Onega is a timber town at the mouth of its river, where the Onega empties into the shallow Onega Bay of the White Sea. It is a Pomor place, which means that its identity is tied to the people who settled this coast centuries ago, fishing, trading, building boats, and sailing north toward the Arctic. About twenty thousand people live here now, in a mix of wooden houses, Soviet blocks, sawmills and port buildings, with a feel that is plain, windy and a bit worn at the edges.
The place has long been a centre of the timber trade. Logs float down the river, are sawn at the mills, and are loaded onto ships at the port, and the smell of fresh sawdust is a constant. In earlier centuries, Onega was an important point on the routes to the Solovetsky monastery and the northern fisheries, and it sent timber and fish as far as western Europe. Peter the Great built ships on this coast, and the White Sea was Russia's only sea route to the west until the founding of Saint Petersburg.
The road to Onega from Arkhangelsk is a long, quiet northern route through forest, bog and river valleys, with a mix of good tarmac and patched sections. The traffic includes timber lorries, which kick up spray in wet weather, and you should leave generous room. Wind and fog are common near the coast, and in summer the light stays on late into the night. The best season is June to September, with a short, mosquito-ridden high summer, and by October the weather turns raw.
Fuel is easy in the town, which has several stations, and supermarkets, cafés and basic accommodation. It is the last large town before the empty coast, so stock up on food and water, and check your tyres.
Walk down to the river mouth in the evening. The water is wide and slow, the sky is pale, and the sea beyond is a long way from anywhere.