Pages: 1

It just so happens that I travel to the Murmansk region from St. Petersburg quite regularly, at least once a year. So last September I decided that it would be nice to go to the Kola Peninsula for a week. The travel program was rather vague - the main points were a visit to the then unpromoted Teriberka and a visit to Kirovsk to get acquainted with the Khibiny Mountains.

But in order to see all the beauties of the Murmansk region, you first need to get there. And so, first of all, I would like to tell you about what awaits you along the way.

Here I need to make a small digression to talk about my own stupidity. The fact is that I practically did not photograph the road itself with a camera, with the exception of a couple of frames, one of which you see in the title. So don’t blame me for the phone shots, there won’t be such nonsense in posts in the future :)

So, let's start, R-21 "Cola".

The route begins in the city of St. Petersburg and ends at the border with Norway in the Murmansk region. We are interested in the St. Petersburg - Murmansk section.

If you plan to get there in one day, I advise you to leave around 4-5 am. I left at 5 o’clock in the morning and dawn overtook me almost on the border with Karelia.

I really love the fog at dawn. It's a pity that I rarely see him because of my own laziness.

Without thinking twice, we went into the forest to stretch our legs. Beauty!

After passing through some small traffic jams near Petrozavodsk, we stop for gas and a snack at TNK near Kondopoga.

In general, TNK is practically the only normal gasoline on the highway, so as soon as you see these gas stations, I recommend that you immediately stop by and refuel completely, because at the intersection of Karelia and the Murmansk region there will be no gas stations for about 400 kilometers, and taking into account the fact that there are no settlements there no either - the prospect of drying out is unlikely to make you happy.

Now a few words about the condition of the road surface. At the time of the trip (autumn 2014), the condition of the road could be assessed as a solid 4 plus or 5 minus.

Almost the entire length of the route is perfect asphalt.

Towards the end of Karelia, the road deteriorates a little, the surface becomes more undulating, but there is no crime or potholes.

We continue our journey, passing through a section of rocks blown up to build a route near Medvezhyegorsk.

The weather is turning bad, somewhere near Kemyu.

And now we are already on the border with the Murmansk region. In this place, perhaps, my favorite place on the route is located - Lake Nigrozero.

Fisherman on a boat.

This place is peaceful.

Incredible calm emanates from the northern lakes.

Almost on the border of Karelia with the Murmansk region there is a sign telling us that we have just crossed the borders of the Arctic Circle. Perhaps this is the most tourist place on the entire route.

Now a little about traffic. So - usually the road appears in front of you exactly as in the picture below. Well, you understand. There are not many cars here, I would even say just few. Situations when you drive for 5 minutes alone are quite normal for Cola. In general, you don’t have to worry too much about traffic jams, congestion and any unexpected delays along the way. It was on this route that I set all my average travel speed records. Here you simply don’t have to look for opportunities to overtake, and you certainly don’t have to spend 10 minutes contemplating the backside of some sluggishly crawling truck. Well, the condition of the road provokes dynamic driving.

In general, when you drive along this road, you constantly notice the fact that it is very well maintained. As an example, I’ll give you a photo from September 2013 with an old bridge over the Kovda River.

The bridge, although very photogenic, is very, very old.

In the same year, driving past this very place on the way to Murmansk, I was already driving along the new bridge, and the old one was being dismantled with all their might, and just a week later, when I was returning back, not a trace remained of the old bridge. So a photograph like the one shown below can no longer be taken. It’s even a little pity, it was an interesting piece of hardware.

In my understanding, a good road is when at any time of the day you can turn on cruise control and drive 120 km/h. The more often you have to disengage from the cruise and slow down, the worse the road. Unfortunately, there are not many roads in Russia that allow you to drive like this. But the R-21 “Cola” is just like that.

M-10 “Russia”: section Veliky Novgorod - Zuevo

Federal road. The number of lanes is three from Podberezye to the Tregubovsky overpass, four from the Tregubovsky overpass to St. Petersburg.

