Why this ride
A 268 km round trip from Shushary - roughly 4 h in the saddle. On the way it passes Zelenogorsky, The Road of Life and Pulkovskaya Observatory. It was put together for the scenery rather than the shortest line.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Pulkovskaya Observatory and The Road of Life
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 268 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 3 h 47
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
The recorded total and the leg detail need reconciliation. Inspect the leg notes before using this record for timing or navigation. 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 61 km this is Saint Petersburg Imperial Shore, a road with a name of its own and a reason for it.
Chapter facts
- Length
- 59 km
- Named road
- Saint Petersburg Imperial Shore
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. 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
Pulkovskaya Observatory is where the day begins. Next is Zelenogorsky.
2. Zelenogorsky
The northern shore of the Gulf of Finland, west of Saint Petersburg, was for centuries the summer playground of the capital, and Zelenogorsk, which the Finns called Terijoki, was the best known of its resort towns.
Read the complete Zelenogorsky write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Zelenogorsky comes up 78 km in. 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
156 km in you reach The Road of Life. Next is back through Zelenogorsky.
4. Back to 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
back through Zelenogorsky, late in the day. Next is Pulkovskaya Observatory.
5. 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
Back at Pulkovskaya Observatory. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Pulkovskaya Observatory to Zelenogorsky
Pulkovskaya Observatory → Zelenogorsky is 59 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Zelenogorsky to The Road of Life
Zelenogorsky → The Road of Life is 92 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
The Road of Life to Back to Pulkovskaya Observatory
The Road of Life → Back to Pulkovskaya Observatory is 70 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.