My summer car trip was supposed to be a trip to the Caucasus, the main event of which was to be climbing Elbrus. But in July, about a month before the start, a friend from St. Petersburg called and spoke with enthusiasm about the Rybachy Peninsula in the Murmansk region, in the north of the European part of Russia: “The ocean, views of extraordinary beauty, fields of mushrooms and berries, abandoned military units, strategic objects times of the Second World War - a lost world ... ". His story aroused considerable interest, and I began to think about the possibility of going there. But of course not this time. And if in this, then a good reason was needed.
And such a reason appeared. It was the rains, which, according to the forecast, were expected in the Elbrus region at the end of summer. I don't know how correct the forecast turned out to be, but .., in general, I easily changed direction from south to north. The circumstances were such that at the same time I was going to go to Rybachy from St. Petersburg with the company of a good friend of my St. Petersburg friend. They agreed that we could join him.
According to the navigator's calculations, there are two routes that are approximately the same in terms of travel time, leading from Moscow to Rybachy. One goes through St. Petersburg, the other through Vologda. The length of the first is about 2100 km, the second is about 2000 km. But the first one is a little faster than the second, since the Moscow - St. Petersburg highway has a number of paid high-speed sections. The routes go around Lake Onega from different sides and converge in its northern part. Then there is one road - to Murmansk.
I needed to go to Peter. The road to it from Moscow is well known to many. AT last years it gets better: more good asphalt and fewer areas with a strong speed limit. The way to St. Petersburg, which is 700 km, takes almost a day, if you do not hurry. Night in St. Petersburg. In the morning to Murmansk. The road to it is generally good. There are places with renovations. There are a lot of cameras, both stationary and mobile, rather than a few. Sometimes there are traffic police patrols hiding on the roadsides. The route is notable for the surrounding rocky Karelian nature, an abundance of mirrors of lakes and marshes, in some places stretching beyond the horizon. Closer to Murmansk, the forests become smaller, the landscape begins to turn into the tundra.
On the way to Murmansk we spent the night with a friend in Kirovsk. The city stands aside, about 30 km from the highway, in the massif of the Khibiny mountains, well known to skiers. Having returned from Kirovsk to the highway, about 200 km remained to Murmansk.
It is necessary to go to the peninsula, as they say, taking everything. There are no shops there. The Murmansk supermarket is not much different from the Moscow one - the range and prices are about the same. At gas stations, the price of diesel fuel is about 3 rubles more than the capital one.
When we were still on the way to Murmansk, 160 km from St. Petersburg, we stopped at a store at the plant in Potanino, which produces canned meat. Bought stew there. I can say with confidence that I have not eaten any other stew tastier than this one. Glory pointed to the store. The same one, a good friend of my friend, with whom we were going to travel along Rybachy. By the way, Slava knows the peninsula and its history well. Once there was a military unit in which he served in the army. During his service, he was so imbued with Rybachy that for many years he has been coming there every summer. At the same time, Slava has extensive experience in operating off-road vehicles. Now he drives a Sobol reconstructed with his own hands for an off-road camper. Slava became, in fact, our guide, and his car was at the head of the column, the first to explore off-road. But about Rybachy's off-road later. Let me tell you a story related to it. My St. Petersburg friend, having seen the new Mitsubishi Pajero Sport, on which I arrived, was seriously puzzled by how to avoid or at least minimize the damage that, as he believed, was waiting for the car on our upcoming trip. He walked around the car and said: “We need to remove at least the bumper. Well, in general, I don’t know, are you ready to leave it there? Or let's leave it here and ride in my pickup." His seasoned American pickup was parked nearby. I can’t say that this didn’t alarm me, but I just said that I wasn’t going to throw myself at the embrasure. “Well, that’s right, if we turn around and go home,” he summed up bleakly.
Rybachy is not connected to the mainland, it is connected by a narrow isthmus to another peninsula, called the Middle, which is already moving into the mainland. Therefore, to be on Rybachy, you need to pass through Sredny. As you know, during the Soviet era, the peninsulas were located in a closed area, where a whole cluster of military bases was created. In the "zero" entry for civilians was opened, but with special passes. From 2009 to this day, at the checkpoint (checkpoint) Titovka, they only require a passport to be presented, and they can see what is being transported in the car. The checkpoint is located on the Kola highway through Pechenga, about 160 km from Murmansk. The point stands in front of the bridge over the river. Almost immediately behind it there is a right exit onto a dirt road. Having turned onto it, you are not yet on Sredny, it is about 25 km to go to it, and then about the same distance to Rybachy. But you can consider that at this point your journey begins.
The road to Rybachy now winds like a serpentine, waddling from hill to hill, then straightens. There are no difficult terrain here. But this path is not easy either. It will be a test for your nerves, because a significant part of it is solid potholes. It's useless to go around them. I can only give you one piece of advice: fix all the things lying in the car, because shaking, if you can call it shaking, will be strong. At first I tried to go slowly and look for the least deep holes. But at some point, I really wanted this to end as soon as possible, and the principle “more gas - fewer pits” was used. And I find it difficult to say which of these two methods will be better for a person. The second option, in addition to reducing time, makes it possible to feel like a participant in a rally raid. True, if you have a strong SUV that has not been tested by time, then the “with gas” principle should probably not be applied.
They say that the potholes were formed because of the heavy military equipment that comes here for military exercises. On the way back, we were almost participants in these events. The soldiers, as it seemed then, were imitating mine clearing of the road, they were covered by a tank, and then our Pajero Sport appeared around the corner. We stopped about thirty meters from the tank, and its turret turned towards us with the barrel of its gun. Was it a joke or following an order-instruction, I don't know. Feelings were ambivalent.