The asphalt surface on M-10 is now in good condition. Worse than last year, but you can ride quite comfortably.

The main problem on this section is the congestion combined with the three-lane road. If you avoid peak hours and days, then driving along the M-10 can be fast and comfortable. For passenger cars, peak days are weekends. At the end of the weekend everyone returns to St. Petersburg, at the beginning of the weekend everyone travels from St. Petersburg. The longer the weekend, the earlier the heavy traffic begins. So, at the end of the May holidays, congestion can begin already at the traffic lights in Podberezye.

With trucks everything is more complicated. They do not have clearly defined peak days and hours. But there are a couple of rules. First, a large percentage of trucks are subject to a traffic ban on the Moscow Ring Road during the daytime. Secondly, a large amount of cargo is delivered by the beginning of the working week. Combined with cars returning after major holidays, this creates the worst possible congestion.

There are only two places on this section that cannot be passed at a speed of 120 km/h without discomfort - the Tregubovsky overpass and the curve in the village of Bolshoye Opochivalovo. Both have warning signs and speed limits. It is also worth noting the unevenness of the curve on the descent into the overpass towards Moscow.

Driving at night in bad weather is not very pleasant. In general, the road is dirty. The reflectors are not washed, and the posts along the roadsides lose their working properties.

A-115: Section from M-10 “Russia” to R-21 “Kola”. From Zuevo to Novaya Ladoga.

Regional road. The entire length is two-lane, with a large number of turns.

From M-10 (Zuevo) 3 km of bad asphalt. This section just needs to be endured. Second gear and 20-40 km/h. Then through the territory of the Novgorod region the road is in good condition. The asphalt was changed in 2011. This is probably the best section on this road. The entire length of the road is replete with turns, which can be passed comfortably at speeds of no more than 100-110 km/h. In some areas it is better to slow down even more. Driving at night is not very pleasant; there are reflective posts only in the northern part, from Kirishi to Volkhov, and then somehow very selectively.

There are not very many cars, but the main majority are fuel trucks from the oil refinery in Kirishi. The section in the Leningrad region is somewhat worse than in the Novgorod region, but still, the quality of the asphalt pavement has almost no effect on the speed. Turns and populated areas with cameras recording traffic violations have a much greater impact.

Directly in Volkhov, the asphalt is in poor condition, but the section is not very long, literally 2-3 km. Here, too, you just need to be patient.

Then there are two options: along the left bank of the Volkhov River through Staraya Ladoga and along the right bank through Issad. There are more settlements on the left bank, but the asphalt surface is much better. Some navigators write that the exit from A-115 to P-21 is closed at this point. This is not the case now. During the construction of the interchange, a temporary ramp was opened at this location. This area is entirely closed to truck traffic.

A-116: . An unreadable diagram from which nothing is clear, and even without a direction to Vologda.

There are almost no settlements on the right bank, but the road is broken. It can be seen that the renovation took place not long ago, but the asphalt has already crumbled.

Construction of a transport interchange at the junction of the A-114 Novaya Ladoga - Vologda highway to R-21 "Kola".

R-21 "Cola"

Federal road. On the section from Novaya Ladoga to Medvezhyegorsk the road is two-lane everywhere.

Previously, this road had the number M-18, but after the next reform the “M” prefix was left only to roads leading to Moscow. This did not stop the road from being federal. The quality of the asphalt surface throughout is good. Workload varies. Different sections of the road were built in different years and are very different from each other. Due to the construction of straightenings and bypasses, the mileage is constantly fluctuating.

The section from Novaya Ladoga to the turn to Lodeynoye Pole (90 km) is relatively straight. There aren't a lot of turns. If there are not many cars, then you can safely go on a cruise. There are places with very limited visibility. In Syasstroy the road passes through the city, there are several traffic lights. There is also the last normal gas station (subjective). Driving at night is also quite comfortable. Dangerous areas are illuminated, columns with reflectors help you see the trajectory clearly.

