The more you travel to other cities, the less you notice what beauties there are in your native land. It so happened that all last year I spent all the time in my city. You can howl like a wolf. It is at such moments that you try to get out at least somewhere. And one of these places was the Bath Islands on the Volga, near the city of Ulyanovsk. To some they may be known as Turgenevskie, to some as Andreevskie (on behalf of the nearby village of Andreevka).
The islands got their name from Lake Bannoye and the village of Banny, located nearby, in the flood zone (Kuibyshev reservoir, 1955-57). The largest of them is Bezymyanny Island (several kilometers long and several hundred meters wide). And why exactly "Banny"?
But because the water in the flooded lake, deprived of the recharge of the springs, was very warm all summer. As a result, most of the resting townspeople went to swim there.
So we decided to become these resting townspeople for a couple of days.
The road from the city to the coast, from which you can cross to the islands, takes about an hour. Before reaching the place of descent, you can stop and look at the islands from the high coast.
The places here are quite picturesque.
Going down to the water directly in cars, we unloaded our vehicles, provisions and housing.
No, of course the boats were not like that in the trunk of the car - I blew them alone while my comrades drove the cars away under supervision to the dacha. A very exciting activity - to spank your foot with a frog-type pump for about an hour ...
There is only 90 meters between the first island and the coast. But there is nothing to do on the near shore - he is shitty and uncomfortable. Therefore, we decided to go inland of the island, bypassing it on the oars for about 3 kilometers. And this despite the fact that before I somehow did not have to work with oars ...
On an overloaded boat, where the least amount of space was reserved for laying between the seat and the oars, I walked about 700 meters and got tired of ... I more or less learned to row, but I did not get pleasure from this process. Moreover, the water was so tempting to put your feet in it after a hot working Friday .... Wah!
The photograph only conveys 70 percent of the purity and coolness of the Volga water. And considering that on a rare day you will not find the dense "green" of blooming water on city beaches, then ...
Without thinking twice, I row closer to the coast of the island and ... buzz ...!
I walked to the place already along the coast like a burlak :)
"Go out to the Volga, whose groan is heard?
We call this moan a song ... "
But even if I moaned, it was funny songs - the loaded one-place walked easily on the water.
"Tarpaulin,
Rope in hand
I pull the boat
By the fast river
And the frogs are jumping
On my heels
And they ask me:
- Take a ride, captain! "
But it was not the frogs who galloped after me, but ...
One even chased me on the shore, shouting - "Boil me!"
In a word, while we were going to the place of dropping ashore, we took about 5 such friends. By the way, the comrades also followed my example and dismounted. Walking on the water with your feet is faster and more pleasant. You can drink a beer on the way ... pick up crayfish again ...
Such bliss! ...
And what views along the way!
The steep coast is riddled with swifts' nests.
They twist around me. They are afraid that I will climb ...
But I am kind and today I am not going to eat cubs - there will be enough crayfish.
We got to the place, set up camp, put up our tents in its place. The tourists from the broken camp were driven away ...
In general, something like that was. The place we came to is quite popular in certain circles. And it so happened that one company was planning to stand at this place to celebrate a birthday. And we, it turns out, accidentally outstripped them. But as civilized people, they settled everything without conflict and they went a little further. In general, the island is still common (they say they are buying up land there ...) - whoever managed to sit down ...
OK. They sat down and decomposed. They cooked crayfish, poured beer.
And then the sunset ...
Eh, babble! ...
It was already dark, a tour company of decent guys walked along the shore. We stopped near our place, as if thinking of standing next to us. But we did not want neighbors in any way and we imitated a drunken hop company among ourselves ... The stage experience came in handy.
"Pour, blah! Shaw so little - pour more, c # ka! Do not respect?!. Yes, I'm those right now # bnu!"
Yeah, in nature there is such a thing as mimicry. So we pretended to be "dangerous beetles" :) We acted badly, right?
At night we went out with flashlights to catch crayfish. I heard somewhere that their light attracts. And I must say - they scored a dozen!
Cooked in the morning ...
And the morning was not so welcoming.
Some kind of cyclone attacked - you can see it in the photo. But there was no rain or wind. It's just cloudy.
Our conc lager:
Some fancy yachts began to arrive on the island. Some of them are guests invited to the birthday of our camp neighbor, with whom we shared the territory the night before ...
After the morning fishing, during which all the catch escaped from the leaky cage, we decided to go explore the island. Well, that's a strong saying, the whole island. Only a small part of it was examined in a couple of hours. It is truly huge.