The region where Rybachy is located has quite rich history, but acquaintance with him often turned out to be connected precisely with his military past. Vivid impressions of the beauty of the local views now and then cut off the memorials with stars - the memory of the fallen soldiers of the Soviet army in the Great Patriotic War.
On the isthmus connecting Sredny with the mainland lies the Mustatunturi granite ridge. The northern front line passed along it. The place is legendary, the only one where the Germans could not break through the front line. From one of the officers who defended him, the famous Soviet writer Konstantin Simonov took the image of a hero for his work “The Son of an Artilleryman”.
Rybachy played an important strategic role, since he controlled the entrances to Pechenga - in the west and to Motovsky and Kola - in the east of the bays. The protection of the entire Kola Peninsula with the city of Murmansk and its ice-free port largely depended on this. The capture of this Arctic territory was one of the most important tasks for the German command. It was to be carried out by the army "Norway", formed from two German and Finnish corps. The capture of the peninsula by the Germans was expected from the sea. In this regard, on the eve of the war, a number of defensive structures were created on Rybachy and Sredny.
As you know, the western part of the peninsulas belonged to Finland from 1920 to 1940. This was the result of two Soviet-Finnish wars. As a result of the first of them, in 1920, our country ceded part of its territories to Finland. The second war provided the USSR in 1940 with a significant expansion of its borders in the Finnish direction, including the return of previously given lands. The fortification of Sredny and Rybachy was carried out in a short time and was not completed before the German attack. But the Germans, having broken through the Soviet border, attacked the peninsulas from the mainland. And they were stopped at Mustatunturi. Significant Contribution our Northern Fleet contributed to this by providing powerful fire support from the decks of ships. On Mustatunturi, the huntsmen of the elite German unit "Edelweiss" were well-equipped and prepared for combat in the northern mountainous conditions. The retention of the peninsulas lasted 3.5 years. Needless to say what it cost the Soviet army. This land is watered with blood.
The Mustatunturi area has stunning views. They are especially well demonstrated by the so-called Swabian road, winding along lakes and hills. It was built during the war years to support the German army storming the peninsula, and goes from Pechenga, which the Germans called in Finnish - Petsamo. The turn to it is in front of the pass through the ridge on the way to the Middle. Driving along this road it is difficult to combine the charm of the surrounding nature with heavy fire and bombing.
The Swabian road is well preserved and surprises with its quality, but the destroyed bridges complicate the passage along it. To bypass them, you need an SUV with high ground clearance, which allows you to drive through large stones. Along the road, the Germans built a chain of various engineering structures. Of many of them, only fragments of walls remain, but they are quite easily recognizable. But there are also almost surviving buildings.
After the Second World War, on the peninsulas, and especially on the mainland adjacent to them, including Mustatunturi, many different kinds of artifacts remained - from artillery pieces and ammunition to ordinary household items used by the military. In peacetime, the Soviet army was in charge here, many expeditions, search parties and just tourists visited, so there were significantly fewer artifacts. But, as people in the know say, there are still a lot of them, it's just getting harder to find. However, mines, shell casings, and other similar items, heavily rusted, which time did not spare at all, because of which they no longer represent almost any historical and material value, are frequently encountered.
The sights of the Sredny Peninsula, as well as its history, are closely connected with Rybachy. Therefore, the Middle is also interesting. But we don't dwell on it. Our goal is Rybachy. It is much larger, and behind it is the ocean. Yes, the ocean never borders the land. On the maps, the Rybachy Peninsula is washed by the Barents Sea, which passes into the ocean. And, nevertheless, this is a convention, because there is water between Rybachy and the North Pole.
On the first day, it was not planned to reach Rybachy. We stopped for the night, setting up a shawl camp not far from the road. On the second day, we separated from Slava's group and agreed to meet already on the peninsula. And this gave us one plus: the absence of a large company and support intensified the impressions from the first acquaintance with Rybachy. And it began with the abandoned military village of Ozerko, which attracts with a pair of five-story buildings.
Gray, with blackened window eye sockets, they look gloomy. Sad colors were added by the sky densely covered with heavy lead clouds, rain, cold gusty wind and complete desertion. Once inside them, you begin to imagine how and who once lived here. These impressions are probably the only thing that a visit to them can give. But, and the strength of these impressions depends on one's own sharpness of perception, awareness, and maybe something else. Inside is not just desolation. Everything is looted and destroyed. Although at home they never saw war. They were built and abandoned by people in peacetime. What you see in these five-story buildings, then you meet all over the peninsula at all abandoned military facilities. Someone says that in them you can see the picture of the apocalypse. I would call the picture differently, something related to the decline in morality, especially manifested in the nineties, after the collapse of the USSR.
Five-story buildings appeared in the early seventies in addition to other residential infrastructure facilities created for the military. By that time, a number of troops were stationed on Rybachy, including air defense, armed with an anti-aircraft missile system. The village of Ozerko was quite well equipped, there was even a hockey court near the five-story buildings. Closer to the nineties, the reduction of weapons began on the peninsula, and then demilitarization followed, which ended in the fall of 1994. After the departure of the military, in addition to the well-established system of infrastructure facilities, a lot of different equipment and equipment remained on the peninsulas, in particular, freight transport, all-terrain vehicles. The material base was mothballed, but during the post-Soviet collapse of the country, this did not protect it. They say that a significant part of the equipment was sawn into metal.
