Chkalovsk has been named after a pilot, and it knows it. Valery Chkalov, born in 1904 in the village of Vasilyovo on the Volga, became the most celebrated test pilot of the Soviet Union in the 1930s, and in the summer of 1937 he flew a single-engine ANT-25 non-stop from Moscow over the North Pole to Vancouver, Washington, about sixty-three hours in the air. It was a feat that made headlines around the world. Chkalov died in 1938 testing a new fighter, and the town was renamed in his honour. His house is now a museum, with a modest family home, a collection of photographs and a hall devoted to aviation, and there is a monument in the town centre.
Beyond that, the place is a quiet Volga river town of thirteen thousand people, on the left bank of the Gorky Reservoir, a few kilometres above the dam at Gorodets. The land on this side is flat and marshy, with pine and birch woods running back from the water, and the houses are mostly wooden. The reservoir spreads wide and shallow, with islands, reed beds and seabirds, and it is a favourite spot for anglers. In May, flooded meadows turn the shore into a mirror of sky.
The surrounding roads are quiet and wide, built for lorries and light traffic, with long straights and few bends. The surface is generally fair, with patches and joints, and you need to watch for animals, cyclists and the occasional tractor on the shoulder. Summer afternoons can be hot, with thunderstorms building in the evening, and autumn rain can make the roadside muddy. It is not dramatic riding, but it has a calm that suits a slow day, and you can follow the shore on small roads between villages.
For practicalities, Chkalovsk has a few petrol stations on the main roads, shops and cafés where you can eat a hot meal of soup and meat pies. If you need more choice, Zavolzhye, about seventeen kilometres away, is bigger, and the city of Nizhny Novgorod is not far. Accommodation is simple, with guest houses and a hotel.
Visit the museum if the hours suit, and stand by the water. The sky over the reservoir is wide, and it seems fitting for a pilot.