Anzer is the second-largest of the Solovetsky Islands, a small archipelago in the White Sea that has played an outsized role in Russian history. A monastery was founded on the main island in the fifteenth century, and it grew into a fortress, wealthy and powerful, with granite walls whose boulders were moved by hand. On Anzer, the monks established a hermitage, or skete, which sits on a hill: a landscape of pine, spruce, small lakes and cold sea that looks very much like Finland's coasts.
The twentieth century added a darker chapter. In the 1920s the Soviet authorities turned the monastery into a prison camp, the first of the Gulag complex, and thousands of people were held on these islands under harsh conditions. Today the monastery has been restored and is open to pilgrims, and the islands are a UNESCO World Heritage site, combining the sacred and the tragic, so a quiet and respectful manner suits the place.
For riders, the practical point is that you do not arrive by bike. The islands are reached by boat from the mainland, from the port of Kem or from Belomorsk, and the crossing takes a few hours, depending on the weather. The White Sea can be rough, with fog and cold wind, and the season is short, with the main window from June to August. In the white nights of early summer, the sun barely sets, and the light on the water is extraordinary.
Leave the bike on the mainland and plan the Karelian roads that lead to the ferry with care. They are long, straight and lonely, running through forest and bog, with few villages, so take fuel whenever you see it, and carry water and food. On the island itself, small tracks and footpaths link the churches and lakes, and bicycles are often rented. Mosquitoes in July are fierce, and a net is a wise purchase. It is the kind of place that stays with you.