The walk around Lodeynoye Pole is different. It looks like it was built not that long ago, maybe 10-15 years ago. There are long curves with large radii and a wide right of way. Visibility is excellent in almost all areas, and it is possible to overtake in curves. The detour itself is 30 km, and about 25 more to the border with Karelia.

After the border of the Leningrad region and the Republic of Karelia, the road changes again. The columns with reflectors disappear and to Petrozavodsk (150 km) a hybrid of the old road and new sections begins. At the same time, the boundaries between them are so blurred that it is not so easy to determine which area you are in. Because of this, it turns out that on the section to Petrozavodsk there are about 20 turns that cannot be passed comfortably at a speed of 120 km/h. Of these, 5-7 are marked with signs, the rest need to be determined by eye. If during the day this is not a problem, then at night you can fly in. There are no pillars. It is clear that a lot of effort and money was invested in the road, but for some reason the cheapest bollards were not installed. But they reduce accident rates much more than automated emoticons on speed-measuring radars.

New and old roads R-21 near the village of Verkhneolonetsky (Karelia). (c) Google Maps.

Judging by archived Google images, this part of the road has been reconstructed for many years, and there are completely new sections. Thus, the bypass in the area of ​​the village of Matrosy is not yet visible in the photographs from 2014. And the bypass of Petrozavodsk was built in 2005-2007.

R-21 near the village of Sailors. On the left is May 2014, on the right is October 2014. (c) Google Maps.

In the Petrozavodsk area the road is quite congested. Here a four-stripe suggests itself.

From Petrozavodsk to Medvezhyegorsk the number of cars becomes much smaller. It is immediately noticeable that the right of way is made according to the most modern Russian standards. The curve radii allow easy cornering at speeds of 120 km/h. The populated areas in this area can be counted on one hand, and even then, almost all are concentrated closer to Petrozavodsk.

It just so happens that I travel to the Murmansk region from St. Petersburg quite regularly, at least once a year. So last September I decided that it would be nice to go to the Kola Peninsula for a week. The travel program was rather vague - the main points were a visit to the then unpromoted Teriberka and a visit to Kirovsk to get acquainted with the Khibiny Mountains.

But in order to see all the beauties of the Murmansk region, you first need to get there. And so, first of all, I would like to tell you about what awaits you along the way.

Here I need to make a small digression to talk about my own stupidity. The fact is that I practically did not photograph the road itself with a camera, with the exception of a couple of frames, one of which you see in the title. So don’t blame me for the phone shots, there won’t be such nonsense in posts in the future :)

So, let's start, R-21 "Cola".

1. The route begins in the city of St. Petersburg and ends at the border with Norway in the Murmansk region. We are interested in the St. Petersburg - Murmansk section.
If you plan to get there in one day, I advise you to leave around 4-5 am. I left at 5 o’clock in the morning and dawn overtook me almost on the border with Karelia.

2. I really love fog at dawn. It's a pity that I rarely see him due to my own laziness.

3. Without thinking twice, we went into the forest to stretch our legs. Beauty!

4. Then the most severe fog began, visibility was literally 10 meters. Unfortunately, the iPhone couldn’t photograph it properly, but you already understood everything about the camera :)
After passing through some small traffic jams near Petrozavodsk, we stop for gas and a snack at TNK near Kondopoga.
In general, TNK is practically the only normal gasoline on the highway, so as soon as you see these gas stations, I recommend that you immediately stop by and refuel completely, because at the intersection of Karelia and the Murmansk region there will be no gas stations for about 400 kilometers, and taking into account the fact that there are no settlements there no either - the prospect of drying out is unlikely to make you happy.

5. Now a few words about the condition of the road surface. At the time of the trip (autumn 2014), the condition of the road could be assessed as a solid 4 plus or 5 minus.
Almost the entire length of the route is perfect asphalt.

6. Towards the end of Karelia, the road deteriorates a little, the surface becomes more undulating, but there is no crime or potholes.