After getting to know Ozerko, we set off to look for the place where Slava was supposed to stand, and got lost. We drove along a hard, rocky road, but then mud appeared, the ground became more and more unsteady. Downshifts and bridge locks were already engaged, and the car was going harder and harder. And soon we were crawling in the middle of the muddy tundra there, which can hardly be called a road, and a swampy lowland was waiting ahead. Finally, we turned around.
Evening began, we decided to postpone the search, and stopped for the night on the banks of Bolshaya Volokova Bay - in the western part of Rybachy. It didn't take long to find beautiful places to park, there are a lot of them. But such places are often not without wind. And it can blow out from the ocean in such a way that even the tent will not stand. But we found a quiet place under a rock and didn’t even set up a tent, we just pulled up an awning from the rain. In a warm sleeping bag you will not freeze at night.
When we arrived at Rybachy, it was cloudy, it rained from time to time. This is the Arctic and you can't count on warm days in August. At night, the temperature drops to seven degrees. But, as we were told, a few days before our arrival it was hot, which, in general, is rare for this region. Although we also caught a few sunny days. The winds blow frequently, but sometimes they are barely perceptible. In the depths of the peninsula, there may be no wind at all, but then, if there is a lake nearby, there is not a small chance of being attacked by clouds of midges.
When they say that the ocean feeds, you can think of fish, some other seafood. But the ocean even provides firewood. On Rybachy tundra, water and stone. A tree can be found by walking along the shore. There are boards and logs. Only choose those that have already lain down and dried up. In general, the ocean throws out everything - both garbage and a lot of good things. Later, on one of the beaches of the peninsula, we discovered a huge bay of good rope. Perhaps it was washed away in a storm from the ship. The rope is such that it can serve as a reliable tow rope for a large SUV.
The next day there was a clear sky, the sun was shining and we decided to take a walk deep into the peninsula. Its relief is hilly, studded with rocks, with many rock formations.
Vegetation due to strong winds is low, a significant part of it covers the ground like a carpet, in some places bushes grow densely. In the lowlands it is damp - puddles, bumps. The peninsula is indented with streams and riverbeds, so traveling along it, you will not be able to bypass them.
In rivers, the flow can be rough. We meet such a river. We cross it on a heap of stones.
You might think that where the tundra everything looks monotonous. However, it is not. Here, the tundra, combined with stones and rocks of various shapes, forms interesting diverse landscapes.
Their highlight is often the ocean or the tundra itself with its bright colorful vegetation.
The flora is quite rich. Among it are many flowers and there are whole placers of berries.
The most common of these is crowberry. There are many blueberries, cloudberries, which are very popular in Scandinavia.
There are also many mushrooms on Rybachy. Of these, boletus is often found. They are very large.
Boletus trees grow under birch trees. And they are here, only dwarf ones. They can crawl along the ground and look very much like the roots of a plant.
There are also very beautiful mosses.
By noon the sun was so warm that when the wind subsided, it became warm in the south. At such moments, looking at the blue waters of the Bolshaya Volokova Bay, one could easily imagine that it was the south.
There was no need to search for Glory. He found us himself, on a motorcycle. Yes, our group had several motorcycles - motocross and pit bikes. They were brought on a trailer.
With such transport, you can quickly get to where it will be difficult or even impossible to drive a car. A motorcycle allows you to see more. In addition, the peninsula will provide the motorcyclist with mud baths, water barriers, stones, slopes, sands, in general, everything that is needed for an extreme drive on rough terrain. Moving by car, we were not looking for extreme sports, but we could not do without it.
Every day our group on SUVs and motorcycles moved to a new place. Time was limited, so the route ran along the western part of the peninsula, where there is less off-road, and there are many attractions. Rybachy has, in a way, its own main roads. They are well rolled, with clear boundaries, and can be marked by poles in barrels standing along them.
They are used by most tourists. And if it were not for the numerous water arteries flowing into the ocean, and puddles in the lowlands, then it would be possible to drive through them on the most ordinary crossover. Riverbeds can be saturated with large stones and can have steep slopes, and the water level can be above the knee. These are not the most serious obstacles of the peninsula, but in order to bypass the entire western part, they will have to be overcome, and this may be enough to damage the car. Stones can beat the body, pierce the wheels and break the parts located under the bottom. When forcing rivers without observing a number of precautionary measures, the car can even be drowned. A torn-off transfer box protection, a punctured wheel, a broken anti-roll bar, an interior flooded with water, scratches on the body - the troubles that befell our group, by the way, consisting of people with good off-road experience.
The interior of the car was flooded, however, not on the river, but on one of the roads going far from the coast through the tundra, where huge puddles stood in the lowlands. One of the SUVs, pulling a trailer, hooked onto a concrete slab lying at the bottom of one of these puddles with a tow bar, and drove off to the side of the road, where there was a pit. So the left side of the car was up to the glass in the water and mud. The hole may have been left by a stalled military truck. And the slab was probably once laid to cover an area with too unsteady ground. It is interesting that the puddle did not look deep and we were not ready for such a nuisance. Another thing is when crossing rivers.
Slava's camper has a significantly increased, high ground clearance, and in addition to it, a low gear, two interwheel and interaxle locks. He was the first to move into the water and determine whether the rest could pass. Water obstacles were not long, but they hid large stones and their depth with all kinds of holes. The presence of such a specially prepared car among standard serial SUVs, even good ones, on Rybachy, as I now think, is not desirable, but mandatory. Unless, of course, you want, as my friend said on the eve of the trip, leave the car there. Although, we also had one more help - motorcycles. They made it possible to quickly find out how passable the area was ahead.
