Ashe waterfall. Geography, history and legends. The Ashe river valley provides for three types of movement along it

Impressive tourists have nicknamed Ashe Gorge "Emerald Valley" because of the abundance of evergreen trees. From early spring, city dwellers come here to listen to the music of full-flowing waterfalls, to look at carpets of primroses.

A city dweller, exhausted by stress, touching a thousand-year-old dolmen slab under slender beeches, looking at the game of golden newts in a spring puddle, will think: “But you can live!”. And the young Caucasian ridge, breathing from the gorge with a healing wind, will drive away the last traces of winter depression.

Geographical position

The Ashe River flows down from the Main Caucasian ridge, from under the rocky peak Grachev Venets. In the upper reaches, it has the name Bekish, and only when it reaches the large village of Kalezh does it turn into Ashe. It is believed that Ashe is the name of the Circassian prince who owned these lands in old times, and "Bekishey" means "valley of pickets". This was the name of the Russian outposts, located in the mountains after the expulsion of the mountaineers.

Having collected mountain streams into a shallow but noisy stream, Ashe goes out to people, gradually widens the valley and, diving under the bridge of the Novorossiysk-Sukhumi highway, pours into the Black Sea.

Story

In the middle of the 19th century, no one living on the coast could even think of a walk along the Ashe Valley. Stone blockages and thundering waterfalls were an impregnable natural fortress, from the hidden loopholes of which one could expect a treacherous shot from the Khakuchi Circassians hiding here. Even after the complete conquest of the Caucasus, the Ashe Gorge remained for a long time frightening and impassable.

Only since the beginning of the 20th century, individual daredevils began to explore the foothills of the Caucasus, which served to develop educational tourism. In the valleys of the Sochi rivers, unique natural and historical monuments. Over time, they not only enjoyed growing popularity, but also became overgrown with legends.

Traveling through emerald valley, a guest of the warm coast follows in the footsteps of unknown cultures, fierce battles and Soviet tour instructors who paved the all-Union a tourist route № 29.

Attractions

Guests accustomed to comfort will not have to overcome difficulties. In Sochi and Lazarevskoye excursions are offered along the Ashe valley with a cart and refreshments in Shapsug national traditions. The main natural monuments are equipped with footbridges and stairs. There are places for swimming. Walking requires shoes with thick, non-slip soles.

The waterfalls are located on the tributaries of the Ashe. Noisy mountain streams, formed from melted snow and invisible springs, run down the gorges, composed of layered rock - flysch. The most picturesque waterfalls are Psydakh (cascade) and Shapsug, located 2 km from Kalezh, upstream of the river. They can be reached by a good road. Watch the waterfalls better in spring, in the summer they significantly "lose weight". The height of Shapsug is about 20 m, above there is a cascade of three more waterfalls.

Waterfall "Shapsug"

Waterfall "Psydakh"

Dolmens are distributed throughout the world, but in the mountains of the Caucasus they are especially numerous and amaze with a variety of forms. Each building is unique. You can see monuments of unknown antiquity in the village. Mukhortova Polyana (you will have to turn off the highway to the village) and on the tributary of the Kapibga, at 7 km of the highway, in the forest. Tourist-pedestrian will open large quantity dolmens on the slopes of Mizeguh and at the confluence of the Ashe river. Big Pseushkho. Many are destroyed. Even if you are not lucky to find dolmens, a walk through the fabulous forest dotted with boulders will leave a pleasant impression.

Rock Starikov - a high cliff in the area of ​​​​the village of Khadzhiko, visible from the road. A common legend that with this beautiful rock Shapsugs dumped unnecessary, weak old people, fortunately, it is not true, clouding the beautiful creation of the wind and waters of the river. Ashe.

Cave of the Witches - a grotto on the right bank of the river. Ashe. From the village of Kalezh, a suspension bridge is thrown to it. The grotto gives rise to a small stream, sometimes flooding its cavity. There are no witches: in ancient times, such caves were further expanded and used for burials or temporary housing.