We passed an internally warm lake with a footbridge.
The water in it is pretty clean and clear. You know, it reminded me of the screensaver of a film company "LakeShore", where a boy runs along such a bridge and jumps into the lake.
Eh, cool here! Like in paradise. Although not there, it's hard to compare ...
We approached one of the many channels and internal pools.
There are cozy golden beaches everywhere.
In my opinion, paradise should be like this. For a cozy house to stand on the shore, a fish splashed. We would have caught her and let her go - there’s no need to eat there. Everyone around would be kind and helpful. Not like us in the evening. They scared the guys ...
And here is the Serpent-tempter himself:
Only he is still small, and does not bite at all. Almost. I remember teenagers poisoned with twigs of a huge old snake near the lake in the country. He got so angry that he began to throw himself at us and spit saliva. It was scary - everyone scattered in genuine fear ... And they also stink terribly. Mimicry ... :)
They pushed their way through some thickets, began to worry that they were lost. We had to go to the other side of the island - there is a bird colony, a nesting place for gulls. Suddenly we noticed that there were many seagulls above us, which were trying to attack us! We immediately understood - we are close. And the truth is - a gap became visible through the bushes and we quickly went to the other side.
It was on this concrete piece of the pier that the seagulls nest.
Eggs and chicks can be seen on the concrete. Do not come close - the brutalized seagulls dive very low on their heads with a terrible cry and shit. On this day, I did not want to eat the cubs of birds again, and we hastily left this place.
One of the ends of the island. Papuans from hostile tribes are walking everywhere. Don't come close :).
All jokes aside, in this part of the island, someone has built a summer camp with light houses, a shower, a kitchen and a toilet. We saw women and children. It feels like people come there for months at once.
An old table in the woods near this large camp.
We got a little lost near the swamp. Saved by the navigator. Well, what are the Papuans today without him? Gone are the birch forest, pine. We went out into the meadows. And the meadows are overgrown with wild cherries! So I ate it there.
And one more inner lake.
And here it is already a stone's throw to our shore. One of the highest places on the island. A strip of forest in the distance is the bank of the Volga.
The view is awesome.
Then I dived with a mask and caught some more tasty arthropods.
And the people came to the island not only by yachts, but already ...
We never caught fish, and what we caught - that one escaped from the package ... We are kind ...
The high exchange rate of the dollar and the euro, the inaccessibility of the usual Egyptian and Turkish resorts is by no means a reason to lose heart and postpone your vacation. In Russia there are a huge number of places where you can relax, sunbathe and swim. It is not at all necessary to spend all the time on the beach, you can, for example, go on a rafting down the river or get out into nature with a large company. But if the question arose: where to go to the Volga from Moscow with tents, then in this case it is worthwhile to prepare in advance and choose a good place.
If there is no way to go far and for a long time, then the Tver region is ideal for recreation. It is located just 190 kilometers from Moscow, but here you can admire the beauty of nature and have a good time. In addition to the Volga, there are a large number of small rivers, the water in which is much cleaner. In most cases, almost any beach can be reached by car, although the descent to the water is not convenient everywhere. Most often the beaches are grassy rather than sandy, although the grass is not high.
The upper reaches of the Volga river near the city of Dubna
There is no need to go somewhere far from Moscow to swim in the Volga and relax on its banks. Just a few hours' drive from Moscow there is the city of Dubna, near which there are excellent places to stay with tents. Fishing enthusiasts can enjoy the opportunity here to fish and catch a large number of fish. You can also sunbathe and swim here. There are many places for setting up a tent and setting up a camp, a good entrance, shops and other infrastructure are also nearby.
Ukhodovo Island on the Volga near the Moscow Sea
Clean air, a comfortable approach to the will, the opportunity to sit with a fishing rod on the shore and catch fish, all this can be found on the island of Ukhodovo. The transport accessibility of this place is quite acceptable, of course, there are large groups of tourists, but there is enough space for everyone, so you can relax in peace. You can get to the Bolshaya Volga pier, and then by boat, for a fee, cross to any island in this reservoir.
Konakovo town in the Tver region
There are a huge number of places on the Volga where you can set up a tent camp, fish and have a good rest without the benefits of civilization. Access to water is normal, and there is also the possibility of driving. Of course, on weekends and holidays there can be a large number of tourists, but there is always the opportunity to get further away.
