Mikhail Lomonosov, the fisherman's son who walked to Moscow in the winter of 1730 and became Russia's first great scientist, poet, chemist and founder of its first university, was born on an island in the Northern Dvina just outside Kholmogory. His home village now carries his name and has a museum devoted to him, with displays on his life and the Pomor world he came from. For Russians the story of the boy who followed a fish convoy to the capital and changed the country's intellectual life is a kind of national legend.
Kholmogory itself is a quiet village of about four thousand people, but it was once among the most important places in the Russian north. Before Arkhangelsk was founded in the late sixteenth century, this was the main trading town on the Dvina, the seat of governors and archbishops, and the point where English and Dutch merchants came to trade. When the port moved downstream, Kholmogory slowly faded, leaving a few old churches, a cathedral and a sense of past grandeur in a modest setting. The area is famous for two things: a breed of black-and-white dairy cattle, and delicate bone carving, a craft that has been practised here for centuries.
The Dvina valley around Kholmogory is broad and flat, with meadows, channels, islands and forest. In spring the river floods, sometimes dramatically, and in summer the meadows are full of wildflowers and cattle. The roads here follow the valley, mostly flat, with long straights, occasional bends and a surface that varies from good to poor. Traffic is light, but watch for farm vehicles and loose animals. In summer, the white nights mean long, bright evenings, while mosquitoes near the water can be fierce.
The village has a shop or two and simple cafes, and fuel should be available along the main road, though it is worth filling up in Arkhangelsk, about seventy kilometres north, before setting out. The Lomonosov museum is a short ride away, and makes a good stop for anyone interested in Russian history. Take time to wander the old churches, look out over the river, and imagine the merchant ships that once tied up here.