Above the extreme monument - the Shapsug waterfall - the Ashe gorge is heavily overgrown, but in the past hiking trail. For patient travelers, the upper reaches of the river will open within two days. Ashe is a wild, beautiful and unexplored world.

How to get on your own

• by bus: from Lazarevsky goes local bus No. 159 to the village of Kalezh, operating 4 flights a day;
• personal vehicles from Tuapse: along the highway Novorossiysk - Sukhum, passing the village. Golubaya Dacha, observe the direction indicator to the left, to Shkhafit. Do not cross the Ashe River, the highway to the mountains goes along the right bank. From Sochi: along the Sukhum-Novorossiysk highway to the village. Ashe, cross the bridge over the river of the same name and turn right to Shkhafit (the wooden menhir of the Sochi National Park). The distance from the turn to the end of the asphalt is 12 km.

Ashe waterfalls Krasnodar Territory attract tourists from all over the country. Every day thousands of people come to them to admire the grandeur and beauty of nature. Local travel agencies organize group excursions to the valley of the river of the same name, with visits to waterfalls and underground halls under mysterious name"Cave of the Witches" But, after studying the article, readers will be able to independently go to these beautiful places, without someone else's help, inspect the flowing streams of cascades.

A little about the Asha River

The Ashe River originates from the top of the Main Grachev Venets. Current since mountain slopes the water stream still has the name Bekish, and in downstream, already near the village of Kalezh, the river was named Ashe. Locals believe that the name of the river is the name of a Circassian prince. Noisy water flow, leaving the slopes Caucasus mountains, spreads into the wide picturesque valley of the Ashe River, and then carries its waters to the Black Sea.

Anyone who has visited this place in the spring will never forget it. Due to the fact that the valley is full of evergreen trees, it was given the name "Emerald". And the full-flowing streams of the river, having collected all the streams from the melted snow along the way, fall down with a powerful rumble from a 20-meter height. This best time to visit Ashe waterfalls. After all, in late spring and early summer they are the most full-flowing. Then the currents are not so strong, although vivid impressions remain regardless of this.

Ashe waterfalls in Lazarevsky

Tourists are brought to the valley from the cities of Sochi and Lazarevsky. The tour includes a visit to the equipped sites with wooden stairs and bridges, a trip to the cave and refreshments in the Shapsug tradition. Can be in warm weather take a dip. The valley of the Ashe River has a rocky bottom, on which it is better to move in special comfortable shoes with thick and non-slip soles.

Waterfalls flow down the flysch mountains. This is a layered rock that shows all the centuries-old layers of stone that can crumble. During a trip to such places, you must follow the safety rules in order to return to your place of residence safe and sound.

From the village of Kalezh, you need to go upstream about 2 km to see the two most famous and picturesque waterfall- Psydakh and Shapsug. Let's take a closer look at the Ashe waterfalls separately.

Cascades of Psydakh

The river stream descends down from a great height in three cascades. The upper one is considered the most beautiful, as it has a height of 30 meters. Water, rushing down from such a height, breaks against stones, turning into water dust. Below, from the constant fall of water, a depression formed, a small pool or lake at the foot of the cliff.

But the path of the water flow does not stop there. The next second or middle cascade rushes down already from a lower height, approximately 5 meters. Water flows into it through a narrow canyon. And the last cascade is the smallest, only 2.5 meters. Since all water streams flow in different directions, the Ashe waterfalls would not be visible from one place. So that tourists can admire all the splendor at once, locals organized the construction of wooden stairs and bridges, climbing on which you can immediately see all the bends in the rock, created by the mighty power of water jets.

The indigenous people, seeing this waterfall for the first time, called it Psydakh, which means “beautiful water” in the Shapsug language.

Majestic Shapsug

to see the second famous waterfall, called Shapsug, you need to go 600 meters upstream from the cascade Psydakh. If you turn towards the left tributary, you will see a tall 50-meter waterfall, which consists of four cascades. To approach it, you need to use a long 30-meter wooden bridge across the river. This is an attraction for the most daring. Not only does the bridge lie at a height above the stones that cover the bottom of a shallow river, but the bridge also wobbles great, especially when several people are walking along it at once.