The island is an unusual and rare purchase. In the endless Russian expanses, you can also find a piece of land on the water, which is suitable for living and doing business. The current proposal is an island in the Kostroma reservoir. You can buy it for only 40,000,000 rubles. The island does not have a name yet, so after purchasing it, you can give it a name of your choice. In this case, you will literally be “on your territory”. Native language, native nature and climate - that's what it's worth buy an island on the Volga.
Pros of buying an island in Russia:
No cataclysms (tsunamis and earthquakes) will darken your existence here;
... Reduces the risk of being eaten by a crocodile or dying from a scorpion bite (which are abundant on exotic islands);
... The climate and nature of the island are familiar from childhood;
... There are no language barriers for investors to build a business.
The total area of the unnamed island is 60 hectares. There are no buildings here and never have been. The history of the island can begin immediately after its purchase. If the island falls into the possession of a wealthy resident of Kostroma, the journey will not take long. From Kostroma to the crossing on the Volga -15-20 minutes, after which it remains to overcome 1 km. any swimming means.
Prospects for buying an island on the Volga.
If stars are buying islands for solitude and relaxation, then wealthy investors see great prospects in this property. On some islands, it is preferable to organize a tourist area with noisy resorts, hotels and all the entertainment that tourists like. Other islands are more suitable for organizing a family-type recreation center, creating an agriturismo or arranging outdoor recreation. An unnamed island on the Volga is suitable for the second option.
Large spawning grounds for fish will attract fishing lovers to the island, and the beautiful, untouched nature will appeal to everyone who wants to escape for a while from the noise of cities.
It should be remembered that buying an island on the Volga will not cut you off from civilization. There are a dozen cities in the district (including Yaroslavl). If you have water transport, you can sail in any of them or organize entire tourist routes on the ship. The main thing is desire and a good business plan.
In Russia, you can not only buy an island on the Volga, but also to issue a long-term lease for it (from 30 to 99 years). The second option allows you to implement any projects on the island without the right to sell.
Who loves beach vacation on the Volga, with romantic get-togethers around the fire, then this is for you! There are always boats at the berth of the Cold Ravine, which will transport you to the island for a small fee, especially since the sandbank begins 300 meters from the coast, although there are no trees, and there is almost no land (shallow water and sandbanks), hide from the sun can only be under your umbrella. Photo. Sand spit near the island
Well, if you are the lucky owner of your boat, or at least an inflatable boat, feel free to go to Bird Island. Better with a tent and an overnight stay. Moreover, an inflatable boat can be carried along, since the remaining 500 meters to the coast of the island, the maximum depth of the river is no more than a meter. The bottom is sandy, clearly visible, it turns out to be a funny journey. You are in the middle of the Volga, walking waist-deep in water, in front of the Bird Island, on the right is Mount Lysaya, behind the pier, on the left is the right bank of the Volga with tourist centers and campgrounds.
Photo. The pier. Mount Bald
According to data from the Internet, the island appeared in 2002, as a result of the deposition of sand by the current. This is most likely the case. The shores of the island are not just sandy, sand, it is everywhere, and on the island itself, between trees, and in the water, for many meters, leaving the coast. The trees on the island are not tall, represented mainly by willows and poplars. They give enough shade, but there is a problem with dead wood.
Photo. Sandbank. Inflatable boat Intex
As mentioned above, they melted down to the island in an inflatable boat. Do not forget to bring along inflatable mattresses for sleeping and swimming. They are very useful for sleeping in a tent at night, and during the day for half-nap on the waves of a calm river.
The sand is almost white and very fine. The sensation of the sea does not leave, since the water warms up at the coast quite strongly, and small waves intensify these sensations.
Photo. Sand beach
Bird Island is 1 km long. 250 meters wide. Walking around the island far and wide is not difficult and will bring a lot of impressions. The eastern coast is more populated with campgrounds, the sand is cleaner and the water is warmer.
Photo. East coast.
On the western coast, the waves are stronger, in some places there are thickets of reeds, but there are fewer people and fewer tent camps.
Photo. West bank
And what a stunning view opens up to the Sokoli Mountains.
Photo. Falcon mountains
Photo. Greve cave
Traveling around the island, you will certainly find the answer why it is the "Bird" island. On the one hand, its small size, and on the other hand, the abundance of birds! Their polyphonic singing wakes you up early in the morning and lulls you in the evening.
Photo. Bird island
Such a romantic getaway is hard to find. And for lovers, and for families with children, and for fun companies with a guitar, there is a place and classes to their liking.
Photo. Sunset
If you don't like a wild vacation on the Volga, then go to the Black Sea, for example, to Gelendzhik. It is enough for this