7. We continue our journey, passing through the rocks blasted to lay the route near Medvezhyegorsk.

8. The weather is getting worse, somewhere near Kemyu.

9. And now we are already on the border with the Murmansk region. In this place, perhaps, my favorite place on the route is located - Lake Nigrozero.

10. Fisherman on a boat.

11. This place is peaceful.

12. Incredible tranquility emanates from the northern lakes.

14. Almost on the border of Karelia with the Murmansk region there is a sign telling us that we have just crossed the borders of the Arctic Circle. Perhaps this is the most tourist place on the entire route.

15. Now a little about traffic. So - usually the road appears in front of you exactly as in the picture below. Well, you understand. There are not many cars here, I would even say just few. Situations when you drive for 5 minutes alone are quite normal for Cola. In general, you don’t have to worry too much about traffic jams, congestion and any unexpected delays along the way. It was on this route that I set all my average travel speed records. Here you simply don’t have to look for opportunities to overtake, and you certainly don’t have to spend 10 minutes contemplating the backside of some sluggishly crawling truck. Well, the condition of the road provokes dynamic driving.

16. In general, when you drive along this road, you constantly notice the fact that it is very well looked after. As an example, I’ll give you a photo from September 2013 with an old bridge over the Kovda River.
The bridge, although very photogenic, is very, very old.

17. That same year, driving past this very place on the way to Murmansk, I was already driving along the new bridge, and the old one was being dismantled with all their might, and just a week later, when I was returning back, not a trace remained of the old bridge. So a photograph like the one shown below can no longer be taken. It’s even a little pity, it was an interesting piece of hardware.

18. In general, touching on the topic of bridges, we need to make a small flashback to the city of Lodeynoye Pole, which is in the Leningrad region. There is the largest bridge on the highway, which is not only a road-railway bridge, but also a drawbridge. If you like such buildings, I strongly recommend visiting them.

20. We look at the Knyazhegubskaya hydroelectric station from above...

21. We stop at one of the many rivers...

22. And already at 20 o’clock we rush into Murmansk. Hello dear, I missed you.

This is how my road to Murmansk turned out. In the next posts we will ride around Murmansk, look at the nature of the Kola Peninsula and visit the waterfall on the Lavna River. Keep in touch! :)

More accurate connections of objects and settlements to kilometer signs of the M18 highway in the direction of St. Petersburg-Apatity (data from July 2009)

