Before the dam was built in the 1950s the river ran narrower and faster, and the ruins of the medieval city stood further above the water. Today the shoreline is a gentle mix of sandbanks, reedbeds, birch and willow, and the water on a calm summer evening is the colour of pewter.
What interests a rider more than the ruins, perhaps, is the country around them. Tatarstan is a rich agricultural republic, and the road network is better than you might expect, with new surfaces and wide shoulders on the main routes and a web of side roads between villages. The rolling land, black earth and fields of sunflower, rape and wheat give a patchwork of yellow, green and gold, and in late summer the combine harvesters are out on every slope. Villages are marked by painted wooden houses with carved eaves, and by the green-domed mosques, which are as typical as the Orthodox churches of the neighbouring regions. This mixture of Islam and Orthodox Christianity is a source of local pride, and Tatars and Russians have lived together for centuries.
Kazan, with its Kremlin, mosque and lively streets, is the natural starting point, and the road down the Volga passes the island town of Sviyazhsk, founded by Ivan the Terrible in 1551 as a base for the conquest of Kazan, with a monastery on a green island. The road to Bolgar runs through the town of Zelenodolsk and then along the river, with wide views across the water. A day on the road can pass without much traffic, apart from slow farm vehicles, and the main hazards are potholes at the edge, livestock and the sudden showers that blow in from the west.
Fill the tank before leaving the main road. A glass of strong black tea with a sweet pastry, taken at a roadside cafe, is part of the local style. Be sure to check the current rules for foreign travellers and vehicles in Russia before planning a trip here.