The water level in the rivers of the peninsula depends on the ocean. For example, where during the day the water can be below the knee, in the evening, during high tide, the level can rise to two or more meters. This feature is also important to consider.
Don't drive too fast when crossing a river. It is necessary not to push the wave ahead, but to follow it, as it were. If you push the wave, then the water will begin to penetrate under the hood, which may end up being known what. But, when you drive into the river, and the water is already at the level of the bumper, you really want to get out on land as soon as possible, and your nerves can not stand it, your leg will add gas. I made this mistake once. Water rolled onto the hood and … thanks to Mitsubishi engineers! Now I say this not for advertising, because this mistake can have a high price. My Pajero Sport went where it was needed, forgiving mistakes, and never let me down.
Before the trip to Rybachy, having learned about the features of its relief, I was seriously puzzled about what tires to put on the car. I went from a simple one: I called a friend - Nokian Tires. He recommended Nokian Rotiiva AT. It is a tire, as stated in its description, with side cut-resistant reinforced sidewalls, with a tread that performs well off-road, is not noisy and economical on asphalt. I installed it and didn't fail. On the highway, the average fuel consumption was kept in the region of 5.5‑7 liters.
Some of the people who come to Rybachy do not differ in their thrifty attitude towards nature, leaving behind a lot of garbage and spoiling the vegetation layer. There are places where instead of a multi-colored carpet of tundra plants, a huge, dirty meadow rolled out by the wheels of off-road vehicles turns black.
The desire of people to be surrounded by beautiful nature, without showing concern for it, is a real threat to the Rybachy Peninsula. How to protect it from such a threat is the question. We raised it more than once in our company in the evenings.
Scientists have established that people lived on Rybachy in the Stone Age. This discovery was made in 1979 thanks to a military man who was fishing in the Zubov Bay, who noticed the rock paintings. After that, about thirty sites of ancient man were found on the peninsula. On Rybachy there are graves of the Vikings, a place of sacrifice of the Lapps was discovered. The peninsula was inhabited by Norwegians, Finns and Russians.
Natural resources made it possible to actively engage in whaling, reindeer herding, raising livestock, and, of course, fishing - what gave the peninsula its name. Traces of the activities of the people who inhabited Rybachy in different times can be found today. But, frankly, there is nothing here that attracts to itself like nature. She is so attractive that you begin to yearn to be alone with her.
It so happened that I was not able to go to Cape German - the northernmost point of Rybachy and the entire European part of Russia. On one of the last days of our stay on the peninsula, when we had already circled its western part and were on the southern coast, near the Motovsky Bay, I separated from the group and went to the German one. Most of the way was known. On the route I met a beautiful sandy beach formed by low tide.
I often stopped and took a lot of pictures, which was difficult to do, moving in a group, time passed and the tide began to rise. Because of this, he faced the difficulty of crossing the river. Stumbled in two places. In both cases, after the bumper was hidden under water, afraid to take risks, he turned on the reverse gear. Interestingly, there was no typical tundra vegetation in that place. Tall grass grew around, like reeds, as high as a car, which made it difficult to navigate. These thickets were entangled with a whole network of roads. I returned to the same place several times, but then I found a waterfall, found a road that went above it, and drove through a shallow ford. With the understanding that there were few hours of light left, my triumph was not strong. Another circumstance prevented rejoicing - there was little fuel left in the tank, and there was no spare canister with me. In order to drive fast, without things jumping in the cabin, I unloaded almost everything from the car the day before, leaving only a sleeping bag, an ax and some food for the evening and the next morning. Not far from Nemetsky, on the banks of Vaida Bay, there is a small military unit for detecting (airborne objects). My hopes to get hold of diesel fuel from the military did not come true. Their refusal was so categorical that ... it seems that tourists are very fed up with them.
But once on the shore of the cape, the problem was forgotten. I was alone. By the way, later it turned out that German Cape is perhaps the most popular place among tourists coming to Rybachy. Therefore, I was lucky. In German it is beautiful in its own way: the tundra rich in color spreads like a soft carpet among very unusual rocky formations with a layered structure.
In the sea, to the left, the coast of Norway is visible in the distance.
Why do we love the north so much? Because the beauty of these places can not only be seen, but lived! At the same time, test yourself, your courage, your endurance and stamina. Overcoming the trials of the chosen path is much more expensive than the southern gentle seas and beaches. Returning from the north, the trace of power does not fade in the eyes.
The Rybachy Peninsula is located in the north-west of the Murmansk region, it is a real "end of the earth". The plateau abruptly breaks off to the Arctic Ocean with sheer black cliffs. Waters do not freeze off the coast of Rybachy all year round thanks to the warm North Cape current. That is why at different times it was a haven for the Vikings, the land of the Sami and even a closed military base. Today, the Rybachy Peninsula is famous for the largest bird colonies in northern Europe.
The raging Barents Sea, dank rain and roaring wind - these are the Rybachy Lands - the extreme point of the European part of Russia, then only the Arctic Ocean and the North Pole. In this world there are no trees and countless stones. The weather here changes ten times a day, and the sun never sets.
Our route will pass through the natural park "Rybachy". We will see the splendor of blooming tundra, picturesque bays and coves, sandy beaches, waterfalls. We will hear the hubbub of bird markets. Perhaps on our way there will be deer herds.
Here, crabs are found in the sea, and the streams are rich in salmon. Travelers come to the peninsula for various reasons. Someone wants to admire the northern nature.