The highest cascade is the lower one. The remaining three are 5, 8 and 10 meters high. But, due to the fact that convenient stairs and platforms are laid along the sheer wall, which lead from the place where the water falls to the upper beginning of the waterfall, you can view all the cascades in detail. The layered rock looks beautiful, it seems that it was built by someone out of bricks.

Legends of the Ashe River

At the lower Shapsug waterfall there is a huge stone. It is called the Wishing Stone. You need to touch it with your hand and make any wish. According to the legend, it will surely come true.

The Psydakh Waterfall is also called by the locals the "Waterfall of Brides". According to legend, every unmarried girl who swims under the streams of the waterfall will soon get married.

In the valley of Ashe is the legendary rock of the Old Men. According to legends, from the cliff, the inhabitants threw weak old people into the abyss. But one young man refused to perform this barbaric rite. He hid his father in a cave nearby. He often visited the old man, brought him food, and he gave useful and wise advice to his son. One day, the words of his father saved the villagers from death. The young man confessed to the people that it was the old man who had advised him. Since then, people have stopped throwing old people off the cliff, but have begun to respect them and listen to their advice.

Ashe Waterfalls: how to get there?

Getting to the Ashe River on your own is not difficult at all. It is convenient to do this from several places.

1. If you go by car, then from the M-27 highway in a straight line to the village of Kalezh. From this village you need to walk or on off-road vehicles to move along the riverbed for about 4 km.
2. From Sochi you need to go along the highway "Sukhum - Novorossiysk" to the village of Ashe, there, having crossed the bridge, turn right to Shkhafit.
3. If you are moving out of Gelendzhik, then turn before entering the Village.
4. From Tuapse along the highway "Novorossiysk - Sukhum" to the village of Shkhafit (see the direction indicator).
5. From Lazarevsky by bus number 159 to the village of Kalezh. Flights run 4 times a day.

In the villages to the Ashe waterfalls, you can hire off-road vehicles that will drive along the rocky bottom of the river along the current. But it's great to walk and walk, you just need to wear comfortable shoes.

In the territory national park the city of Sochi is located incredibly a nice place- Ashe river valley. This valley contains several tourist sites:
1. Cave of witches. It can be viewed while traveling by boat.
2. Waterfall Psydakh
3. Shapsug waterfall.
Attract attention and suspension bridges crossing the river.

We went here on a special day. I had a holiday - a birthday. All the previous week we basked by the sea Tuapse district walking in the nearby mountains. My husband decided to give me a trip. There was no doubt that it would be unforgettable.
Finding ourselves in Tuapse, we stood in a traffic jam for a long time and this darkened our mood for a while. Tuapse meets us every time with long traffic jams. Therefore, I associate it with long rows of cars that do not move.
But after the city of Tuapse was left behind, there were fewer cars, and the road became sharply winding.
When we reached the Kalezh highway, every second I admired the passing beauty.

On the way we saw the Shapsug village. The name of this place is formed by two words: “hajj” (the pilgrim who reached Mecca) and “ko” (the place to which this pilgrim returned).
On the way, we met a nice cafe called "Away from the Wives." Unfortunately, we had absolutely no time left, so we could not go there. Yes, and we went as a couple - they might not have let my husband in 🙂.
So we got to the village of Kalezh. This place is not very big, but for some reason it is translated as "old town".
As soon as we got to the village, the entrance to the bridge was blocked by a herd of resting cows.

Mysterious Valley of Waterfalls
An unsurpassed valley of the Ashe River appeared before our eyes. In translation, the name of the valley means "weapon". But only the heart of its own can hurt this place unforgettable beauty. bright green, pure water that reflects the blue sky. Because of a large number green, the valley was nicknamed the Emerald.
However, the valley is not as calm as it seems at first glance. When it rains, the river begins to rage, its banks diverge and the hasty stream blows away everything that meets in its path.
This happened in 1991 as well. The river overflowed so strongly in August that the whole village was flooded. This caused some houses to collapse. This resulted in casualties.
The valley of the Ashe River is considered a very mysterious place, full of various legends. People have composed many different legends associated with this place.

