Kronstadtsky and Schlisselburg. Old Ladoga and New Ladoga c starting at Lakhtinskiy

Waypoint introductions and full write-ups

1. 1. Kronstadtsky

   This stretch is the north shore of the Gulf of Finland, the coast that runs west from the Neva delta toward Sestroretsk and the Karelian Isthmus. The label points to the Kronstadtsky district name rather than a single monument, so think of it as a tract of seaside land, with the port town of Lisiy Nos about five kilometres away and the larger suburb of Lakhtinsky eight kilometres off. Lisiy Nos means Fox's Nose, a cape that pokes out into the gulf, and from here on a clear day you can look south across the water to the low silhouette of Kotlin Island.

   Read the complete Kronstadtsky write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Kronstadtsky is where the day begins. Next is Prioratsky Park.

2. 2. Prioratsky Park

   Gatchina has a palace that most visitors head for first, but the building that makes riders and architects alike stop and stare is the little Priory Palace standing on the shore of Black Lake in Prioratsky Park. It looks like a small Gothic castle with a tower and a chapel, pale and slightly unreal against the water, and it is built of rammed earth. Nikolai Lvov, the architect and polymath, put it up around 1799 for Emperor Paul I, who had made himself Grand Master of the Knights of Malta and wanted a residence to offer the Order. The earth walls, compacted in layers and then plastered, have now survived more than two centuries of Russian winters, which is a better record than plenty of brick.

   Read the complete Prioratsky Park write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Prioratsky Park comes up about 77 km into the recorded legs. Next is Schlisselburg. Old Ladoga and New Ladoga c, 77 km on.

3. 3. Schlisselburg. Old Ladoga and New Ladoga c

   The fortress at Shlisselburg is built on an island in the river, at the very spot where the Neva leaves Lake Ladoga, and whoever held it held the water road between the Baltic and the heart of Russia. The Novgorodians built the first wooden walls in 1323, and called the place Oreshek, which means little nut, after the island's shape. Over the next four centuries it passed between Russians and Swedes, until in 1702 Peter the Great stormed it on his way to the sea, and renamed it Schlusselburg, the key fortress, a key that would unlock the Baltic. Within a year he had founded Saint Petersburg downstream.

   Read the complete Schlisselburg. Old Ladoga and New Ladoga c write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   about 164 km into the recorded legs you reach Schlisselburg. Old Ladoga and New Ladoga c. Next is back through Prioratsky Park.

4. 4. back through Prioratsky Park

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Prioratsky Park write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   back through Prioratsky Park, late in the day. Next is Kronstadtsky.

5. 5. Kronstadtsky

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Kronstadtsky write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Back at Kronstadtsky. That is the ride.