Why this ride
271 km from Pushkin to Pushkin, about 4 h 00 of riding. It goes by way of The Barrier of Stone, The Road of Life and Historical Centre of the Town of Pushkin. It was put together for the scenery rather than the shortest line.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Historical Centre of the Town of Pushkin and The Road of Life
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 271 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 4 h 00
- 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
A-121 Ladoga and Sortavala
Expect company on a summer weekend. Early is better than fast. For 61 km this is A-121 Ladoga and Sortavala, a road with a name of its own and a reason for it.
Chapter facts
- Length
- 69 km
- Named road
- A-121 Ladoga and Sortavala
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Historical Centre of the Town of Pushkin
The history of the Pushkin district begins with a Swedish manor and a Russian victory, and the story of what grew there is the story of the Russian court itself. The town was long called Tsarskoye Selo, the Tsar's Village, and the great Catherine Palace, with its long blue and white facade and gilded decoration, was the summer residence of the empresses. Inside, the Amber Room, once panelled with amber, was looted during the Second World War and has been recreated in recent decades, to the delight of visitors.
Read the complete Historical Centre of the Town of Pushkin 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 Pushkin is where the day begins. Next is The Barrier of Stone.
2. The Barrier of Stone
The Barrier of Stone is a name that sounds like a medieval wall, though what is actually out here is a creature of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries: the great flood barrier that stretches across the Gulf of Finland to protect St Petersburg. The city has been flooded again and again since its foundation, because it sits at the mouth of the Neva on land barely above sea level, and when westerly storms push water up the gulf the river backs up and spills into the streets. The worst floods are remembered in literature, most famously in Pushkin's poem about the bronze horseman.
Read the complete The Barrier of Stone write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
The Barrier of Stone comes up about 69 km into the recorded legs. Next is The Road of Life.
3. The Road of Life
On the south-eastern shore of Lake Ladoga, east of Saint Petersburg, a road ends at the water. This is the start of the Road of Life, the supply route across the ice that kept Leningrad alive during the siege of 1941 to 1944. The siege lasted 872 days, from September 1941 to January 1944, and it cut the city off from nearly everything except the lake. In the first winter, when Ladoga froze, trucks and horse-drawn sledges began to cross the ice with food and fuel, and on the return journey they carried out women, children and the sick. Lorries broke through the ice, and bombing and artillery attacked the route, but it kept going.
Read the complete The Road of Life write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 181 km into the recorded legs you reach The Road of Life. Next is back through The Barrier of Stone.
4. Back to Historical Centre of the Town of Pushkin
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Historical Centre of the Town of Pushkin write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through The Barrier of Stone, late in the day. Next is Historical Centre of the Town of Pushkin.
5. Historical Centre of the Town of Pushkin
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Historical Centre of the Town of Pushkin 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 Pushkin. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Historical Centre of the Town of Pushkin to The Barrier of Stone
Historical Centre of the Town of Pushkin → The Barrier of Stone is 69 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
The Barrier of Stone to The Road of Life
The Barrier of Stone → The Road of Life is 112 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
The Road of Life to Back to Historical Centre of the Town of Pushkin
The Road of Life → Back to Historical Centre of the Town of Pushkin is 90 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.