Why this ride
412 km from Lomonosov to Lomonosov, about 6 h 30 of riding. It goes by way of The Village of Olgino, Volkhonskoe Highway, Prioratsky Park and The Blocade Ring. The line favours views over speed.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
The Ratkov-Rozhnov'a Estate «Dubki» and The Blocade Ring
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 412 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 6 h 30
- 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.
Scenic road chapters
Saint Petersburg Imperial Shore
Expect company on a summer weekend. Early is better than fast. For about 42 km this is Saint Petersburg Imperial Shore, a road with a name of its own and a reason for it.
Chapter facts
- Length
- 42 km
- Named road
- Saint Petersburg Imperial Shore
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. The Ratkov-Rozhnov'a Estate «Dubki»
Lomonosov used to be called Oranienbaum, and the name still describes it well: an orange tree, a German version of a Russian palace town. Prince Menshikov, Peter the Great's closest associate, began building it in the early eighteenth century, and later it passed to the imperial family. The town lies on the south shore of the Gulf of Finland, a few kilometres west of Peterhof, and the palaces and parks of Oranienbaum are part of the UNESCO listing for the historic centre of Saint Petersburg. The Ratkov-Rozhnov estate called Dubki belongs to the same belt of country dachas and manors, and it takes its name from the little oaks that once grew there.
Read the complete The Ratkov-Rozhnov'a Estate «Dubki» write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
The Ratkov-Rozhnov'a Estate «Dubki» is where the day begins. Next is The Village of Olgino.
2. The Village of Olgino
On the northern shore of the Gulf of Finland, just beyond the city's edge, Olgino is a place of pines, sand and low wooden houses, a seaside suburb that grew up a century and more ago as a retreat for Saint Petersburg families who wanted fresh air and the beach without travelling far. It is part of the World Heritage Site that wraps the historic city and its surroundings, which includes not only palaces but villages, parks and landscapes like this one.
Read the complete The Village of Olgino write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
The Village of Olgino comes up about 42 km into the recorded legs. Next is Volkhonskoe Highway.
3. Volkhonskoe Highway
The Volkhonskoe Highway is not a scenic mountain road but a historic route on the southern edge of Saint Petersburg, running out from the city towards Gorelovo and the old road to Krasnoye Selo. It belongs to the network of eighteenth and nineteenth century highways that linked the capital with the imperial residences and military camps to the south and west, and it is included in the wider protected area of the historic centre of Saint Petersburg and its related monuments. What you see today is a mix of suburban growth, open fields and stretches of tree-lined road, with the ghosts of history underneath.
Read the complete Volkhonskoe Highway write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 91 km into the recorded legs you reach Volkhonskoe Highway. Next is Prioratsky Park.
4. 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, about halfway. Next is The Blocade Ring.
5. The Blocade Ring
The Blockade Ring stands on the south bank of the Neva, east of Saint Petersburg, close to where the Road of Life began its journey toward Lake Ladoga. It commemorates the siege of Leningrad, which lasted from September 1941 to January 1944, roughly 872 days, and the corridor that kept the city alive. When Shlisselburg fell in September 1941, the city was cut off by land, and the only lifeline ran across Ladoga, by boat in summer and over the ice in winter.
Read the complete The Blocade Ring write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
The Blocade Ring sits at 172 km, about halfway. Next is back through Prioratsky Park.
6. 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 comes up about 280 km into the recorded legs. Next is back through Volkhonskoe Highway.
7. back through Volkhonskoe Highway
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Volkhonskoe Highway write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 316 km into the recorded legs you reach back through Volkhonskoe Highway. Next is back through The Village of Olgino.
8. back through The Village of Olgino
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete The Village of Olgino write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through The Village of Olgino, late in the day. Next is The Ratkov-Rozhnov'a Estate «Dubki».
9. The Ratkov-Rozhnov'a Estate «Dubki»
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete The Ratkov-Rozhnov'a Estate «Dubki» write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
The route ends here after 412 km.
Leg by leg
The Ratkov-Rozhnov'a Estate «Dubki» to The Village of Olgino
The Ratkov-Rozhnov'a Estate «Dubki» → The Village of Olgino is 42 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
The Village of Olgino to Volkhonskoe Highway
The Village of Olgino → Volkhonskoe Highway is 49 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Volkhonskoe Highway to Prioratsky Park
Volkhonskoe Highway → Prioratsky Park is 32 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Prioratsky Park to The Blocade Ring
Prioratsky Park → The Blocade Ring is 79 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
The Blocade Ring to back through Prioratsky Park
The Blocade Ring → back through Prioratsky Park is 78 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
back through Prioratsky Park to back through Volkhonskoe Highway
back through Prioratsky Park → back through Volkhonskoe Highway is 36 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Volkhonskoe Highway to back through The Village of Olgino
back through Volkhonskoe Highway → back through The Village of Olgino is 49 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through The Village of Olgino to The Ratkov-Rozhnov'a Estate «Dubki»
back through The Village of Olgino → The Ratkov-Rozhnov'a Estate «Dubki» is 47 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.