to sit in and there are two places to build a fire- one at the top of the hill and one under the big walnut tree. You can lounge about in 2 hammocks and there’ll soon be a Japanese Tea Room (or some such name for a reinvented corn store) where you can sit and view the beautiful hill.
There’s camping space for around 20 small tents. We have a few tents for rent, but again it’s best if you have your own tent. We’re planning to build small cabins (logs, cob, hemp?) in the future. You can use the outdoor living area and you can cook your own food on the outdoor kitchen/barbeque.
You can watch the stars at night and listen to the dawn chorus and just generally relax and space out.
We do not have laundry facilities but you can wash your clothes at the spring along the road with the locals. We have compost toilets and showers heated by passive solar power. We ask you to try if possible to use organic products in the shower because the grey water run off goes to grow willows in the field.
We’re potentially open all year but its gets to about 40 degrees in August and minus 20 in January.
Camping
This is a bit of a secret campsite! If you want to visit us and have a wonderfully relaxed time just chilling and enjoying a different life, then it will cost you 10 llev for camping and breakfast and 7 lev for dinner if you want to join us
Unfortunately there is no Internet access in Voditsa, however we expect this to change in the next year – just waiting for the EU to get its act together! The nearest Internet is in Popovo – 18km with a bus 3 times a day. For more information about traveling to and around Voditsa, visit our travel information.
Bookings
You can book via this website but (see the paragraph above) I may not reply immediately. So if you need to book more urgently than that, call or text Kathy on 00359 (0)884595174 or landline 0035960386286
Accessibility
I’m sorry, but I don’t think that the campsite is accessible to people who have severe mobility problems. The field is reasonable flat but there are steps everywhere and the paths are uneven. If you have doubts e-mail me.
This is great place for children but only if you’re willing to let them have an adventure!
People of any sexual orientation are welcome at St. James’ Park but I cannot speak for the rest of the village or for Bulgaria in general. There is a gay scene in the cities but I don’t know what the reaction would be in the village to single sex couples walking hand in hand.
Food, Shopping, Local Facilities etc.
There are two shops in Voditsa (there are now 3-see my blog on secret Voditsa) – both are small but they stock pretty much everything that you need for basic life; i.e. food, chocolate, alcohol, cigarettes and ice cream. Bread is made in the local bakery and arrives fresh in the shops late in the evening. The shops have a variety of sausages and salamis and the bigger shop has meat in the freezer at the back – you’ll need to get the phrase book out! There is a hardware shop which sells odd useful things like socks, underwear and hairbrushes. There’s also a pharmacy and a Post Office in the village. General cosmetics are available but we ask you if possible to use organic products and we provide them at St. James Park for a donation.
Milk is not available in the shops – we buy cows milk from a local family but it then needs to be pasteurised. Goats milk is also available locally but to be honest, if you can do with out milk while you’re here, it will save you a load of hassle. If you order “tea” you will get something herbal.
I may have organic veg for sale and we can always point you in the right direction to local people who will sell you veg.
The bar is open lunchtime and evening (hours are not quite clear – another mystery). The décor isn’t up to much but the company is good, the alcohol is very cheap and they serve a range of small snacks. Bulgarians usually order one plate at a time and it shared by everyone. Bulgarian wine is generally very good and well worth exploring. A bottle in the bar costs around 2leva. Note – take toilet paper with you – they do have some but its behind the bar – you need to ask for it and everyone will know where you’re going!
People are generally very open and curious – try out your Bulgarian with the locals in the bar and you’ll probably be there for ages and have a really good time. You might be asked to sing a song from your country – do you know one?
We do have a few very useful (and funny) phrase-books at the campsite which you can either buy or rent.
Popovo
Popovo is a growing town. A Tourist Information office is due to open in 2007 and along with the general trend in Bulgaria, the focus is going to be on eco-tourism – more details as they happen.
I guess it’s not a very exciting or picturesque town but it’s a busy working town, well laid out with spaces, parks and plenty places to sit and have coffee. There is a very good market selling local produce and there is a great second hand shop where you might pick up a traditional Bulgarian rug or blanket – this is my favourite shop – directions on request.
If you’ve come to this area to see what life is really like in Bulgaria, you’ll find lots to see and do in Popovo. I’m always interest in new things or contacts that people make. For example, two American women who came here as WWOOFers were really interested in traditional music and dancing and through that we made some contacts in Popovo, so it may be possible to connect with traditional musicians if you’re interested. As tourism develops, so too will an interest in the traditional music, dance etc. – at the moment it is not obviously available either in Popovo or Voditsa but I think that will change – although hopefully not in a way that loses traditional values.