It is located here. The legend says that earlier exhausted and sick old people were thrown down from here. But one day one man did not want to throw off his father, and so that no one would find him, he took the old man to a cave. The son often came to his father for advice. For making the right decisions in the district, he was nicknamed the wise man. And once the advice of his father helped to save the whole village. And then the young man told about his secret. Since then, throwing old people off a cliff has stopped.

Of course, this legend is very similar to fiction, because the Caucasus has always been distinguished by its respect for old age. Probably, a flight from a cliff deserves more guides who turn their tongues to tell tourists such implausible legends.

And if you start looking at travel sites, you can generally find a bunch of incorrect and outdated facts about the valley. For example, there you can find information that the path to the Cave of the Witches is closed because it was flooded. And in general, only the most courageous can enter it.
I think it's all speculation. We were there even with children. The cave has flooded areas, but that makes staying in this place even more exciting and intriguing. We did not experience any fear and horror from being in the cave.

THE ASHE RIVER VALLEY PROVIDES THREE TYPES OF MOVEMENT ALONG IT.

The first type is on foot. It takes a long time and is very tiring, especially when it is very hot.
The second type - SUVs(UAZs are most often used, and large groups prefer gases). They move along the river. It's a lot of fun to watch the spray scatter under the wheels in different directions.
However, all equipment will have to be carefully hidden and packed in something waterproof. Yes, and you run the risk of being completely wet.
The third type is your car. A road has recently been built along the river bank. Road tolls must be paid walking tour, by the way, too). The road will take you almost straight to the falls. Even an ordinary car can easily drive along this road, let alone an SUV.
We got to this beauty in our car.

PSYDAKH - ONE OF THE WATERFALLS OF THE VALLEY ASHE

Getting acquainted with the Ashe valley, the very first thing you can see is the Psydakh waterfall (sometimes called Psedakh). The translation of its name means "beautiful water"

The beauty of this waterfall is undeniable. It is located in a very unusual place, which can only be seen by getting closer, looking into the well-cleft.

You can hear another name for this waterfall - "Waterfall of brides." There is a sign that if a girl bathed in this place, then in the near future she will get married. Therefore, at the waterfall you can see a huge number of ladies who do not care about cold jets. Even women of advanced age are not averse to believing the myth and trying their luck.

But the origin of the second variant of the name may also be related to another fact: water falls to the ground in such a way that it resembles a veil in shape. So the ladies-dreamers, perhaps in vain, sacrifice themselves in vain, plunging into the icy stream. Well, in general, the main thing is to believe in the realization of your dreams.

On the way to the waterfall you will meet the wish bridge. All the wishes made here must certainly come true. True, I didn’t guess - I was fascinated by the view of the waterfall.

The structure of the waterfall includes three cascades - upper, middle, lower. Now even the highest cascade can be easily reached, because bridges have been built to it and even special platforms have been equipped from which everything is perfectly visible.
The waterfall reaches a length of 30 m. The upper cascade looks most impressive.
The height of this cascade is 20m. He cut his way into a hole in the rock. Water from it falls directly into the bowl located below. The spray from the waterfall is scattered over a long distance, forming a cloud, so it is pleasantly cool here even if it is hot everywhere.
The upper cascade is located in a canyon that looks like a bag made of stone 6m wide and 11m long. Its slopes are steep and seem to consist of layers. There are indescribable sensations when you stand in this huge well, which was created by the power of water.
The height of the middle cascade is approximately 5m. There is also a bowl underneath. It is larger than the top one.
And the last, lower cascade. It is smaller and wider than the other two. In height, it reaches only 2.5 m. The foot also has a small bowl.
The entire rise of the falls is littered with signs warning people to be careful, walk only in sports shoes and others. But if you come here in slippers, no one will kick you out. However, this is very thoughtless and unsafe. You risk not only parting with slippers, but falling and injuring yourself.
In front of the Psydakh waterfall, there are various tents where you can buy local honey and wine or eat fresh pies. I do not recommend tasting wine before climbing the waterfall - the stairs here are already very dangerous. It is better to buy wine and take it with you. It is made from local berries, so it has a truly unique taste.
Not far from this waterfall there is another smaller one. It's beautiful here too.
There is a chair-lift along a small waterfall. It's already rusted all over, because probably no one uses it anymore.