Someone wants to see with their own eyes the places of ancient settlements and visit modern reindeer herding camps. Many are also interested in monuments related to the military past of Rybachy and his former military camps. Traces of the war can be found everywhere here. Between the stones there are rusty fragments of mines and shells, the remains of Soviet and German barbed wire, shells from grenades, broken weapons and cartridge cases. For 1200 days and nights, the defense of Sredny and Rybachy continued.
Number of participants: from 6 to 10 people
Age limit: from 14 years old accompanied by parents.
Tour features: backpacks are full from the first day - there will be no food delivery, inaccessibility to exit from the route is out of the plan.
Activities
Threads of the route
Murmansk - Sredny Peninsula - Volokovaya Bay
The purpose of this day is to reach Cape Koroviy
Pos. Wajda Bay - Cape "German"
We go to Cape "Skarbeevsky"
The center of the peninsula is Mount Perevalnaya
Mountain stream Lonsky
Musta Tunturi Ridge
Departure to the city of Murmansk
Route by day
On ordered off-road vehicles, the group advances to the village of Novaya Titovka, where they inspect the waterfall on the Titovka River and have lunch. Then we go through the Musta Tunturi ridge and the Sredny peninsula to the beginning of the hiking route. Upon arrival at the starting point of the route - Volokovaya Bay, we distribute public equipment and food in backpacks and go to the place of the first overnight stay about 10 km along the coastline.
The purpose of this day is to reach Cape Koroviy. We will see the fortifications left over from the time of the Great Patriotic War. Trenches carved into the rocks, underground structures, firing points. We will rise to the tundra lakes, we will see bird colonies on the rocks. The length of the second day is about 15 km.
We leave the coastline towards the village of Vaida - Guba, our path lies on Cape German. On the way we will pass several German bunkers (long-term firing points), several meters high, made of natural stone. These buildings are well preserved, they are not destroyed and they can be viewed both from the outside and inside. Then we will pass by the military camp and go to the German Cape.
T we will see the northernmost lighthouse of the continental European part of Russia, an abandoned frontier post and admire the ocean surf. Past the operating weather station, we go to the bay, where we set up a camp.
At the beginning of the day we will pass by the graves of English pilots who died defending Allied caravans. Then we cross the river and move along the road to Cape Kekursky. Eternity is felt here, and only here any person feels the full power of nature.
Tundra vegetation, a peculiar landscape, green and white lichens, moss, reindeer moss create unique landscapes in combination with rocks and the sea.
We go to Cape Skarbeevsky. Again we see reminders of the battles of the Great Patriotic War, several times we go to the sea, where we admire bird colonies on sheer cliffs.
The abandoned military town through which our path lies is reminiscent of the scenery of a Hollywood horror movie. Our stop this day is in a picturesque place under the rocks on the seashore. Passed 16 km.
The route lies in the center of the Rybachy Peninsula to Mount Perevalnaya. The sea will quickly disappear from view and the vast expanses of the polar tundra will stretch before us. Mosses, lichens, stones, mysterious seids and abandoned checkpoints will accompany us all day.
The herds of deer grazing here are evidenced by deer antlers along the way. Parking on the shore of the purest tundra lake.
We descend from Mount Perevalnaya along the picturesque canyon carved into the rocks by the stormy mountain stream Lonskoy. We go to the isthmus between the Rybachy and Sredny peninsulas. We will stop at the equipped parking lot next to the obelisk dedicated to the authors of the song "Farewell to the Rocky Mountains..." 14 km covered
Along the coast of the Bolshaya Motka Bay we go towards the Musta Tunturi ridge. On this day we will visit a museum dedicated to the defense of the peninsula from the German invaders. Parking in the foothills of Musta Tunturi. Passed about 20 km. We say goodbye to the rocky mountains, as it is sung in the Soviet song by Evgeny Zharkovskiy (music) and Evgeny Bukin (text). The poems set to music were written by the poet on the Rybachy Peninsula - the only place where the Nazis did not manage to cross the border of the Soviet Union.
Goodbye rocky mountains
The Motherland is calling for a feat!
We went out to sea
On a harsh and long journey.
And the waves groan and cry,
And splash on board the ship ...
Rybachy melted in the distant fog,
Our native land.
My ship stubbornly shakes
cool sea wave
Picks up and throws again
She is in the boiling abyss.
I won't be back soon
But enough for the battle of fire.
I know, friends, that I cannot live without the sea,
Like the sea is dead without me.
Departure to the city of Murmansk. Tickets can be taken after 20.00
In mid-July, due to official business, my colleagues and I ended up on a two-week business trip to Murmansk. Since they arrived in Murmansk in my car, they tried to spend their free time actively: they saw the city, repeatedly fished in the Kola Bay, went to Teriberka twice, and I also managed to visit the Rybachy Peninsula ...
One weekend, I was lying on the sofa of a rented apartment and decided to read information about the Rybachy Peninsula and reviews of car travelers on my smartphone. The more I read, the more I got excited about the idea of going there. Given the bad roads and the lack of preparation for the trip, I planned to drive only to the Musta-Tunturi pass, walk there on the rocks, through the battlefields and return back. It took no more than half an hour to get ready, in fact there were no fees, I just drank coffee, smoked a cigarette and drove off. I planned to refuel on the way, stop by the store for some food and water, but somehow I skipped all the stores and, having refueled, went with a bottle with about 50 ml of water in the back seat. This attitude to provisions was a big mistake, I realized it quickly. During the entire two weeks of our trip, the heat was around 30C, which, coupled with high humidity, created a terrible stuffiness. The day of the trip was no exception and I wanted to drink already 50 kilometers from Murmansk.
