Map of coastal depths near the fishing peninsula. The end of the earth is a fishing peninsula. Travel to the Rybachy Peninsula in the Murmansk region: why it’s worth going there

My summer road trip there was to be a trip to the Caucasus, the main event of which was to be the ascent of Elbrus. But in July, about a month before the start, a friend from St. Petersburg called and enthusiastically told about the Rybachy Peninsula in 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 from the Second World War - 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 this was the case, then a good reason was needed.

And such a reason appeared. It was the rains that, according to the forecast, were expected in the Elbrus region at the end of summer. I don’t know to what extent the forecast turned out to be correct, but... in general, I easily changed direction from south to north. Circumstances were such that at the same time a good friend of my St. Petersburg friend was going to go to Rybachy from St. Petersburg with me with a company. They agreed that we could join him.

According to the navigator’s calculations, there are two routes that are approximately equal in travel time, leading from Moscow to Rybachye. One goes through St. Petersburg, the other through Vologda. The length of the first is about 2100 km, the second order is 2000 km. But the first one is a little faster than the second one, since the Moscow-St. Petersburg highway has a number of toll speed sections. Routes go around from different directions Lake Onega and converge in its northern part. Then there is one road - to Murmansk.

I needed to go to St. Petersburg. The road to it from Moscow is well known to many. In recent years it has been getting better: there is more good asphalt and fewer areas with strong speed limits. The journey to St. Petersburg, which is 700 km, takes almost a day if you don’t rush. Night in St. Petersburg. In the morning to Murmansk. The road to get there is generally not bad. There are places under renovation. There are more cameras, both stationary and mobile, than few. Sometimes there are traffic police patrols lurking on the roadsides. The route is remarkable for the surrounding rocky Karelian nature, the abundance of mirror lakes and swamps of swamps, in some places extending beyond the horizon. Closer to Murmansk there are fewer forests, the landscape begins to turn into 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 Khibiny mountains, well known to skiers. Returning from Kirovsk to the highway, there were about 200 km left to Murmansk.

To go to the peninsula, as they say, you need to take everything. There are no shops there. The Murmansk supermarket is not much different from the Moscow one - the range and prices are approximately the same. At gas stations the price of diesel fuel is about 3 rubles more than in the capital.

When we were still on the way to Murmansk, 160 km from St. Petersburg, we stopped at a store at a plant in Potanino that produces canned meat. They bought some stew there. I can say with confidence that I have never eaten any other stew tastier than this one. Slava pointed him towards the store. The same good friend of my friend with whom we were going to travel around Rybachy. By the way, Slava knows the peninsula and its history well. Once there was a military unit where he served in the army. During his service, he became so imbued with Rybachy that he has been coming there every summer for many years. At the same time, Slava has extensive experience in operating off-road equipment. Now he drives a Sobol off-road camper, reconstructed with his own hands. Slava, in fact, became our guide, and his car was at the head of the column, the first to explore the off-road. But more about Rybachy’s off-road conditions later. I'll tell you a story related to it. My friend from St. Petersburg, having seen the new Mitsubishi Pajero Sport in which I arrived, was seriously puzzled by how to avoid or at least minimize the damage that, as he believed, awaited the car on our upcoming journey. He walked around the car and said: “We need to at least remove the bumpers. Well, in general, I don’t know, are you ready to leave it there? Or let's leave him here and go in my pickup truck." His old American pickup truck stood nearby. I can’t say that this didn’t alarm me, but I just said that I wasn’t going to rush into the embrasure. “Well, that’s right, if anything happens we’ll turn around and go home,” he summed up joylessly.

Rybachy is not connected to the mainland; it is connected by a narrow isthmus with another peninsula called the Middle Peninsula, which already turns into mainland. Therefore, to get to Rybachy, you need to drive through Sredniy. 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 2000s, entry was opened for civilians, but only with special passes. From 2009 to this day, at the Titovka checkpoint they only require you to show your passport, and they can see what is being transported in the car. The checkpoint is located on the Kola highway, going through Pechenga, approximately 160 km from Murmansk. The point is located 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 at Sredny, it’s about 25 km to get there, and then about the same distance to Rybachy. But you can consider this point to be the beginning of your journey.

The road to Rybachy sometimes winds like a serpentine, rolling from hill to hill, then straightens out. There are no difficult areas to navigate here. But this path cannot be called easy either. It will test your nerves because much of it is full of potholes. There is no use going around them. I can give only one piece of advice: secure all the things in the car, because the shaking, if you can call it shaking, will be strong. At first I tried to drive 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 holes” 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 do not have a strong SUV that has been tested by time, then the “with gas” principle is probably not worth using.