PHOTO OF THE WATERFALL "PSIDAKH" (BRIDE'S VEIL)

WATERFALL SHAPSUG

Shapsug includes 4 cascades. It is higher than the first waterfall. His overall height reaches 50m.
The height of the lower cascade is approximately 20m. At the base of the waterfall there are a lot of huge stones. The remaining cascades reach 5, 10 and 8m.
To get to the waterfall you have to cross the bridge. It is very narrow, about 30m long. When you walk on it, everything starts to stagger. It's very exciting.
Near the Wishing Stone, located next to the waterfall, you can think of something to make it come true.
By the way, there are plenty of other places for making wishes. Yes, and desires, it seems to me, in this place are similar for everyone - to come back here again.

Waterfalls can be found at the following coordinates: Psydakh - N44 00.041 E039 23.454,
Shapsug - N43 59.947 E039 23.808.
Most likely, they will not be useful - there are signs everywhere.
The valley of the Ashe River is also rich in other attractions that we did not get to: the Rock of the Old Men (I wrote a legend about it) and Mukhortova Glade. But one thing is very mysterious place we still managed to visit - an unusual cave.

PHOTO OF THE WATERFALL "SHAPSUG"

WITCH CAVE

The Ashe river valley contains another unusual miracle- The Cave of the Witches or in another way the House of Spirits, the Cave of Salvation. It is located on the right side of the river.

To get to the cave, you need to cross the bridge, which is 90 meters long.
The view of the bridge, of course, leaves much to be desired. It is as if made by otherworldly forces - its curvature, old age, rotten boards and the absence of railings in some places make you shudder. Nails stick out here and there.
But from this bridge, the Ashe Valley looks unforgettable.

Passing the bridge, you will find yourself in the Colchis forest. To get to the cave, you need to follow the signs.

All three names of the cave have a history behind them.
The Cave of the Witches was nicknamed because in the past witches were locked up here. If it was discovered that one of the women was engaged in magic, she was immediately sent here, they propped up the entrance with a huge stone, and death awaited the poor sorceress in the cave. This, of course, is hard to believe, because the entrance there is very large. And if you find a stone of this size, then it would be beyond the power of not only a poor witch to budge it. And the guide whispered to us that the witches did not live here. All this was invented to give this place more mystery.
The real name of the cave is the House of Spirits or Jinan in Arabic. There is a legend that spirits of underground waters lived here.

This place has another name - the Cave of Salvation. According to legend, at one time the village of Kalezh was surrounded by enemies. Residents, not wanting to give up, hid in a cave. There were no flooded places in it at that time. Therefore, the men managed to lead the people to the nearby valley and hide them there. The warriors themselves went back and, taking the enemies by surprise, won the victory. After that, they began to live in their village calmly and happily.
When we got to the cave, we got rubber boots and disposable foot caps (hygienic requirement).

About 40 meters had to walk through the water on foot. In some places it was necessary to bend strongly - the ceiling was either low or high.
I was afraid that I could slip, because the water was dirty in color and because of this it was impossible to see the bottom. The guide assured us that there could be no algae here, since the light does not penetrate here. So it won't be slippery.
As we walked, we saw many bats and unusual growths of calcite. It looks like the stones are growing - something at the level of fantasy.
Finally, we got to the boat. We lit our way with lanterns. The course was set by our guide. There were yellow growths here and there on the walls.

In some places, they hang over the water, forming curtains of stone.
The guide told us that nowadays many places in the cave cannot be reached. At the end of the tunnel, he showed us a depression in the water. Through it you can penetrate into the lower layer of the cave. Scuba divers worked there, who opened a whole hall below, filled with water. There are also many moves there. Where they can go is unknown. No one was engaged in a detailed study of the cave, so no one can say its exact size. It is believed that it stretches for about 12 km in length.
Looking into the darkness of the passage located in the water, I got goosebumps from the fact that there is a dungeon below, full of mysteries and suspense.

