Why this ride
A 97 km round trip from Peterhof - roughly 1 h 55 in the saddle. On the way it passes Petrovsky, Historic Centre of Saint Petersburg and Re and The Colonizer's Park. It was put together for the scenery rather than the shortest line.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
The Colonizer's Park and Historic Centre of Saint Petersburg and Re
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 97 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 1 h 55
- 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
For 16 km this is Saint Petersburg Imperial Shore, a road with a name of its own and a reason for it — expect company on a summer weekend. Early is better than fast.
Chapter facts
- Length
- 16 km
- Named road
- Saint Petersburg Imperial Shore
A-121 Ladoga and Sortavala
18 km through ground somebody thought worth listing. The road passes it rather than bypassing it. Speed drops and stays down. Park rather than crawl through.
Chapter facts
- Length
- 17 km
- Named road
- A-121 Ladoga and Sortavala
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. The Colonizer's Park
Peterhof sits on the south shore of the Gulf of Finland, about half an hour's ride west of central Saint Petersburg when the traffic behaves, and the Colonists' Park is one of its quieter green corners. Most visitors come for the Grand Cascade and the gilded fountains of the Lower Park and never notice that the wider Peterhof estate is a patchwork of separate gardens laid out by different tsars over a couple of centuries. This one belongs to the later, more relaxed layer: lawns, big trees, ponds and paths meant for strolling rather than for impressing ambassadors.
Read the complete The Colonizer's Park write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
The Colonizer's Park is where the day begins. Next is Petrovsky.
2. Petrovsky
The label is a puzzle: Petrovsky could refer to any of a dozen places in a city named after Peter the Great, and it is safest to treat it as a viewpoint on his great project, the opening of Russia to the sea. Whatever the exact spot, the landscape is unmistakable: flat shore, reeds, wide grey water, and on the horizon the dome of the Kronstadt cathedral and the line of the flood barrier.
Read the complete Petrovsky write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Petrovsky comes up 17 km in. Next is Historic Centre of Saint Petersburg and Re.
3. Historic Centre of Saint Petersburg and Re
Saint Petersburg began here, on Hare Island in the Neva, where Peter the Great laid the foundations of the Peter and Paul Fortress in 1703. The fortress, with its tall golden spire above the cathedral where Russian emperors are buried, still marks the heart of the city, and from its walls you look across the river to the Winter Palace, the Hermitage and the long granite embankments that make the city one of the most beautiful in Europe. The historic centre and its related monuments form a World Heritage Site.
Read the complete Historic Centre of Saint Petersburg and Re write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
34 km in you reach Historic Centre of Saint Petersburg and Re. Next is back through Petrovsky.
4. Back to The Colonizer's Park
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete The Colonizer's Park write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Petrovsky, late in the day. Next is The Colonizer's Park.
5. The Colonizer's Park
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete The Colonizer's 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 Colonizer's Park. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
The Colonizer's Park to Petrovsky
The Colonizer's Park → Petrovsky is 16 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Petrovsky to Historic Centre of Saint Petersburg and Re
Petrovsky → Historic Centre of Saint Petersburg and Re is 17 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Historic Centre of Saint Petersburg and Re to Back to The Colonizer's Park
Historic Centre of Saint Petersburg and Re → Back to The Colonizer's Park is 32 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.