Why this ride
173 km from Gatchina to Gatchina, about 3 h 43 of riding. On the way it passes Dudergofskaya Elevation, Pulkovskaya Observatory, Historical Centre of the Town of Pavlovsk and Volkhonskoe Highway.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Historical Centre of the Town of Gatchina and Volkhonskoe Highway
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 173 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 3 h 43
- 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 Historical Centre of the Town of Pavlovsk.
4. Historical Centre of the Town of Pavlovsk
Pavlovsk was a gift. In 1777 Catherine the Great gave her son Paul, the future emperor, a stretch of forest and meadow south of Saint Petersburg, and he and his wife Maria Feodorovna turned it into one of the most elegant country residences in Russia. The Scottish architect Charles Cameron designed the palace, a pale yellow building with a shallow dome and a colonnade, and the park, which spreads over some six hundred hectares, was laid out in the English landscape manner, with winding paths, little bridges and pavilions half hidden among the trees. It is among the largest landscape parks in Europe, and walking in it on a quiet morning is a joy.
Read the complete Historical Centre of the Town of Pavlovsk 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 Pavlovsk, about halfway. Next is Volkhonskoe Highway.
5. Volkhonskoe Highway
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.
Read the complete Volkhonskoe Highway write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Volkhonskoe Highway sits at 72 km, about halfway. Next is back through Historical Centre of the Town of Pavlovsk.
6. back through Historical Centre of the Town of Pavlovsk
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Historical Centre of the Town of Pavlovsk write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Historical Centre of the Town of Pavlovsk comes up about 111 km into the recorded legs. Next is back through Pulkovskaya Observatory.
7. back through Pulkovskaya Observatory
Return visit. Read the place description above.
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 130 km into the recorded legs you reach back through Pulkovskaya Observatory. Next is back through Dudergofskaya Elevation.
8. 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.
9. 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
The route ends here after 173 km.
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 Historical Centre of the Town of Pavlovsk
Pulkovskaya Observatory → Historical Centre of the Town of Pavlovsk is 22 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Historical Centre of the Town of Pavlovsk to Volkhonskoe Highway
Historical Centre of the Town of Pavlovsk → Volkhonskoe Highway is 20 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Volkhonskoe Highway to back through Historical Centre of the Town of Pavlovsk
Volkhonskoe Highway → back through Historical Centre of the Town of Pavlovsk is 21 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Historical Centre of the Town of Pavlovsk to back through Pulkovskaya Observatory
back through Historical Centre of the Town of Pavlovsk → back through Pulkovskaya Observatory is 19 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Pulkovskaya Observatory to back through Dudergofskaya Elevation
back through 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.