The route from Murmansk to the Titovka checkpoint is excellent, everyone’s documents are checked at the checkpoint. As I understand it, the main requirement for free travel is citizenship Russian Federation. After the checkpoint, turn right onto the dirt road, in fact, from this moment the adventure begins. The road along the Titovka River is full of pits and potholes, like the rest of the way, it probably makes no sense to paint the quality of the “coverage”, because there is none there, there are a lot of reviews on the Internet, I can only say that it is quite possible to drive, if carefully.
The road along the river abounds with scenic views and I have repeatedly stopped to admire and take a picture. Unfortunately, the photo does not convey the height.
After some time, the road leaves to the left of the river and, meandering, rises higher and higher to the pass. Not the Caucasus, of course, but the rocky northern hills have their own, special beauty, it’s not just that people who have visited these places once come here again and again.
While driving along Titovka, I was very thirsty, there was a feeling that the palate was stuck together and cracked, I definitely decided that I would reach the pass and turn around. At some point, while driving around another pit, it seemed to me that a bottle was lying in the road dust, I drove, looked in the mirror - it really seemed like a bottle. He stopped, approached and was stunned, in the dust of the road lay a one and a half liter sealed bottle of water “Holy Spring”. At that moment, for me it was a sign, a sign that I had to go further, beyond the pass. And indeed, it was worth getting drunk as the mood immediately rose and the strength and desire to go further appeared. After that, I got to the Musta-Tunturi pass quickly.
Unfortunately, I was not prepared for this trip and did not have a plan, any points of interest, so, stopping at the pass, I just walked along the surrounding rocks. He climbed the peaks in search of traces of the war. Found.
Echoes of war Behind the pass, the road began to descend, also replete with views worthy of an artist's brush. I have repeatedly stopped and admired. Thus, he reached the Sredny Peninsula. I did not like the path through the Sredny Peninsula: a dead road, pits winding the car from side to side, a speed of 10 km / h, a monotonous landscape on the left and Bolshaya Motka Bay on the right. From time to time on the coast of the bay there were camps of visiting fishermen and tourists. Sights of the Middle - monuments to Soviet soldiers who fell in battles. In my opinion, it is necessary to go to the Middle to touch the history of the Great Patriotic War, not passing like me, but thoughtfully, knowing specific points. It was in these places and about the events that took place in these places that Konstantin Simonov wrote the poem “The son of an artilleryman”.
Reminds me of K. Simonov's "Son of the Artilleryman" 
The Middle Peninsula is war The middle one traveled along the eastern coast and ended up on the isthmus with Rybachy. I set myself the task of getting to Cape German, the northernmost point of the peninsula, which is also the northernmost point of the European part of continental Russia. In one of the reviews I read that it is better to get there along the western coast of Rybachy, and I did just that. Having passed the isthmus, I immediately turned left onto the road leading to Cape German, leaving the abandoned village of Bolshoye Ozerko on the right. The Rybachy Peninsula is no longer as monotonous as the Middle at least I thought so. I was driving towards the sun, sometimes it made it very difficult to go around stones and pits, but the views were simply fantastic.
The road on the western side of Rybachy is better than on the eastern side of Sredny, the speed is also 10-15 km/h, but somehow more varied. The car talks less from side to side, but there are a lot of large stones and fords. If you do not hurry, then it is quite passing by almost any car.
Perhaps the strongest impression on me was the beach, about one kilometer short of Worm Creek. Dark gray sand, as transparent as an angel's tear, sea water in the rays of the setting sun, calm and warm evening ... I didn’t swim right away, I decided to cheer up on the way back, but, looking ahead, I’ll say that I didn’t succeed, because the low tide had pushed back by that time 150 meters of water and the view of the beach was no longer so fabulous. The photo cannot convey, it must be seen in person, it's worth it!
From this place it remains a stone's throw to Cape German. Having wandered a little along the roads of the tundra in unsuccessful attempts to bypass the one standing in the way military unit reached its destination.
Below is a short video sketch, which I blinded from videos shot on a mobile phone. Filmed with one hand, the other held the steering wheel, respectively, the sections that had to be overcome holding the steering wheel with both hands were left behind the scenes.
At the end point, I stayed no more than an hour, walked, admired the sea and drove back. The return trip followed the same route. I left home at about 2:30 pm and came back at about 9:30 am.
While driving along Rybachy, I met a car of French travelers. I didn't see any people nearby, so I just drove by. Having already returned to St. Petersburg, I went to the site indicated on the board of their car and read information about them, about the car and their travels. Read it, it is interesting to look at our country through the eyes of foreigners who have seen it not only at football stadiums and bars in big cities.
P.S. I consider it my duty to ask you, friends, please do not litter. The tundra will not take anything, everything that you left will lie for decades, if not centuries. The soil layer is very small, do not tear it with tire treads, it will heal for a very long time, there are roads there.
P.P.S. A week ago, I was sure that there were no more riders on Rybachy by car, but now I’m already thinking about the right preparation and how to plan the route. I will go, I will definitely go again, but not in a hurry, with fishing and spending the night in a tent ...
To see Rybachy and not die... with delight, well, at least try. These words very accurately reflect the emotions from visiting the northernmost European part of Russia. It seems that moving around the territory of the peninsula, you pass through several countries: there are mountains, and the sea, and waterfalls, and lakes, and even different seasons.
