Russia: on and off the beaten track: Valday 2- the hilly upland of glacier origin between Moscow and Saint-Petersburg.

5/11/13

Valday 2- the hilly upland of glacier origin between Moscow and Saint-Petersburg.

Valday, the 1st of May

Valday Hills Part 1 Here: possible accommodation, prices.

As I have already written Valday is an area between Moscow and Saint-Petersburg on the M10 highway.

lunch at Priut Okhotnika (Hunter's Retreat)

Valday lakes are plenty and are famous for fishing. The freshly smoked orfe for lunch was bony and expensive: 300 roubles (10 dollars) per bony water monster. I thought the orfe in Valday lakes were like sardines in a can. The price proves they are a rarety of some kind. Well, they have a special pond for fishing, so you may get a trophy by yourself, more exciting and cheaper.

The lunch itself was cheap and nourishing (salad, soup, meat balls, dessert) just at 400 roubles.

lunch bill for two

I can't do without cats...

Fishing and rope climbing are not my cup of tea, while I always find it appealing to have a horse riding class from time to time.

Riding horses at 500 roubles per hour.

The impression of the stables is one of the best I've got of horse riding activities in Russia. The trainer is a very responsible, witty, good-humoured young lady with intelligence above the average. With her amazing skill to talk about horses and all the issues that worry normal people sometimes - sarcastically, sometimes - wittily, she got all our attention and made us smile sincerely.

At the same time she strongly criticized our riding skills, which was absolutely fair, and didn't leave us any hope to take a riding trip about the Valday Hills unless we advance in our ability to control a horse. However, the map that shows the riding paths looked luring. As far as I remember they have 3 routes around the lakes of different length. I wish you had enough skill to take one of them!

The stables are of immaculate cleanliness, the horses look healthy and positive.

Further information is about other kinds of accommodation in Valday.

Some people write in forum posts that Russia is not a budget destination. That is true to some extent. However, if you know some tricks you can considerably decrease the amount of money you spend on a journey. Therefore, before going to Russian destinations you should learn more about where to go, what to see, where to eat. In each of my posts I am trying to give some tips about how to cut corners.

The Hunter's Retreat was a nice place with extra activities on offer: apart from the fishing pond and different hunting activities (for all of them you have to pay extra), they have stables nearby, the rope town and an entertainment field for kids. However, now I see that one may go for a cheaper option.

You might like it more to stay at a resort where at the same price you can eat 3 meals a day. Sounds better. On our way home we dropped in at the Severnoye Siyanye (Северное сияние/ Nothern Lights).

The place is absolutely cosy. A small, tidy hotel in the densely forested lake bank. The rooms have been checked out: quite small but clean and neat. A double is at about 1.900 roubles per person (3 meals and some medical treatment included).