Terney is the end of the line for most travellers on this coast, a small settlement of nearly four thousand people at the head of a bay in the far north of Primorsky Krai. The bay was named in the eighteenth century by the French navigator La Pérouse, who honoured a French admiral, and the settlement has been a base for exploration, fishing and forestry ever since. The Sikhote-Alin Nature Reserve has its administrative centre here, and the surrounding hills are the homeland of the Udege people, who have lived by hunting and fishing in these forests for centuries.
The name Terney also belongs to literature. The explorer and writer Vladimir Arsenyev travelled through this country in the early twentieth century, and his account of his guide Dersu Uzala, a hunter of the Nanai people, became a classic, later turned into the film by Akira Kurosawa. If you have read or seen it, the forest around Terney will look familiar, thick and dark, with a feeling of watching eyes. The settlement has a small museum that recalls the history of the area and its people, and it is worth a visit if it is open.
The road from Plastun is a long ride through wild country, with moderate bends, patchy asphalt and gravel sections, and views of forested ridges and distant sea. Traffic is almost non-existent, and wildlife is a real hazard, especially at dusk. Weather changes quickly: fog and rain can come in from the coast, and cold nights are common even in summer. The best time to ride is late August to early October, when rain is less frequent and the forest colours begin to deepen.
Terney has shops, a few cafes and a fuel station, though supplies can be limited, so arrive with a sensible reserve. There is nowhere larger nearby, so you will be self-reliant. Take a moment to walk to the shore, where the wide bay opens to the sea and the hills close in behind, and think about how few people have ever seen this place. It is remote, a little windswept, and very satisfying to reach after a long day in the saddle.