Sestroretsk is a small town on the north shore of the Gulf of Finland, in a landscape of pine-covered dunes, shallow bays and lakes, and it has an industrial origin that surprises visitors. In 1721 Peter the Great founded an arms factory on the Sestra river here, and a dam created a broad reservoir to power it. That reservoir, Razliv, which means flood or spill, is the lake that gives the place its name. The water, ringed by reeds and birches, is a favourite spot for locals to swim, fish and walk.
Razliv has another claim to fame in Russian history. In the summer of 1917, when the Provisional Government was hunting for Vladimir Lenin, he hid in a hay shed and then a hut by the lake, disguised and in the company of a loyal worker, planning the revolution from there. The hut and a memorial are now a museum, set among trees on the shore, and the story is retold with great pride in Soviet-era guidebooks. Whatever you think of the politics, the setting is tranquil, and the idea of a revolution plotted in a hay shed has a certain absurd romance.
Riding along the north shore is relaxing. The roads run through pine forest and past dachas, with gentle bends and good surfaces, and in summer the beaches at Sestroretsk are crowded with sunbathers. The coast road offers views of the gulf and the hazy outline of Kronstadt, and the wind off the water keeps the air fresh. Traffic builds on summer weekends as city dwellers head for the seaside, so avoid late afternoon on Fridays and Sundays. The best months are June to September, and the winter roads can be icy.
Sestroretsk has fuel stations, shops, cafés and a long promenade, and Tarkhovka and Razliv have smaller services. Try smoked fish from the gulf or a bowl of fish soup called ukha, and a glass of kvass, a mildly fermented bread drink sold from tanks in summer. Walk along the shore at sunset, when the light is long and gold, and the dunes and pines glow.