As one member of the "Discovering the Silver Necklace" expedition said: "This is the coolest thing I've seen in my life!"
Until recently, the peninsula was a closed territory, so you can only get here by car.
The Rybachy Peninsula is located on the Lapland coast of the Arctic Ocean. Between the mainland and the Rybachy Peninsula lies the Sredny Peninsula. Many consider these peninsulas to be a single peninsula and call them by the same name - Rybachy. In all this vast territory there are only four bases where a traveler can stop.
We got acquainted with Rybachy with the help of mega hospitable guys from the base "Cool North". We were late for a trip around the peninsula on ATVs - the weather no longer allowed, so we explored the territory on a GAZ-66, popularly known as shishiga.
Here it is a fire-machine - Shishiga, which passes such roads, mountains and fords that one can only be surprised.
After the Second World War, mainly military and geologists lived on the peninsula. In the 90s, Rybachy was practically deserted, so roads and bridges in many places are in such a state that overcoming them becomes a quest. But Shishiga coped with everything and the expedition members are now safely sitting in their homes on the mainland.
For two days of traveling around the peninsula, we saw 2 people and one car.
Barents Sea. After 2200 km from here is the North Pole.
Despite its northern position, the Rybachy Peninsula is the warmest place in the Murmansk region and the entire Russian north. Off the coast of the peninsula, the sea does not freeze all year round.
The white lambs of the waves of the Barents Sea do not let go, you do not want to leave. The sea, although cold, is so attractive in the sun. But our guide urges us on: “You haven’t seen so much yet!!!”
After the lowland waterfalls of Karelia and the mainland Murmansk region, the Rybachy waterfalls amaze with their height and power.
One coast, and the weather changes with cosmic speed.
At the entrance to Cape Kekursky, the clouds scattered and the sun came out.
On the cape there are probably the most picturesque cliffs of the peninsula. Bagpipes immediately sounded in my ears, and a Scottish cage flashed in my eyes, as in the series “Highlander”, which I looked into holes in my adolescence :)
Guba-Vaida is located near Cape Kekursky, as guides and books say, there was a Kegor trade where the British, Danes, and Dutch sailed to sell their goods. From here, these goods were already going to Arkhangelsk and Moscow.
Mount Motka met with snow and fog, because of which we could not see anything. Although we were told that the views here are more beautiful than from Cape Kekursky.
During the war, a divisional command post was located on this mountain. In general, we were warned that we must definitely look under our feet, because on Rybachy you can still find "echoes of the war."
Bloggers are bloggers. There are no views, but there is Internet from Megafon. I had to stay here and break the peninsular Internet detox program.
If you like abandoned places, then you have something to see here. The Bolshoe Ozerko garrison was disbanded in 1987, and by the 1990s everyone had left the village.
The village had a hospital, a school, a canteen, a diesel station and even a museum.
In the 60-70s, the first five-story house on the peninsulas with all amenities appeared.
When you walk around someone else's apartment, you see that there is a stove in every kitchen, you realize what incredible work it took to build all this on the peninsula and how hard it was for people to arrange their life.
It is unfortunate that all efforts went to waste and no one needs it anymore.
Let's go to the next waterfall.
Photos do not convey all the beauty and power of Rybachy's nature. You look at the camera screen and everything seems flat, small. I want to ask for a camera and just absorb everything that you see around.
Want to see mushrooms that are taller than trees? Here they are - boletus.
And you can’t stop the desire to tell about what you saw to the world, and right away. All the same Megafon periodically gave us such an opportunity.
He must be listening to something on Storytel about the birth of the Northern Sea Route :)
On the roads there are barrels filled with stones with a sticking out pole - milestones. We were told that this was also left over from the military.
German Cape, next to it is the village of Vaida-Guba, in which there is a weather station and a lighthouse. As the northernmost point of the European part of Russia, the cape attracts thousands of tourists.
Alas, there was quite a lot of plastic on the shore (Greta, you were right) and the remains of a whale that had thrown itself 3 years ago. There are also many pyramids of stones. It is believed that during the construction of the pyramid, they make a wish, and the stronger and larger the structure, the more likely dreams come true.
Well, here we are at the End of the Earth!
A few years ago, when I just bought myself a jeep, I had a dream to go to the Rybachy Peninsula. Several times, for various reasons, I had to postpone the dream for next year, and the very fact of driving my car along the Rybachy Peninsula began to seem to me something akin to deprivation of virginity, like a jeep, and then all the roads are already open. And finally this year the car was ready to go, and we are overwhelmed with determination. And the dream came true!
From the forest near Karshevo at 5 am we started on a long and difficult journey to Murmansk. Almost 700 km from Pudozh were in heavy rain. The Murmansk highway is almost perfect, except for a few sections where repairs are underway. By 11 pm we finally arrived in Murmansk and stayed at the 69 Parallel hotel, which, as it turned out, is especially popular among four-wheel drive travelers. Everyone we met stayed there. And near the hotel itself, dirty monstrous jeeps have already become commonplace.
Having had a good rest, the sutra started repairing cars. First, the stabilizer was returned to its place on the Lekhino P3, and then we went to Svyato, where they sawed off the sheared bolt, and returned the stabilizer bracket to its place. Holy, thanks again for your help. In the same place, they found a torn off breather of the rear axle and torn wires from the rear wheel lock sensor. Well, we hope that I won't need it on Rybachy.
Having finished all the repair activities and stocked up on groceries, we return to the Kola tracks and finally we cheerfully drive towards Rybachy in the evening.