There are rumors that there is another way out in the cave. It is located near the village of Bolshoye Pseushko, located just twelve kilometers from here. Therefore, the belief about the capture of the village is quite plausible and, perhaps, it is based on real events. After all, if the cave was not flooded, then there was every chance to get out of it.
Currently, the water in the cave reaches a depth of 1m 20cm (because of this, you can only go on foot at the beginning of the tunnel, and then only by boat). Cave water flows into the Ashe River. This water is incredibly cold. My feet were cold in boots and warm socks, although the weather was warm outside. Our guide explained that the water temperature here is constant throughout the year and is about 10 degrees.
Also, the cave is infested with mosquitoes. We were all bitten by them. Therefore, keep this in mind and wear something with long sleeves and treat yourself with something from mosquitoes. You can also find spiders here. Our guide warned us about this. But we didn't see them. The cave in which we visited reaches a length of 74 meters, a width of about 2.5 meters, and a height of 1.6 - 2 meters.

Photo

PRICES FOR VISITING THE CAVE OF WITCHES

Now I'll tell you how much this will cost fascinating excursion. Walking through the cave costs 100 rubles for an adult and 40 rubles for a child under 10 years old. But remember that you won’t be able to walk through the entire cave - it is flooded. So you will see only half of all the beauty. So I advise you to pay for the boat tour right away.

For the price, it will not differ much from a walking tour: adults 150 rubles, children - 60. But emotions will be much stronger and brighter.

If you are afraid to go inside, you can take a walk near the entrance to the cave, capture the original footage. Entrance to such a walk will cost children under 10 years old 30 rubles, the rest - 50 rubles.
But I think that you need to overcome all your fears, go inside and make sure that there is nothing terrible there. But there is a lot of interesting and fascinating things. Of course, there was a slight discomfort in the form of a very cold water knee-deep and clouds of mosquitoes. But that didn't spoil the tour at all. Positive emotions drowned out all the bad. On top of all that, caves are my passion. And I was delighted that I could sail through such a place on a boat.

TOTAL

After the tour ended, we got out of the cave. The valley seemed to us even more picturesque, its colors sparkled with bright colors.

The clothes in the sun became dry very quickly, and we warmed up. We also saw some mushrooms near the cave.

I don’t know much about them, but it seems to me that they were fly agarics. Probably, the witches brewed their terrible potions from them.

The Cave of the Witches can be found at the coordinates: N 44.015621, E 39.365446. The likelihood that you will use them is very small, because there are signs and trails everywhere.

Have you ever been to the valley of the Ashe River? What natural scenes have you most excited about - the view of the waterfalls, the Cave of the Witches, or the man-made bridges?

Another one-day itinerary with Roma and his group. Roma took a new action camera with him for the first time.Photo report from the already regular companions of the routes with Roma, a married couple from Novomikhailovka.So this time the company gathered is not small: there are four of us from Krasnodar, two from Novomikhailovka, and for the first time a couple from Krivenkovskaya was with us. On three cars.

We arrived at the stop "Dolmen" in the Ashe valley - here is the official stop of bus number 159 "Lazarevskoye - Kalezh". There are two dolmens, next to the ticket office, a summer cafe, etc. But at the end of February, visiting the dolmens "Kapibg" [without the "e" at the end] is free.

Having examined the commercial dolmens, we drove into the Kapibge valley and left the cars in a clearing. Above the valley is a capital recreation center, which receives tourists during the season. The base superintendent was asked : "Is there a path up the Kapibga to the waterfalls?" Says: "No." Well, we're not used to it. But as it turned out quite recently, high on the orographic port side of the Kapibge, a road was cut for off-road vehicles directly to the waterfalls (see map). More precisely between the "first" (lower) and "second". Unfortunately, we only found out about this when we climbed the Mizeguh rock and saw a new road from there.

The path along the Kapibge gorge cannot be called simple. In places, however, an old portage appeared, but it was always interrupted by blockages and thickets. So 2 km. the passage through the valley of Kapibge was exhausted decently.