They say that the potholes were formed due to heavy military equipment, who comes here for military exercises. On the way back we found ourselves almost participants in these events. The soldiers, as it seemed then, were imitating clearing mines on the road, they were covered by a tank, and then our Pajero Sport appeared around the bend. We stopped about thirty meters from the tank, and its turret turned towards us with the barrel of its gun. Whether it was a joke or following an order/instruction, I don’t know. The feelings were ambivalent.

The region where Rybachy is located has quite rich history, but getting to know him was often connected precisely with his military past. Vivid impressions of the beauty of the local views are constantly interrupted by 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 granite Mustunturi ridge. The northern front line passed along it. The place is legendary, the only one where the Germans were unable to break through the front line. The famous Soviet writer Konstantin Simonov took the image of the hero from one of the officers who defended him for his work “The Artilleryman’s Son.”

Rybachy played an important strategic role, since it controlled the entrances to the Pechenga bay in the west and the Motovsky and Kola bays in the east. The protection of everything largely depended on this Kola Peninsula with the city of Murmansk and its ice-free port. The capture of this Arctic territory was one of the particularly important tasks for the German command. It was to be carried out by the Army of Norway, formed from two German and Finnish corps. The Germans expected the capture of the peninsula from the sea. In this regard, on the eve of the war, a number of defensive structures were created on Rybachy and Sredny.

As is known, western part peninsulas belonged to Finland from 1920 to 1940. This was a consequence 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 with a significant expansion of its borders in the Finnish direction in 1940, 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. Our Northern Fleet made a significant contribution to this, providing powerful fire support from the decks of ships. On Mustatunturi, the assault was carried out by well-equipped and prepared for combat in the northern mountainous conditions by the rangers of the elite German unit “Edelweiss”. 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 stunningly beautiful views. They are especially well demonstrated by the so-called Swabian Road, which winds along lakes and hills. It was built during the war to provide German army, storming the peninsula, and comes from Pechenga, which the Germans called in Finnish - Petsamo. The turn to it is located before the pass over the ridge on the way to Sredny. Driving along this road it is difficult to combine the beauty surrounding nature with heavy fire and bomb attacks.

The Swabian road is well preserved and surprises with its quality, but travel along it is complicated by destroyed bridges. To get around them, you need an SUV with high ground clearance, allowing you to drive through large stones. Along the road, the Germans built a chain of various engineering structures. From many of them only fragments of walls remain, but they are quite easily recognizable. But there are also almost intact buildings.

After the Second World War, many different kinds of artifacts remained on the peninsulas, and especially on the adjacent mainland, including Mustatunturi - from artillery pieces and ammunition to ordinary household items used by the military. IN peacetime The Soviet army ruled here, many expeditions, search parties and just tourists visited, so there were significantly fewer artifacts. But as they say knowledgeable people, there are still quite a few of them, it’s just getting harder to find. However, mines, shell casings, and other similar items, heavily rusted, which time has not spared at all, which is why they no longer represent almost any historical and material value, are often encountered.

The sights of the Sredny Peninsula, as well as its history, are closely connected with Rybachy. Therefore, the Middle one is also interesting. But we don't dwell on it. Our goal is Rybachy. It is much larger, and there is an ocean behind it. Yes, the ocean never borders on land. On the maps, the Rybachy Peninsula is washed by the Barents Sea, which turns into the ocean. And, nevertheless, this is a convention, because there is water between the Rybachy and North Pole.

There were no plans to get to Rybachy on the first day. We stopped for the night, setting up a tent camp not far from the road. On the second day, we separated from Slava’s group and agreed to meet on the peninsula. And this gave us one plus: the absence of a big company and support enhanced the impressions of our first acquaintance with Rybachy. And it began with the abandoned military village of Ozerko, which attracts with a couple of five-story buildings.

Gray, with window sockets blackening with emptiness, they look gloomy. The sad colors were added by the densely covered sky with heavy leaden 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 visiting them can give. But the strength of these impressions depends on one’s own acuity of perception, awareness, and maybe something else. It's not just desolation inside. Everything there was looted and destroyed. Although at home we never saw war. They were built and abandoned by people in times of peace. What you see in these five-story buildings is then seen throughout the entire peninsula at all abandoned military installations. Some say that they can be seen as a picture of the apocalypse. I would call the picture differently, something related to the decline of morality, which was especially evident in the nineties, after the collapse of the USSR.

