Ships have been guided by a light on Tolbukhin island for about three centuries, and it is one of those places that makes more sense on a chart than on a road. The island lies in the Gulf of Finland, south-west of Kronstadt and out in the shallow channel that leads to Saint Petersburg, and the lighthouse on it marks the southern passage into the Neva Bay. The surrounding waters are shallow, and in the grey light of autumn the sea and the sky merge into a single pale band.
You will not ride to the lighthouse. It stands on an island that is part of the fortified system of Kotlin and Kronstadt, and the nearest point you can reach by road lies on the coast or the island's shore, looking out across the water. Even so, the label is a reminder of how this whole landscape was shaped by the sea and by defence. Peter the Great founded Saint Petersburg in 1703 and the fortress island of Kotlin, with its forts and batteries, was built to guard the approach from Sweden.
The coast around here is flat and green, with pine, birch and reed beds meeting a shallow sea that freezes in winter. In summer the light stays soft until very late, the famous white nights, and in autumn the gulls and ducks move through in great numbers. The air smells of salt, wet wood and diesel from the harbour. It is not dramatic scenery, but it has a quiet northern beauty.
Riding in this area means long, straight roads with modest traffic and occasional rough patches. The Dam, the huge flood barrier that stretches across the gulf and carries a motorway, is the only land link between Kotlin and the mainland. Wind off the water can be strong, and fog sometimes rolls in without warning. Check the weather before you set off and keep your speed measured.
Kronstadt, eight kilometres away, is the town for fuel and food, with forty thousand people and a long naval tradition. Bring warm layers even in summer, because the wind off the gulf is cool.