1. The wheels were soaked in the salty waters of the Arctic Ocean.
2. I crossed the Arctic Circle for the fourth time, and the first time by car. And every time this moment is accompanied by some incomprehensible feeling of euphoria.
3. Having passed the border control, we immediately turn right onto the road along Titovka and drive to the large Melnichny waterfall
6. If I don’t confuse anything, then once there was a small hydroelectric power station on the waterfall, supplying electricity to the now lifeless village of Bolshaya Titovka. According to updated information, this is a German hydroelectric power station during the Second World War.
7. Now naturally devastation
8. Second cascade
9. Valley of the Titovka River behind the waterfall
10. In an hour, or maybe more, we get to the Sredny Peninsula, already in deep twilight. And here is such a surprise. Catch the warriors, find out about shooting and where to get up for the night. There is no information yet, but the shooting will be in the area of the road to the Two Brothers. We get frustrated, we set up camp near Lake Jauhonokanjärvi, where we met the guys on Dzhimnik, with a three-month-old baby. We get acquainted over a bottle of whiskey and already at dawn we go to bed. If you get a report, hi guys.
11. In the morning we come again to the warriors, they say that there will be no shooting for the next two days. We joyfully tear along the western part of the Middle.
12. Small waterfall
13. And here, judging by everyone, is one of the firing zones. All around the road is crowded wooden hedgehogs and barbed wire.
14. This is a gorgeous road!
15. Finally got to the battery of the Night
17. Some mechanisms, oddly enough, work. One tower really turned out to be rotated in a circle
18. But most of the levers are torn off, and they tried to saw off the barrel of one of the guns, neither more nor less
19. We descend back to the coast and head for the Two Brothers
20. And here they are
21. Washed down a bow with two brothers and two cars, we were here-)
22. We get to the Rybachy Peninsula and the first thing we meet is a burned-out six with a bunch of burnt spares in the cabin and trunk
23. Twilight begins. Looking for a place to stay overnight. We drive to the former air defense positions located at the top. The western part of the peninsula is in full view. Looking around the area with a keen eye, we find a good place, protected from the wind by bushes and a promising view.
24. Evil mushrooms
25. Lech, out of impatience before dinner and port wine, bent the key by 36
26. Parked in position
27. Having broken through the bushes in azimuth and overcoming the old trench, we drove to a chic place overlooking the ocean. Dense vegetation on the hub. Rides vnatyag almost like sand. We unpack and celebrate the arrival at Rybachy with Portuguese port wine and a cigar in the rays of a gorgeous sunset.
28. Sutra woke up in a downpour. We quickly broke camp and, postponing breakfast for later, moved to Cape German. All that remains of the Lena radar
29. The epitome of the beauty of the peninsula
30. Balls. You can't go there.
31. We quickly reached the lighthouse. An ominous brick with a barrier and a hanging bicycle hint that further passage is closed.
32. I climb onto the roof of the neighboring ruins and quickly find where I can move out.
33. And here we are at the northernmost point of the European part of Russia. Euphoria!
34. Stones, algae, zaaaapah. Jellyfish swim around and shimmer with electric light like neon.
37. Next to the old trenches.
38. Landscapes are simply fantastic. A photograph cannot convey this. Well, or my skill is not enough to convey this beauty.
39. The wind there is just hellish. But it is convenient to dry the tents.
40. Tent - kite
41. We drive past Vaidai-Guba and are amazed at how you can mess everything up like that.
42. Vaidai Guba
43. From time to time there are such stones with numbers.
44. We get to the dead village of Skobeevsky
45. Desolation
47. A child likes
48. We leave back to the track and drive towards Zubovka
49. On the way we stop at a picturesque waterfall
51. Bath with crystal clear water, where you just want to plunge. But the water there is unrealistically icy.
52. We collect a few bottles with us.
54. We pass through mountain rivers
55. And again the views
56. Red fields of berries
57. I can move a little faster. As soon as the turmeric ends and we go out onto a more or less decent road by local standards, I stop to wait for Lekha.
58. And here comes happiness. Sandy, absolutely flat road, after turmeric. We're off in full.
59. They called this hill a sand volcano.
60. Ahead of the beach, which lacks only palm trees.
61. The road becomes trial again.
62. A little more trial and we get out to this very beach.
63. We break away again, accelerating our cars.
64. And we fool around twisting nickels.
65. Lyokha tries to swim, but it didn't work out very well =) He ran forward for a long time, but everything was small. It quickly became very cold and ran back to the car =)
66. Now you need to try to get to Murmansk. While we stop in anticipation of Lehi to refuel, we notice reindeer. So here they are.
67. And here the hippo arrived in time, flopping into a puddle.
But the hope of getting to Murmansk was fading before our eyes. The road didn't get any better. Already in the dark we get to Sredny and drown on the grader in the eastern part of the peninsula. Unable to withstand the vibrations, my muffler falls off. We get up for the night again on Lake Jaukhonokanjärvi.
69. Sutra moved to Murmansk, where they again stayed at the hotel. There was no way to move further. I love these landscapes.
70. Already at the entrances to the asphalt, we notice how Lekhin's bumper continues to suffer.
71. In the morning we move forward again for a long haul to Medvezhyegorsk. On the Murmansk highway, by the way, there are a lot of pockets with flyovers. We are trying to do something with the muffler, since the ears have already begun to lay for a long time. But everything is useless, only welding and new pipes will help. We postpone this matter until Moscow and continue to torture our ears and frighten passers-by in the villages.