Five-story buildings appeared in the early seventies in addition to other housing and amenities infrastructure created for the military. By that time, a number of troops were stationed at Rybachy, including air defense forces 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, armament reductions began on the peninsula, followed by demilitarization, which ended in the fall of 1994. After the military left, in addition to the established system of infrastructure facilities, a lot of different equipment and machinery remained on the peninsulas, in particular, cargo transport and 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 acquainted with Ozerko, we went 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 and the ground became more and more unsteady. The lower gear and axle locks were already engaged, and the car was moving more and more heavily. And soon we were crawling in the middle of the muddy tundra there, which can hardly be called a road, and a swampy lowland lay ahead. In the end, we turned around.

Evening was beginning, we decided to postpone the search, and stopped for the night on the shore of Bolshaya Volokovaya Bay - in the western part of Rybachy. I didn’t have to look for long for beautiful parking spots, there were many of them. But such places are often not without wind. And the wind from the ocean can be so strong that even the tent cannot stand. But we found quiet place We didn’t even put up a tent under the rock, we just put up an awning to protect ourselves from the rain. You won't freeze at night in a warm sleeping bag.

When we arrived at Rybachy, it was cloudy and raining 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 did find a few sunny days. Winds blow often, but sometimes they are barely noticeable. In the depths of the peninsula there may be no wind at all, but then, if there is a lake nearby, there is no small chance of being attacked by clouds of midges.

When they say that the ocean feeds, you might think about fish or some other seafood. But the ocean even provides wood for the fire. On Rybachy there is tundra, water and stone. And the tree can be found by walking along the shore. There are boards and logs. Just choose those that have already sat down and dried out. In general, the ocean throws out everything - both garbage and a lot of good stuff. Later, on one of the beaches of the peninsula we discovered a huge bay of good rope. Perhaps she was washed off the ship in a storm. 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 deeper into the peninsula. Its topography is hilly, strewn with stones, with many rock formations.

Due to strong winds, the vegetation is low, a significant part of it covers the ground like a carpet, and bushes grow densely in places. In the lowlands it is damp - puddles, hummocks. The peninsula is cut by streams and river beds, so when traveling along it, you will not be able to pass them.

In rivers the flow can be rough. We come across such a river. We cross it along a pile of stones.

You might think that where the tundra is, everything looks monotonous. However, this is not true. Here the tundra, in combination 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. There are many flowers among it and there are whole scatterings of berries.

The most common of them is crowberry. There are many blueberries, cloudberries, which are very popular in Scandinavia.

There are also a lot of mushrooms on Rybachy. Of these, boletus mushrooms are often found. They can be very large.

Boletus mushrooms grow under birch trees. And they are here, only dwarf ones. They can creep along the ground and look very similar to the roots of a plant.

There are also very beautiful mosses here.

By noon, the sun was so warm that when the wind died down, it became warm like the south. At such moments, looking at the blue waters of Bolshaya Volokovaya Bay, one could easily imagine that this was the south.

There was no need to look 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 places that would be difficult or even impossible to travel by car. A motorcycle allows you to see more. In addition, the peninsula will provide the motorcyclist with mud baths, water obstacles, rocks, slopes, sand, in general, everything that is needed for an extreme drive on rough terrain. Traveling by car, we weren’t looking for extreme sports, but we couldn’t do without it.

Every day our group moved to a new place on SUVs and motorcycles. Time was limited, so the route ran through the western part of the peninsula, where there is less off-road terrain and many attractions. Rybachy has, in a way, its own main roads. They are well rolled out, with clear boundaries, and can be marked by poles in barrels standing along them.

Most tourists travel along them. And if it weren’t for the numerous waterways flowing into the ocean and the puddles in the lowlands, you could drive through them in the most ordinary crossover. River beds can be saturated with large stones and can have steep slopes, and the water level can be knee-high. These are not the most serious obstacles on the peninsula, but in order to go around the entire western part, they will have to be overcome, and this can be enough to damage the car. Stones can hit the body, puncture the wheels and break parts located under the bottom. When crossing rivers without taking a number of precautions, you can even drown your car. A torn transfer case protection, a punctured wheel, a broken anti-roll bar, a water-filled interior, scratches on the body - troubles that befell our group, which, by the way, consisted of people with some off-road experience.

The interior of the car was flooded, although not on the river, but on one of the roads running far from the shore through the tundra, where there were huge puddles in the lowlands. One of the SUVs, dragging a trailer, caught the tow bar on a concrete slab lying at the bottom of one of these puddles and slid to the side of the road where there was a hole. So the left side of the car ended up up to the glass in water and mud. The hole may have been caused by a skidding military truck. And the slab was probably once laid to cover an area with too unstable soil. Interestingly, the puddle did not look deep and we were not prepared for such a nuisance. It's a different matter when crossing rivers.

