Why this ride
A 91 km round trip from Gatchina - roughly 1 h 49 in the saddle. On the way it passes Dudergofskaya Elevation, Pulkovskaya Observatory and back through Dudergofskaya Elevation.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Historical Centre of the Town of Gatchina and Pulkovskaya Observatory
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 91 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 1 h 49
- 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.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Historical Centre of the Town of Gatchina
Gatchina is the kind of town you reach by flat, straight Ingrian roads, and the first impression is of birch, pine and wide skies rather than anything dramatic. Forty-odd kilometres south-west of St Petersburg, it sits on land that was once swampy and sparsely settled, until the eighteenth century decided otherwise. Catherine the Great gave the estate to her favourite Grigory Orlov, and the architect Antonio Rinaldi built him a severe, castle-like palace of local limestone beside a lake. After Orlov died it passed to her son Paul, who made it his private kingdom, drilled his soldiers on the parade ground and added the odd fortress-style touches that suited his nature.
Read the complete Historical Centre of the Town of Gatchina write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Historical Centre of the Town of Gatchina is where the day begins. Next is Dudergofskaya Elevation.
2. Dudergofskaya Elevation
The land around St Petersburg is almost perfectly flat, so any hill gets noticed. The Duderhof Heights, a pair of wooded hills rising south of the city near Krasnoye Selo, are the highest ground for many kilometres around, with the higher one, Voronya Gora or Crow Hill, reaching a little under two hundred metres above sea level. From the top, on a clear day, you can see the gilded domes of the city and the waters of the Gulf of Finland.
Read the complete Dudergofskaya Elevation write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Dudergofskaya Elevation comes up about 17 km into the recorded legs. Next is Pulkovskaya Observatory.
3. Pulkovskaya Observatory
On the Pulkovo heights, the low ridge south of St Petersburg, an observatory has been watching the sky since 1839. It was founded by Friedrich Georg Wilhelm von Struve, the German-born astronomer who became its first director, and it quickly became one of the leading observatories in the world, with the largest refracting telescope of its day. The Pulkovo meridian, running through the observatory's main building, served as the reference for Russian maps for many years. Struve also led the measurement of the Struve Geodetic Arc, a chain of survey triangulations stretching from the Arctic Ocean to the Black Sea, which helped determine the size and shape of the earth and is now a UNESCO site.
Read the complete Pulkovskaya Observatory write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 48 km into the recorded legs you reach Pulkovskaya Observatory. Next is back through Dudergofskaya Elevation.
4. back through Dudergofskaya Elevation
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Dudergofskaya Elevation write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Dudergofskaya Elevation, late in the day. Next is Historical Centre of the Town of Gatchina.
5. Historical Centre of the Town of Gatchina
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Historical Centre of the Town of Gatchina write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at Historical Centre of the Town of Gatchina. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Historical Centre of the Town of Gatchina to Dudergofskaya Elevation
Historical Centre of the Town of Gatchina → Dudergofskaya Elevation is 17 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Dudergofskaya Elevation to Pulkovskaya Observatory
Dudergofskaya Elevation → Pulkovskaya Observatory is 31 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Pulkovskaya Observatory to back through Dudergofskaya Elevation
Pulkovskaya Observatory → back through Dudergofskaya Elevation is 26 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Dudergofskaya Elevation to Historical Centre of the Town of Gatchina
back through Dudergofskaya Elevation → Historical Centre of the Town of Gatchina is 17 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.