Why this ride
From Kronstadt it runs 298 km to Kronstadt; allow about 4 h 51 of riding. On the way it passes A.F.Orlov's Datcha, Highway Pushkin - Gatchina, The Blocade Ring and back through Highway Pushkin - Gatchina. It stays on the island.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Forts of the Island Kotlin and The Blocade Ring
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 298 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 4 h 51
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
Ordered leg totals agree within rounding. Stop distances are approximate sums of rounded legs. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Scenic road chapters
Saint Petersburg Imperial Shore
Expect company on a summer weekend. Early is better than fast. For about 49 km this is Saint Petersburg Imperial Shore, a road with a name of its own and a reason for it.
Chapter facts
- Length
- 49 km
- Named road
- Saint Petersburg Imperial Shore
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Forts of the Island Kotlin
Kotlin island carries so many forts that the usual way to describe it is as a single stone ship moored in the middle of the gulf. The whole island is fortified, and you can see the evidence from the water, from the road and from the air: low batteries, round towers, harbour walls and the great forts built on artificial islands in the shallows. Many carry the names of tsars and grand dukes, and some, like the fort known as Alexander I, have a more sinister reputation, since it was used as a research station for plague bacteria in the early twentieth century and is still called the Plague Fort.
Read the complete Forts of the Island Kotlin write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Forts of the Island Kotlin is where the day begins. Next is A.F.Orlov's Datcha, 40 km on.
2. A.F.Orlov's Datcha
Strelna lies on the south shore of the Gulf of Finland, on the road to Peterhof, and it is where Peter the Great first thought of building his seaside palace before he settled on the site a few kilometres to the west.
Read the complete A.F.Orlov's Datcha write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
A.F.Orlov's Datcha comes up about 49 km into the recorded legs. Next is Highway Pushkin - Gatchina.
3. Highway Pushkin - Gatchina
Two imperial palaces lie at either end of this road, and between them the flat country south of Saint Petersburg still carries the scars of the twentieth century's worst siege. At the northern end is Pushkin, the former Tsarskoye Selo, where the Catherine Palace stretches its blue and white façade for hundreds of metres and the reconstructed Amber Room glows inside. At the southern end is Gatchina, Paul I's palace, grey and fortress-like, in a park of lakes and islands. The historic road between them is one of the many components of the World Heritage Site of the historic centre of Saint Petersburg and its related monuments.
Read the complete Highway Pushkin - Gatchina write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 84 km into the recorded legs you reach Highway Pushkin - Gatchina. Next is The Blocade Ring.
4. The Blocade Ring
The Blockade Ring stands on the south bank of the Neva, east of Saint Petersburg, close to where the Road of Life began its journey toward Lake Ladoga. It commemorates the siege of Leningrad, which lasted from September 1941 to January 1944, roughly 872 days, and the corridor that kept the city alive. When Shlisselburg fell in September 1941, the city was cut off by land, and the only lifeline ran across Ladoga, by boat in summer and over the ice in winter.
Read the complete The Blocade Ring write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
The Blocade Ring, about halfway. Next is back through Highway Pushkin - Gatchina.
5. back through Highway Pushkin - Gatchina
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Highway Pushkin - Gatchina write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Highway Pushkin - Gatchina sits at 160 km, about halfway. Next is back through A.F.Orlov's Datcha, 40 km on.
6. back through A.F.Orlov's Datcha
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete A.F.Orlov's Datcha write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through A.F.Orlov's Datcha comes up about 251 km into the recorded legs. Next is Forts of the Island Kotlin.
7. Forts of the Island Kotlin
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Forts of the Island Kotlin write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Forts of the Island Kotlin closes the day.
Leg by leg
Forts of the Island Kotlin to A.F.Orlov's Datcha
Forts of the Island Kotlin → A.F.Orlov's Datcha is 49 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
A.F.Orlov's Datcha to Highway Pushkin - Gatchina
A.F.Orlov's Datcha → Highway Pushkin - Gatchina is 35 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Highway Pushkin - Gatchina to The Blocade Ring
Highway Pushkin - Gatchina → The Blocade Ring is 64 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
The Blocade Ring to back through Highway Pushkin - Gatchina
The Blocade Ring → back through Highway Pushkin - Gatchina is 66 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Highway Pushkin - Gatchina to back through A.F.Orlov's Datcha
back through Highway Pushkin - Gatchina → back through A.F.Orlov's Datcha is 37 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through A.F.Orlov's Datcha to Forts of the Island Kotlin
back through A.F.Orlov's Datcha → Forts of the Island Kotlin is 47 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.