Teriberka had the misfortune of being filmed beautifully. In 2014, Andrey Zvyagintsev made Leviathan here, a bleak drama about a man and the local authorities, shot against the rusting hulks and grey surf of this Barents Sea village, and the film turned an obscure fishing settlement at the end of a long road into a destination. It had been a place of Pomors and Sami for centuries, then a Soviet fishing collective that employed thousands, and then a ghost of itself when the fish processing collapsed after 1991. Its population is a little over a thousand now, though in summer it fills with visitors.
The ride up from Murmansk is the real draw. The road covers about a hundred and twenty kilometres through tundra, over a barren plateau of low hills, lakes and boulders, where the trees stop and reindeer wander. It has been rebuilt in recent years, and the tarmac is generally good, though frost heave and patches appear. Weather is violent: fog, sleet and strong winds can come in at any time of the year, and a calm blue morning can turn to white-out within an hour. In winter, the road can be closed by snow and drifts, and driving is a serious undertaking.
Teriberka itself sits where a river meets the sea, with colourful wooden houses, a few modern hotels, and boats pulled up on the shore. In winter, the Northern Lights can be seen on clear nights, and in summer, midnight sun makes the evening endless.
Fuel is the thing to plan carefully. There may be a station or two in the village, but the reliable supply is in Murmansk, so fill up before you set out and think about your range for the round trip. Cell coverage is intermittent. The nearest sizeable town is Kola, near Murmansk, and in an emergency you may be some distance from help.
The Barents Sea is the edge of the Arctic Ocean, and the water is dark, cold and powerful. Stand by it for a moment, and notice how big the sky is.