St. Petersburg (departure from the city) 0
Razmetelevo-gas station "Neste" on the right 22
Bridge over the Neva 40
Traffic police post + Slavneft gas station on the left 42
Bashneft gas station on the right 44.5
Turn to Nazia, after the river. Nazia - parking with overpass on the right 61
Turn to Putilovo - gas station on the left 67
Dusyevo, cafe on the left 83
Dusyevo - monument to the “lorry” 84
Sign “Volkhov district” 96
Belul gas station on the left 96.5
Gas station "Belul" on the right 103
Kiselnya - cafe, bistro 24 hours, turn to Volkhov 108
Gas station "ARIS", tire service 110
Regular (without overpass) parking on the left 117
Rosneft gas station on the left, regular parking 120
New Ladoga - traffic police post, gas station "Surgutneftegaz" on the right, cafe, turn on Volkhov 121
Turn right towards Tikhvin and Vologda 122
Bridge over the Volkhov, cafe on the right 122.5
Turn left onto Nemyatovo 124.5
Turn right onto Kolchanovo 134
Syasstroy - Lukoil gas station on the left, bridge over the river. Syasya, auto repair 135
Gas station "Slavneft" on the right, cafe 24 hours, gas station "ARIS" 137
Parking lot with overpass on the left 142
Selivanovo 146
Potanino 156
Pasha - gas station on the right, bridge over the river. Pasha, gas station "Linos" 175
Rosneft gas station on the left 177
Sign “Lodeynopolsky district”, r. Somersault 179
Domozhirovo. Gas station "Lukoil", service station, r. Oyat 185
Fork to Lodeynoye Pole 213
Turn to Tikhvin (156 km to Tikhvin) 228
Lodeynoye Pole - Surgutneftegaz gas station on the left 233
Lodeynoye Pole - turn to Podporozhye and Vytegra 234
DPS post. Bridge over the river Svir, cafe 234
Parking near Vekhnozero (to the right of the road), approach to the lake (lots of garbage) 243
Gas station "PTK" on the left, Art. Inema, motel, cafe, tire service, auto parts 250
Karelia border 260
Traffic police post, cafe on the right, tire shop, cafe on the left 268
Left turn to Olonets via Megrega 270
Megrega River 271
Turn to Olonets (road A130) 280
Turn to Kuteyzha (right) and Verkhovye, river. Olonka 281
Turn to Olonets with parking (overpass and toilet), TNK gas station on the left 282
Mileage jump 292
Parking lot with overpass and toilet on the left, cafe 306
Torosozero, r. Olonka 313
Pekki River 323
Parking with an overpass on the left at the turn to Keskozero 337
Sign “Pryazhinsky district” ~ 348
Parking with overpass, canopy and toilet on the right 358
Turn to Svyatozero, to Pryazha 16 km 369
Parking with overpass, canopy and toilet 371
River Svyat 381
Yarn. Gas station "Ekotek", cafe, left turn to Kroshnozero and Sortavala 384
Yarn. DPS post. Gas station 386
Turn to auto repair on the right 387
Spring on the left (pavilion) ~392.5
Parking on the left ~ 398.5
Sailors, cafe on the left 400
Gas station "Palmira Trading" on the right 402
Shops and market 402.5
Dining room 403
Guest house and departure from Sailors 403.5
Sign “Prionezhsky district” 407
Half, spring on the right 410
Vilga, auto parts, manufactured goods, first aid station 418
Gas station "Palmira Trading" (container) on the left 419
Traffic police post at Petrozavodsk interchange 421
Gas station "VD", cafe on the right 427
Turn to Suoyarvi (A133) 431
Gas station "Kitek", cafe on the right 434
Entrance to Shuya - gas station "ARIS" on the right 437
Shops, pharmacy 438
Shuya, st. Shuyskaya, gas station "Shuiskaya" on the left 441
Tire fitting and auto repair on the right 445
Turn onto Luchevoye left 458
Turn right onto Tulguba 460
Yanishpole, bridge over the Suna river, cafe, tire service 461
Entrance to Kondopoga - motels "Voyage" and "Mirage", cafe, service station, gas station on the left 471-472
Ecotek gas station on the right, cafe, left turn to Berezovka and Kondopoga 478
Turn to Kivach 493
Sopokha - gas station on the right, cafe 493
Turn to Girvas, gas station “Kwazar” on the left, cafe 514-515