Slava's camper has a significantly increased, high ground clearance, and in addition to it, a lower gear, two inter-wheel locks and an inter-axle lock. He was the first to slide into the water and determine whether the others could pass. The water obstacles were not long, but they hid large rocks and their depth with all sorts of holes. The presence of such a specially prepared car among standard production SUVs, even good ones, on Rybachy, as I now believe, is not desirable, but mandatory. Unless, of course, you want, as my friend said on the eve of the trip, to leave the car there. Although, we also had one more help - motorcycles. They made it possible to quickly find out how passable the area ahead was.

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 take into account.

When driving across a river, don't go too fast. You should not push the wave ahead, but follow it, as it were. If you push the wave, then water will begin to penetrate under the hood, which can end with who knows what. But when you drive into a river, and the water is already at the level of the bumper, you really want to get out onto land as quickly as possible, and your nerves may not be able to stand it, your foot will increase the gas. I made this mistake once. Water rolled onto the hood and... thanks to the Mitsubishi engineers! Now I’m not saying this for advertising, because this error may have high price. My Pajero Sport went everywhere it needed to go, forgiving mistakes, and never let me down.

Before going to Rybachy, having learned about the features of its terrain, I was seriously puzzled about what tires to put on the car. I started with something simple: I called a friend - Nokian Tires. He recommended the Nokian Rotiiva AT. This is a tire, as stated in its description, with reinforced sidewalls protected from side cuts, with a tread that works well off-road, is not noisy and is economical on asphalt. I installed it and it didn’t make a mistake. On the highway, the average fuel consumption was around 5.5-7 liters.

Some of the people who come to Rybachy do not have a thrifty attitude towards nature, leaving behind a lot of garbage and damaging the vegetation layer. There are places where, instead of a multi-colored carpet of tundra plants, there is a huge dirty clearing, rolled out by the wheels of off-road vehicles.

The desire of people to be surrounded by beautiful nature without taking care of it is a real threat to the Rybachy Peninsula. How to protect him 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 back in the Stone Age. This discovery was made in 1979 thanks to a military man fishing in Zubovskaya Bay who noticed rock paintings. After this, about thirty sites were found on the peninsula ancient man. There are Viking graves on Rybachy, and a place of sacrifice for Lapps has been discovered. The peninsula was inhabited by Norwegians, Finns and Russians.

Natural resources made it possible to actively engage in whaling, reindeer husbandry, livestock breeding, and, of course, fishing - what gave the peninsula its name. Traces of the activities of people who inhabited Rybachy at different times can be found today. But, I’ll tell you straight, nothing attracts you here like nature. She is so attractive that you begin to long to be alone with her.

It so happened that I was not able to go to Cape Nemetsky - the northernmost point of Rybachy and the entire European part of Russia. In one of last days our stay on the peninsula, when we had already traveled around its western part and were on the southern coast, near Motovsky Bay, I separated from the group and went to Nemetsky alone. Most of the route was known. On the route I met a beautiful sandy beach, formed by low tide.

I stopped often and took a lot of photographs, which was difficult to do when moving in a group, time passed and the tide began to rise. Because of this, I encountered difficulty crossing the river. He poked his head in two places. In both cases, after the bumper disappeared under the water, afraid to take risks, he engaged reverse gear. Interestingly, there was no typical tundra vegetation in that place. Tall grass grew around, like reeds, as tall 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 discovered a waterfall, found a road that went above it, and drove through a shallow ford. With the understanding that there were few hours of daylight left, my triumph was not strong. Another circumstance prevented us from rejoicing: there was little fuel left in the tank, and we didn’t have a spare canister with us. In order to drive quickly, without things bouncing around in the cabin, the day before I unloaded almost everything from the car, leaving only a sleeping bag, an ax and some food for the evening and the next morning. Not far from Nemetskoe on the bank of Vaida Bay there is a small military unit for detecting (airborne objects). My hopes of getting diesel fuel from the military were not realized. Their refusal was so categorical that... it seems that the tourists were really fed up with them.

But once on the shore of the cape, the problem was forgotten. I was alone. By the way, it later turned out that Cape German is perhaps the most popular place among tourists coming to Rybachy. Therefore, I was lucky. In Nemetsky it is beautiful in its own way: the richly colored tundra 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.

It consists of two parts, the Rybachy Peninsula itself and the Middle Peninsula. They are connected by an isthmus, the length of which reaches approximately 1 km. These peninsulas are connected to the mainland by another isthmus, which is about 2 km long. The length of the Rybachy Peninsula from Cape Gordeev to Cape Nemetsky is about 60 km, the width at the northwestern end reaches 10 km, and at the southeastern end up to 25 km.

