Lake Ladoga is the largest lake in Europe, so big that from its shore it looks like a sea, with a horizon of open water and waves that can build to a dangerous size in autumn storms. Its northern edge, where this point lies near the small town of Lakhdenpokhya, is the most beautiful part: a coast broken into hundreds of rocky islands, inlets and narrow channels, the Ladoga skerries, carved by the ice sheet out of the granite of the Baltic Shield. Pines cling to every rock, the water is clear and dark, and the light in summer can be extraordinary.
This was Finnish territory until 1940, and Lakhdenpokhya, Lahdenpohja in Finnish, was a small port and market town. The area was fought over bitterly in the Winter War and again in the Continuation War, and you will find memorials and old fortifications in the forests. The skerries themselves have been protected as a national park, and the islands, some with old Finnish farms or chapels, are reachable by boat. North along the coast lies Sortavala, the jumping-off point for boats to the Valaam monastery, one of the most important religious sites in Russia.
The road along the northern shore of Ladoga is a joy to ride, winding between rocks, forests and inlets, with frequent glimpses of water and islands. The surface varies from new asphalt to old, patched tarmac with potholes, and there are blind bends and crests where rock walls close in. Traffic is light outside the main summer season. The best time is from June to September, when the days are long and the lake is calm; late autumn brings storms and early darkness.
Lakhdenpokhya, a few kilometres away, has fuel, shops and simple cafes, enough for a stop. Sortavala, about thirty-five kilometres north, has more choice and some good places to stay. Find a rock by the water, sit for a while and watch the light change on the islands. The lake is cold even in summer, but a quick swim from a granite ledge on a warm day is one of the great pleasures of the north.