Kotlin Island is a long, thin sliver of land in the Gulf of Finland, and Kronstadt, its fortress-town, was founded by Peter the Great in 1704 to guard the sea approaches to his new capital. It became the base of the Russian Baltic Fleet, and ring after ring of forts, batteries and ramparts was built on the island and on artificial islands around it. The Northern Battery No. 1 is one of those fortifications, a low military work on the north shore of Kotlin, part of a defensive system that went on being added to for more than two centuries.
Today the island is linked to the mainland by a long flood barrier, a vast engineering project completed around 2011 to protect Saint Petersburg from storm surges. A road runs along the barrier, and the crossing is one of the strangest rides in the region, with the gulf stretching out on one side and the open sea on the other. Weather can change quickly on the dam, with strong winds and sudden rain, so check conditions and be prepared for gusts that push a bike sideways. Within Kronstadt the streets are straight and wide, and traffic is light.
Kronstadt itself has about forty-three thousand people and is a place with services, shops and cafes, about four kilometres from the battery. For fuel, use stations on the mainland side before crossing, or in Kronstadt town. Gorskaya, farther along the coast, is smaller. The town's great naval cathedral, with its huge gilded dome, was restored in the 2010s and stands as one of the city's most visible landmarks. In 1921, the sailors of Kronstadt rose against the Bolshevik government in a rebellion that was crushed within days, a bloody episode that still shapes the town's memory.
If you visit the battery, be aware that access to military zones in Russia can be restricted, so check what is open before you go. The shore here is windy and bleak, with rusted iron, granite blocks and shallow grey water. It is a stark, impressive place, and a reminder of how much effort was spent defending a city that sits so exposed on the sea.