The Volkhonskoe Highway is not a scenic mountain road but a historic route on the southern edge of Saint Petersburg, running out from the city towards Gorelovo and the old road to Krasnoye Selo. It belongs to the network of eighteenth and nineteenth century highways that linked the capital with the imperial residences and military camps to the south and west, and it is included in the wider protected area of the historic centre of Saint Petersburg and its related monuments. What you see today is a mix of suburban growth, open fields and stretches of tree-lined road, with the ghosts of history underneath.
That history is heavy here. During the Second World War, the front line of the Siege of Leningrad ran very close to this area, along the Pulkovo heights and through the villages to the south west. For almost nine hundred days the city was encircled, and fierce fighting took place across these fields. Memorials and monuments are scattered along the roads, and the landscape still carries traces of trenches and fortifications in places.
Riding here is mostly about connecting the city with the palaces and parks to the south and west, such as Gatchina, with its Prioratsky Palace built of compressed earth, and Peterhof on the Gulf of Finland. The roads are generally flat and straight, with heavy traffic close to the city and a mix of surfaces, from good asphalt to potholed stretches. Drivers can be impatient, and road markings are not always clear, so defensive riding is a good habit. Summer is the riding season, with the white nights of June offering long, light evenings that are a remarkable experience on a bike.
Gorelovo, with over twenty thousand residents, and the larger suburbs nearby have all the services you could need, including fuel, food and shops. The weather can be changeable, with rain likely at any time and temperatures that can be cool even in summer. Winter is long and harsh, with snow and ice making riding impractical for several months. For travellers from abroad, it is worth checking current entry rules and travel advice before planning any ride in Russia, as conditions have changed significantly in recent years.