Russky Island is Vladivostok's offshore backyard, a hilly knuckle of land separated from the mainland by the narrow Eastern Bosphorus strait. For a century it was a military fortress, closed and ringed with batteries and barracks, and many of the forts and bunkers still stand in the woods and along the shore, grey and overgrown. Then, in the run-up to the 2012 APEC summit, the island was suddenly opened up with new roads, a university campus and a bridge that made headlines around the world.
That bridge is the first thing to ride. The Russky Bridge is a cable-stayed span with a central section of 1,104 metres, the longest of its type in the world, and crossing it on a bike is a small event in itself, with the strait far below and the Vladivostok skyline behind you. Wind can be strong on the deck, so keep both hands steady. Once across, the roads wind among hills, past quiet bays and fort ruins, with a surface that is usually good near the campus and rougher on the secondary tracks. There is little traffic on weekdays, though Saturday afternoons draw city families to the beaches.
Fuel and food are available but limited, with a few stations and cafes around the main settlements, and Vladivostok itself, eleven kilometres away, is the place for serious supplies. The nearest village, Russkiy, has some five thousand people, and Popova a handful more. Take water and something to eat if you plan to explore the quieter coastal tracks, since you may find yourself on a headland with a view of the Sea of Japan and nothing to buy.
The island's nature is surprisingly rich for such a small place. Oak and lime woods, wild grape and Manchurian walnut grow on the hillsides, and the air smells of salt and warm leaves in summer. Fog rolls in from the sea in early summer and can swallow the bridge, so choose a clear day. Autumn is the best season, with warm days, clear light and deep colours, before the winter wind arrives. A loop around the island is a pleasant half day, and the sunset over the strait is reward enough.