Traveling inland about how we Bought a motorhome and went North
For the past few years, we (my boyfriend and I) have been on endless journeys. Of course, the usual destinations for us were Asia, Europe, Africa. We spent the first month of the lockdown at home watching various travel reviews on YouTube, including videos about motorhomes. Everything ended with a purchase!
In 2020, we discovered domestic travel. We spent the rest of the summer with friends in St. Petersburg. So the idea to go north was born. In St. Petersburg, this direction is more popular. For example, we live in Sochi, and I have not even heard of most of the places.
Our route started from the outskirts of the Leningrad region, then we went to explore the nature and culture of Karelia, and the Kola Peninsula, the world famous Teriberka, became the extreme point.
Let me start by saying that I have never been in such an atmosphere. Mysterious forests, waterfalls, rivers, mirror lakes, sand dunes offroadadventurefun.com monuments of wooden architecture. Forests full of blueberries, porcini mushrooms and colorful moss.
Korela fortress
It is located in the Leningrad region near the northwestern shore of Lake Ladoga. The history from the textbooks here begins to come to life, everything takes on new meanings.
On the territory of the fortress, you can touch the gates, which were upholstered with the armor of the Swedes defeated in the war on the orders of Peter I. It is hard to imagine that these are not the scenery for the Game of Thrones, but real artifacts.
We learned a lot of interesting things about these places, the land is quite significant for the history of our country and it belonged either to the Swedes or to the Finns, it was once called Kexholm and was recaptured by “us” more than once.
A stone fortress with a tower against the backdrop of northern nature & different adventures like desert adventure offroadadventurefun.com/desert-safari-dubai-desert-adventure-tour/ is a living illustration of fairy tales.
Karelia
Our route included: Ruskeala Waterfalls, Sortavala, Valaam Island, White Gate Waterfall and Petrozavodsk. Here you get to know the nature and culture, as well as the culture and history of the Karelians. Majestic temples, favorite places of famous artists - Shishkin and Vasnetsov, still preserved ordinary residential buildings - the cultural heritage of wooden architecture. I learned a lot about the ecosystem of our forests, for example, how important the swamps are, which, unfortunately, today are mostly littered with garbage. Along the way, we stopped in the forests, picked blueberries and porcini mushrooms, which we then cooked in the kitchen in the motorhome.
White Sea
In the museum of Petrozavodsk we found out that there are places with rock paintings in the north, and we went to Belomorsk in search of them. It is believed that the images were left by people during the parking lot about 6000 years ago. How they managed to survive in the harsh climate remains a mystery. Such drawings were something in the spirit of our moodboards. For example, an image where a small hunter plunges a spear into a huge elk. It is believed that the materialization of thoughts worked especially hard for ancient people, since they impeccably believed in it. Even in the drawings, images of the first skis and ski tracks are documented, which, by the way, suggests that people were here in the winter. Of course, there were also sacred drawings, but they still have not been deciphered for sure.
Kola Peninsula, Umba and Kashkarantsy
When we entered the Kola Peninsula, incredible views of the sea and islands opened up. In the village we found a house with a sauna, made a barbecue for dinner, listened to stories about bears and fishing in these parts. Most residents travel in motorized rubber boats. All cottages have a pier.
Each new place is even more beautiful than the other, although from time to time you think that it cannot be better. The next day we spent the night in a mysterious place with the funny name Kashkarantsy. It was deserted and foggy. We stopped at the lighthouse, as if at the end of the world. We met an incredible sunset right on the seashore, where we spent the night.
Teriberka
Part of the journey that deserves special attention. Teriberka has become a place of attraction thanks to the film "Leviathan". Yes, the movie conveys the mystery of the atmosphere, but does not show even a small part of all the beauty. Cemetery of sunken ships, waterfalls, seagulls and fur seals. A small "island" of Norway and Iceland in our country. All the same berries, mosses, lakes, only a thousand times more unusual and brighter.
We managed to go out on a fishing boat to the Barents Sea, see a fur seal and wait for the northern lights. Definitely one of the highlights of my entire life. Crowds of tourists come to Teriberka during normal times, so now is the best time to travel to these parts. We plan to come back again as we didn't get to see whales during our trip.
Teriberka is cut off from large cities. There is rarely a bus that the residents of Murmansk come to watch. Many tourists live in tents. There are also cozy guest houses by local standards. Cell towers are installed here, so there will be no problems with mobile Internet