Synevyr - Vilshany and Uzhok-Tserkva of the Synaxis of the Archan
Plan this ride
Recorded distance
504 km
Riding-time estimate
11 h 06
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.
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Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
504 km from Kolochava to Kolochava, about 11 h 06 of riding. On the way it passes Zacharovanyi Krai - Velykyi Dil, Matkiv-Tserkva of the Synaxis of the Bless, Uzhok-Tserkva of the Synaxis of the Archan and back through Matkiv-Tserkva of the Synaxis of the Bless. The stored terrain estimate reaches about 800 m; a measured road-elevation profile is not available. The line favours views over speed.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Synevyr - Vilshany
Lake Synevyr is the largest mountain lake in the Ukrainian Carpathians, a dark, deep pool surrounded by spruce forest at about a thousand metres, formed thousands of years ago when a landslide blocked a valley. It is called the sea eye, and on a calm day, it reflects the trees and the sky like a mirror. A sad legend tells of a count's daughter, Syn, who fell in love with a shepherd, Vyr; the count had the young man killed, and the girl wept so much that her tears formed the lake. The lake is the centrepiece of the Synevyr National Park, which protects a large area of old forests in Zakarpattia, and nearby there is a rehabilitation centre for brown bears rescued from captivity, where you can see them in large forest enclosures.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Synevyr - Vilshany is where the day begins. Next is Zacharovanyi Krai - Velykyi Dil.
2. Zacharovanyi Krai - Velykyi Dil
In Transcarpathia, the westernmost corner of Ukraine, the Carpathians drop down to a plain that feels more Central European than Eastern. The region was part of Hungary for a thousand years, then Czechoslovakia, then briefly independent, then the Soviet Union and finally Ukraine, and the villages carry a mix of languages, churches and foods. Zacharovanyi Krai, the Enchanted Land, is the name of a nature park in the hills of this region, with beech forests, meadows, mineral springs and small rivers.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Zacharovanyi Krai - Velykyi Dil comes up about 82 km into the recorded legs. Next is Matkiv-Tserkva of the Synaxis of the Bless.
3. Matkiv-Tserkva of the Synaxis of the Bless
Matkiv is a small village in the upper valley of the Stryi river, in the Turka district of the Lviv region, high in the Ukrainian Carpathians. Its wooden church, the tserkva of the Synaxis of the Blessed Virgin Mary, was built in the first half of the nineteenth century, and it is a fine example of the Boyko tradition, named after the highland people who have lived in these mountains for centuries. The church has three log frames topped by tiered pyramidal roofs, each level slightly smaller than the one below, and the whole building is covered in wooden shingles that have weathered to a silver grey. It is part of the UNESCO listing of wooden tserkvas of the Carpathian region in Poland and Ukraine.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 211 km into the recorded legs you reach Matkiv-Tserkva of the Synaxis of the Bless. Next is Uzhok-Tserkva of the Synaxis of the Archan.
4. Uzhok-Tserkva of the Synaxis of the Archan
Just below the pass that carries the road and railway from Uzhhorod into Galicia, the village of Uzhok keeps one of the finest wooden churches of the Carpathians. The tserkva of the Synaxis of the Archangel Michael was built in the middle of the eighteenth century in the Boyko style, with three log chambers each topped by a tiered roof, rising in stages like a set of stacked hats, all covered in wooden shingles. It stands on a slope among old trees, with a separate bell tower nearby, and it is one of the sixteen wooden tserkvas of the Carpathian region in Poland and Ukraine listed by UNESCO in 2013.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Synevyr - Vilshany closes the day.
Leg by leg
Synevyr - Vilshany to Zacharovanyi Krai - Velykyi Dil
Synevyr - Vilshany → Zacharovanyi Krai - Velykyi Dil is 82 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Zacharovanyi Krai - Velykyi Dil to Matkiv-Tserkva of the Synaxis of the Bless
Zacharovanyi Krai - Velykyi Dil → Matkiv-Tserkva of the Synaxis of the Bless is 129 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
Matkiv-Tserkva of the Synaxis of the Bless to Uzhok-Tserkva of the Synaxis of the Archan
Matkiv-Tserkva of the Synaxis of the Bless → Uzhok-Tserkva of the Synaxis of the Archan is 41 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Uzhok-Tserkva of the Synaxis of the Archan to back through Matkiv-Tserkva of the Synaxis of the Bless
Uzhok-Tserkva of the Synaxis of the Archan → back through Matkiv-Tserkva of the Synaxis of the Bless is 42 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Matkiv-Tserkva of the Synaxis of the Bless to back through Zacharovanyi Krai - Velykyi Dil
back through Matkiv-Tserkva of the Synaxis of the Bless → back through Zacharovanyi Krai - Velykyi Dil is 129 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
back through Zacharovanyi Krai - Velykyi Dil to Synevyr - Vilshany
back through Zacharovanyi Krai - Velykyi Dil → Synevyr - Vilshany is 82 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.