Beach on Palyozero 517
Access to the shore of Palyozero from road 519
Mileage jump 565
Turn left onto Tivdino 572
Parking with an overpass and a toilet on the right, r. Lizma 578
Niva River 579
Parking with overpass 594
Turn to Kappyaselga (first) 595
Turn to Kappyaselga (second) 600
Parking and cafe on the right, sign “Kondopoga district” 607
Chebinka River 608
Yustozero fork (~ 66 km) - Medvezhyegorsk (~ 6 km), gas station TNK 623
Vandozero is on the left, no entrances 643
Monument and small parking lot 646
Turn to Maselgskaya, in front of it on the right is Lake Kommunarov 647
Vidlozero on the right 653
Turn left onto Ramentsy 657
Turn left onto Sumerichi 664
Turn to Urosozero and Suglitsa 681
Turn to Taboi threshold left 702
Segezha River, no exits ~705
Exit to garden plots on Lindozero 712
Pezega River 714
Right turn towards the river 714.5
Gas station "TO", tire service, cafe, store 716
Turn to Segezha (~ 11 km), motel, cafe, gas station 721
Spontaneous parking on the left 725
Onda River, left turn to gardening, no parking ~730
Giryu-Lambina River 741
Onigma River 742
Turn to Nadvoitsy (~ 14 km) right, cafe 748
Turn to Kochkoma (~ 8 km) 754
Sign “Belomorsky district” 767.5
River Idel 769
Tunguda River 775
Summer River 781
Turn to Letnerechensky (~ 15 km) right 786
Pushnoy, TNK gas station on the left, cafe, compressed air. 796
Pov. on Lekhtu-Shuezero (~ 20 km) left, ARIS gas station, tire service, cafe 798
Turn to Belomorsk (~ 46 km) 799
Turn left to Northnavolok and Pertozero ~805
Shuya River 822
Parking on the left 837
Sign “Kemsky district” 847
Lake by the road on the right 848
Poduzhemskaya HPP - r. Kem 855
Pov. on Kem right (~ 14 km), parking. TNK gas station - exit from the city 856
Gas station TNK 857
Turn to Kalevala (~ 160 km) 863
Lakes on both sides of the road - water for washing/washing the car 869
River Five ~ 871
Letnyaya River 886.5
Viksh River, site 897
Drinking water - r. Black 897.5
Yalo River 902
Pongoma River 913
Turn to Kuzema (~ 33 km) right 917
Parking lot with overpass on the left 925
Sign “Loukhi district” 932
Kuzema River 938
Upper Kuzema River ~950
Spontaneous parking on the right 976
Parking on the right 986
Turn right onto Ambarny and Engozero 995
Spontaneous parking 999
Guba Shirokaya on the left, approaches to the water. Dirty, parking in case of emergency 1006.5
Turn right onto Loukhi (~ 8 km), traffic police post, gas station, snack bar 1009
River Keret 1022
Turn to Chupa 1035
Nizhneye Kotozero 1038
Turn to the Arctic Circle, parking, tavern on the right, left turn to Nolozero 1050
Second turn to the Arctic Circle 1056
Turn left onto Tedino, cafe, toilet, shower 1057
Stele "Arctic Circle" 1067.5
Border of the Murmansk region 1068
Village Lesnoy 1074
Kovda River 1078
Turn to Kovda (~7 km) right 1081
Turn to the railway station. Kovda (~ 4 km) left 1084
Turn to Lesozavodsky (~ 10 km) right 1087
Zelenoborsky - spare parts, tire fitting, r. Princess 1105
Rosneft gas station, cafe 1107
Spring on the right (pavilion) 1112
Turn to station Zhemchuzhnaya (~1.5 km) left 1116
Parking on the right 1117
Turn to Ruchi (~ 2 km) left 1126
Turn to station White Sea (~ 7 km) right 1137
Guba Kanda 1138
Parking with overpass 1140
Turn to Alakurtti (~ 100 km) left 1144
traffic police post, Vega gas station, cafe, toilet 1149
Pov. Kandalaksha (~3 km). Kandalaksha - Gas station "Statoil" Pronina St. 20A. 1151
Parking with overpass, cafe 1175
Pov. Polar Dawn (~3 km). Polyarn.Zori-gas station "Statoil" Nivsky Ave. 17 1181
Turn to Kola Nuclear Power Plant, traffic police post 1188.5
Turn left onto Kovdor 1201
Gas station "Pirenga" (container) on the left 1202
Pirenga River, parking, cafe 1202.5
Sign “Apatity district” 1203
Parking on the right ~1214
Parking on the right 1220
Bridge over the Chupa River 1221
Sign "Monchegorsk district" 1226
Turn right to Apatity (~28 km) and Kirovsk (~44 km).

