Zavidovo is known across Russia less for the village than for the forest that surrounds it. That huge woodland, between the Volga and the Shosha rivers, was set aside in the 1930s as a hunting reserve for the Soviet leadership, and generations of officials hunted its elk, deer and wild boar behind fences and checkpoints. Today the core of the reserve is a national park, and the woods that surround it are among the richest in the Moscow region, with spruce, pine and birch stands, marshes and quiet lakes.
The Volga is the other force in the landscape. Here the river was dammed in the 1930s to create the Ivankovo Reservoir, known as the Moscow Sea, a large artificial lake that feeds the Moscow Canal and gives the capital its drinking water. The shore at Zavidovo is a favourite spot for anglers, sailors and weekenders from the capital, and the village has grown to a sizeable settlement of several thousand, with a mix of old wooden houses, new summer homes and the sort of leisure facilities that the reservoir brings.
The old M10 highway runs through here, and it is one of the busiest roads in Russia, carrying a huge amount of freight between Moscow and St Petersburg. Riding it is a matter of patience, with trucks, roadworks and average speed controls. The better experience is on the quiet roads that run through the forest and along the shore of the reservoir, where the surface is variable but the traffic is slight. The woods are most beautiful in autumn, when birch and aspen turn yellow among the dark conifers, and the mushroom pickers come out in force, so watch for cars parked along the verges.
Zavidovo has fuel, shops and a few cafes, with a population of seven thousand or so, and Novozavidovsky, a short way off, is similar. It is a practical place to stop on the way between Moscow and Tver, and there is enough food and rest to make it worthwhile. If you are interested in nature, check whether the park allows access on the day, since parts of the reserve are restricted. Summer evenings by the water are pleasant, but the mosquitoes are numerous in the woods, so carry repellent.