Arkutino

Worth a detour

Arkutino is a coastal freshwater marsh behind a dune field, full of wild white water lilies and rated in excellent ecological condition. It has been part of the Ropotamo reserve since 1992, which means the strict rules apply: keep to designated paths, no fires, no camping and no lying on the sand. Come to look at the lilies and the dunes and then go elsewhere to swim.

Story

Background

The name means bear swamp. It was a reserve in its own right until 1992, when it was absorbed into the enlarged Ropotamo, and its ninety-odd hectares of marsh, reedbed and dune now carry the full strict-reserve regime. Rare plants here include the floating fern and the sea daffodil; the water lily is the one people come for, and in a good June the surface of the marsh disappears under it.

Offshore in the bay is St Thomas Island, a single hectare of rock also called Snake Island, absorbed into the reserve at the same time. It is not landed on.

The dune field between the marsh and the sea is the other reason to come, and the reason to be careful. Bulgarian coastal dunes have been built over at a rate that has cost the country most of them, and this is one of the better surviving systems. Inside the reserve boundary the plan requires visitors to keep to designated paths and prohibits sunbathing outright. The beach itself, at the northern end, appears to fall just outside the boundary and carries a Blue Flag, which is where people swim. The distinction is about two hundred metres of sand and is not marked on the ground, so the safe rule is to stay off the dunes and use the beach access. The reserve's visitor centre is here, and works by prior booking.