- Murmansk - Pechenga - Borisoglebsky (border with Norway).

The length of the road is approximately 1592 kilometers

Coverage quality: excellent throughout. In the Leningrad region, the first approximately 50 km are 4 lanes. Then there are 2 lanes everywhere.

Infrastructure: There are plenty of gas stations in the Leningrad region. Cafe to a lesser extent. In Karelia nothing can be found within 100 km. There are still settlements before Petrozavodsk. After that - 100-150 km between gas stations and any civilization in general. Midges, mosquitoes and bears.

Departures from cities

Route

Kilometers are indicated from the Ring Road

Start with MEGA Dybenko. The flow is powerful and very fast. The nearest gas station is a few km ahead - PTK.

Razmetelevo (9 km)

A small village consisting of a gas station, a cafe, a car service station and dotted with “No Stopping” signs. A very bad place for a stop. There is also a turn to Vsevolozhsk.

Neva river (25 km)

A strategic place from where a good start begins after the traffic police post immediately behind the bridge. Local goes to Kirovsk and Shlisselburg

Sinyavino (30 km)

Quite a popular place among drivers, because... It’s very quick to get from the post to there. But! It's not worth going, because... It's only 5km ahead, and there's not a very comfortable position in the stopping pocket.

Kiselnya (95 km)

It's worth taking a car from the post to get here. It is approximately 100 km from the city. There is a Pyaterochka store. At the end of the village there is a turn to Volkhov, where many cars leave. At the same time, the turn does not generate traffic towards the area. Position at the stop around the turn. A local bus further along the highway rarely runs and costs 45 rubles to the next strategic position.

Novaya Ladoga (105 km)

In this place there is a second turn to Volkhov, and it is this that generates traffic from Volkhov, unlike the village of Kiselnya. From Kiselny to Novaya Ladoga 10 km. There is also a bridge across the Volkhov River. A second new bridge is being built to replace the old one. In front of the bridge there is a cluster of cafes, a bus station, and a gas station. After the bridge, construction of an interchange with the highway A114 to Vologda and Cherepovets, and two cafes. Expensive and tasteless. But they accept bank cards for payment. Position after the bridge at a temporary stop in your pocket if you go further to Karelia. And if you are in Vologda - after cafes in your pocket, stop in the village of Issad, or walk the entire village (2m) and catch it at the very exit at the Pyaterochka store.

Syasstroy (120 km)

A small town with shops.

Petrozavodsk (380 km)

center of the Republic of Karelia. It has a bypass and three entrances to the city. The first one is right behind the traffic police post. The second is approximately in the middle of the bypass, and the third is from the north. Then deserted long gaps between populated areas without gas stations and cafes begin.

Kondopoga (430 km)

A city away from the highway, known for right-wing radical sentiments

Medvezhyegorsk (535 km)

The second name is Medgora. The city is off the highway. The corner is a popular place among drivers, because... There is a gas station and a cafe. At this turn you can go onto the Medvezhyegorsk-Vologda federal highway, which is now being built up so don’t worry, mom.

Segezha (630 km)

Another island of civilization on a deserted Karelian highway. City, away from the road. Refueling. Sometimes not working.

Fur (700 km)

Small village. Turn to Belomorsk. Two gas stations - TNK and Aris. Drivers often spend the night at TNK.

Louhi (920 km)

A small settlement off the highway. Refueling.

Kandalaksha (1070 km)

The beginning of polar civilization. A large city in the Murmansk region, away from the highway.

Polar Zori (1100 km)

A small settlement off the highway

Turn to Apatity (1145 km)

Many drivers can turn towards Apatity and Kirovsk, because The mining and chemical industries are concentrated there. Also for lovers of mountain hiking - routes to the city of Khibiny start from Apatit, either on foot or by train. Apatit is 30 km away.

Monchegorsk (1180 km)

A small town, one of the most environmentally polluted places in the CIS. The reason for this is the metallurgical plant, which poisoned all the soil in the area during the Soviet years. The gloomy landscapes along the route are proof of this. Nowadays the plant operates only for profit, and most of the workshops are closed. The city is located on the right hand of the road on the shore of Lake Imandra. On the opposite bank you can see the Khibiny Mountains.

Olenegorsk (1205 km)

Location of military units. The city remains on the sidelines.

Murmansk (1300 km)

The route in the city diverges in several directions: towards the city of Pechenga and Norway, and towards the closed city of Severomorsk, where nuclear submarines are stationed. You can get to the center by taking a trolleybus on Kolsky Prospect.