The waterfall was not as impressive as expected. There is little water. Yes, and the height of 40 m declared in the last route is clearly exaggerated: https://fotki.ya ndex.ru/users/ft tuf/album/426921. Then the height of the waterfall was measured by the difference between the altimeter readings in the navigator above the waterfall and at the foot. All the cascades of the "lower waterfall" were taken into account, perhaps the navigator in the canyon "breathed". Therefore, this time we "lowered" the height of the waterfall twice, to 20 meters, which is also quite a lot!

We returned to the confluence and began to climb without a path to the Mizeguh rocks. In general, the trails in this route were tight. Although in some places along the way we came across old inscriptions on trees, in one place of the ascent we saw ancient mounds...

Last time we went through the "Wolf Passage" pass and then "drilled" for a long time along the overgrown ridge to the Mizeguh rock. This time we decided to climb directly to the rocks. It's cool at the top, but this way seemed more optimal.

Imagine our surprise when we met about 20 Sochi tourists on the top of the Mizeguh rock. Wow, this place is popular! Barely placed all on a small rocky patch. Sochi people climbed from the south of the dolmens (we are going there), and then went along the ridge towards Mount Mizeguh. By the way, Sochi residents call these rocks "Wolf teeth". Let there be a double name.
The view from the panoramic point is magnificent. The truth was unlucky with the weather, it even started to rain. Nevertheless, we saw Fisht - it means "it was not in vain that we went."

The descent to the dolmens cannot be called simple. There are no paths, thickets. We went to the dolmen with a cork along our previous track. Roma was surprised to find that on the OSM map in the navigator, the dolmens are not shown there. But we are no longer surprised. We know that all the points of the dolmens at the headwaters of the Unexpected River on the OSM map are not correct. This was confirmed last year. Some kind of "pest" inflicted them, or vice versa - the "keeper" of the dolmens. So that the "left" tourists do not roam here, but only the elite ...

The dolmen is located on the left slope of the beam, on the right slope two more unfinished dolmens were found. Sochinets was also mentioned about a small, well-preserved dolmen on a hillock - 200m. from a dolmen with a cork. But we didn't find it.

From the unfinished dolmens along the right bank of the beam there is an old portage, and from the dolmen with a cork along the left bank there is an overgrown path. All of them lead to the road crossing numerous beams from the headwaters of the river Unexpected. This is a technological road along the cable laid from the Ashe valley to the Makopse valley. The road, although overgrown, is being destroyed, but it helps out a lot. And then we are already worn out walking without trails through the thickets.

On the way we walked a little towards Makopse to visit the dolmen by the road. He is half asleep. But if you look inside, you can see that a cork is inserted into the hole, which is covered with a layer of earth. So this dolmen with a cork.

But it's time to return. Everyone was tired, so they decided not to go directly to the cars through the top of Mizeguh. We went around along the road, through Hatlape. These are cottages on a small right tributary of the river. Ashe.

We crossed the pass (conditionally - "Khatlape") from the valley of Unexpected to the valley of Ashe and began to steep road descend to Hatlap. But suddenly good road instead of going down, it went up steeply. Probably in this place it is more logical to go along the bad overgrown road to the dachas (not sure if the road is normal). We decided to take the good road. Clearly lost in time. But they came to a pretty bamboo grove, which Roma especially liked.

The road went down to the asphalt highway along Ashe, almost next to the cottages of Khatlape. On the asphalt we returned to the cars. They got home in the dark.

If they ask which area of ​​Sochi is more stretched along the sea, answer - Lazarevskoye. The Ashe River, by the way, almost evenly separates its northwestern quarter from the space of this resort, bordering on the urban district. And it also divides the village of Ashe into two wonderful resort recreations - the beaches of the campsites "Bereg" and "Astra". But the most famous of what the river is famous for is the waterfalls Psydakh (“beautiful water”) and Shapsug. And a trip along a low-water channel - The best way explore them.

Where is the Ashe River on the map?

The map shows: the object flows in the northwestern quarter of the region, while having a source at the very border with the Apsheron region, and a mouth in the village of Ashe.

