Why this ride
A 76 km round trip from Pushkin - roughly 1 h 29 in the saddle. It goes by way of Dudergof, Izhorsky Bench and back through Dudergof.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
The Babolovsky Park and Izhorsky Bench
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 76 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 1 h 29
- 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. The Babolovsky Park
Inside a ruined palace in a quiet park south of Saint Petersburg sits one of the strangest objects in Russia: a gigantic bath carved from a single block of granite, more than five metres across, made in the early nineteenth century by the stonemason Samson Sukhanov for the Babolovsky palace. The palace, a small Gothic style residence built for Catherine the Great's favourite Prince Potemkin, was later rebuilt and then ruined during the Second World War, but the bath was too heavy to move and remains inside the shell of the building.
Read the complete The Babolovsky Park write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
The Babolovsky Park is where the day begins. Next is Dudergof.
2. Dudergof
South-west of St Petersburg, the flat land of the Neva lowland rises unexpectedly into a pair of wooded hills, the Duderhof heights, the highest ground for many kilometres around. Their name comes from Finnish, and they have long been a landmark, used for military observation since the eighteenth century and as a summer retreat for the people of the capital. In the nineteenth century, the imperial army held its summer manoeuvres around nearby Krasnoye Selo, and the officers' villas and parade grounds became part of the social life of St Petersburg.
Read the complete Dudergof write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Dudergof comes up about 22 km into the recorded legs. Next is Izhorsky Bench.
3. Izhorsky Bench
South of St Petersburg, the flat marshy plain of the Neva lowland suddenly steps up onto a limestone plateau. Geologists call the edge a glint or bench, and here, near Russko-Vysotskoye and Kipen, it forms a low but noticeable escarpment, the northern edge of the Izhora plateau. It is one of the natural features included in the wide UNESCO listing of St Petersburg and its surroundings, which recognises not only palaces and canals but the landscape the city was built against.
Read the complete Izhorsky Bench write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 38 km into the recorded legs you reach Izhorsky Bench. Next is back through Dudergof.
4. back through Dudergof
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Dudergof write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Dudergof, late in the day. Next is The Babolovsky Park.
5. The Babolovsky Park
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete The Babolovsky Park write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at The Babolovsky Park. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
The Babolovsky Park to Dudergof
The Babolovsky Park → Dudergof is 22 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Dudergof to Izhorsky Bench
Dudergof → Izhorsky Bench is 16 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Izhorsky Bench to back through Dudergof
Izhorsky Bench → back through Dudergof is 16 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Dudergof to The Babolovsky Park
back through Dudergof → The Babolovsky Park is 22 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.