Origin and legends

The birth of Ashe is associated with a very old mountain-building activity. It appeared on the section of two ridges - on the southern slope of the Main Caucasian massif.

The widest spill is located in the middle of Scriabin Street (Ashe settlement). Greatest depth reservoir - 1.5 m. However, total area The catchment area in this basin is 279 sq. km. km (hundreds of streams flow here). Sometimes the river is very full-flowing - for example, in August 1991 it overflowed its banks and flooded Kalezh.

The name of the reservoir is translated from Adyghe as "weapon". The river "thunders" like a saber that hits the rest of the horseman's equipment during the race. However, the word "ashe" did not take root among the Kuban Cossacks. They called the winding water stream Bekish. Its upper reaches are still called by this hydronym. Circassians-Shapsugs have been living here since ancient times.

Myths and legends

The legends of the shepherds who lived here - the ancestors of modern aborigines - say that the river tracts have many secrets. One of them is connected with the Rock of the Old Men, from where, in times of famine, the Shapsugs dumped sick and infirm (very elderly) relatives.

However, one inhabitant of the nearest aul hid his father in a cave and visited him, receiving a lot of life advice. One of these recommendations saved the village, as a result, the elderly have since ceased to be killed. Ribbons are now tied in the mountain grotto.

One of the myths also concerns the Psy Dah waterfall, which for some reason was dubbed the "Bride's Stream". Apparently, this is due to the fact that tour guides attribute the function of increasing female beauty and reproductive health to high rapids in the Caucasus. Therefore, the first passage here was called the "Bridge of Desires" (most likely, women's).

There is also a legend about the Cave of the Witches (Takhir) - a geological cavity in which the Udds (Adyghe witches) allegedly conjured. Her second name is the House of Spirits (the witches seemed to communicate with them).

River rest in Lazarevsky

The water artery, having a length of 40 km, can be considered as equipped tourist route With paid entrance. It has 5 objects to visit. Following Kalezh are:

• Rock of the Old Men - above the plantations of the "northernmost in the world" tea;
• Cave of the Witches - right bank, partially flooded;
• turn to the site of dolmens - the right bank, a long walk to the west;
• - left bank, three cascades, shopping mall arranged at the bottom;
• Shapsug waterfall - on the left, 600 m above the last cascade of Psydakh.

The most famous tributary of the Ashe is the Big Pseushkho. There are also hiking trails along it, which could be used by trained trekkers. on Psydy is an event that is very appropriate in this environmentally attractive location. Nearby is the same beautiful threshold - Shapsug. Both there and there are wonderful safe observation decks. Under the Rock of the Old Men, they sell tea grown here and wine obtained from berries from local vineyards.

However, the main valley of the Ashe River is more suitable for recreation. In the Krasnodar Territory, they are well aware of how unusual landscapes can really be found here. It is called the Emerald - because of the shade that tall coniferous trees give to the local landscape. Here grow the ubiquitous hornbeam, beech, mountain chestnut.

Fish are found here too. More on this will be discussed at the end of our review. Buy everything you need before moving on tent parking you can in the village of Kalezh. This more or less civilized village lies at the very end of highway 03K-444. Further, only rubble awaits you, and at the sights themselves there are well-found dirt trails, in some places with handrails.

How to get to the mouth?

Take the local train to the Ashe station and return to the bridge along the embankment. By car from Lazarevsky, you will have to overcome the following route:

Note to the tourist

• Address: p. Ashe, Lazarevsky microdistrict, Sochi, Krasnodar region, Russia.
• GPS coordinates: 44.004754, 39.406217.

Look at the photos dedicated to this picturesque reservoir. Excellent fishing awaits you on its coast. The Ashe River is a habitat for trout and mullet (it enters the channel from the sea). And there is also an exotic river fauna - red-eyed, barbeled and black-bellied. By the way, the reviews of anglers claim that the best place for fishing it will open only to those who will move to the upper reaches, having moved 23 times from one bank of the channel to the other! Well, in conclusion, as always, an interesting video clip awaits you, enjoy watching!