The shores of the peninsula consist of black slate rocks, above which, inside the peninsula, there are low hills and mountains, covered and partly with grass. Along the banks of rivers and in the valleys between the hills there are partly dry areas with good grass. There are also small forests of birch, willow and other shrubs.

There are many lakes in the northern part of the peninsula. Of the latter, the most significant is Bezymyanny Lake, whose length reaches up to 10 kilometers and width up to 1 kilometer. The Mainavolok River, whose length is up to 10 km, flows out of it. Other rivers on the Rybachy Peninsula include the Zubova River (length about 13 km), Olenka (about 12 km), the source of Lake Olenka and other water bodies.

The peninsula has large number various bays and bays. Although few of them can serve as reliable shelters for ships. Starting from the southwest there are bays: Malaya Volokovaya, Bolshaya Volokovaya, on the northwestern coast - Vaida Bay. In the northeastern part of the peninsula there are bays: Skarbeeva, Zubova, Mainavolotskaya, on east coast lips: Tsyp-Navolok, Korabelnaya, Anikieva and Sergeeva.

On south coast On the Rybachy Peninsula there is the vast Mitavsky Bay with the bays of Eina, Mocha, Motka and the harbor of Novozemelskaya; on the southwestern coast there is Kutovaya Bay. The most famous of the capes are: Cape Gordeev, located on the southeastern tip of the peninsula, capes Sharapov, Bashenka and Sergeev, located on the eastern shore. In the northeastern part of the peninsula there are capes Tsyp-Navolok and Lavysh, Lok, Lazar, Mainavolok, Skorbeev; in the northwestern region - capes Kekur and Nemetsky; on the western part of the peninsula there is Zemlyanoy Cape and some others.

The highest points of the peninsula are located on the capes: Gordeev, Kekur and Gremyashchinskaya pakhta (its height reaches about 1450 m above sea level). Other capes have heights from 900 to 1800 m. The northeastern coast of the peninsula is low. The northwestern coast is elevated and in some places reaches 6000 m. Beyond the Bolshaya Volokovaya Bay, the banks again become sloping. The middle peninsula approaches the fiord with tundra shallows.

Fisherman's Peninsula was formerly inhabited by Lapps (the population of the Finnish tribe). Since 1865, colonies of free migrants began to be established here, mainly Finns and from the western shore of Varangerfjord and Norwegian Finnmarken. These peoples became Russian subjects, but economically they gravitated towards their former homeland. The Fisherman's and Middle Peninsulas constituted the Fisherman's Rural Society. Almost all Lapps migrated from the peninsula to the mainland. Russians (up to 600 people) came here only in the summer, for fishing, in some fishing camps, for example: Vaida-guba, Zubovo and Tsyp-Navolok.

Both the Norwegian and Finnish colonies then settled down well. Many of them prospered thanks to fishing, cattle breeding, trade and other crafts. In total, there were about 9 colonies on the Rybachy Peninsula. They had about 500 inhabitants. On the Rybachy Peninsula in the Vaida Guba colony, considered one of the main places in Murmansk for the abundance of cod fishing, from 400 to 500 thousand kg were caught per year. The colonists had up to 100 fishing vessels, on which they caught up to 1,130 thousand kg of marine fish and up to 80 thousand kg of fish oil. On the same ships they carried out trade with the Norwegian towns of Varangerfjord.

In the second half of the 19th century, the famous thinker Nikolai Fedorovich (he was Tsiolkovsky’s teacher) proposed establishing the capitals of Russia on the territory of the Rybachy Peninsula. After the revolution at the beginning of the 20th century, the territories of the western zone of the Rybachy Peninsula and the Middle Peninsula began to belong. In 1940, after the Soviet-Finnish war, these territories were again returned to our country.

On the territory of the Rybachy Peninsula there are deposits of hydrocarbons, oil and. In the 70s of the last century, searches were carried out here, but as a result of insufficient research, these searches were unsuccessful. In 1994, seismic surveys were made on the peninsula, which revealed oil deposits. Oil deposits are located from the peninsula into the sea. The expanses of Rybachy and Sredny are used for reindeer grazing.

A special feature of the waters washed by the shores of the Rybachy Peninsula is that they do not freeze even in winter. The rise in water here is influenced by the North Cape. Currently, based on the results of the expedition of scientists to the territory of the Rybachy Peninsula, a decision has been made to create protected areas here to preserve the fauna of these places.

The Rybachy Peninsula, which is located in the Murmansk region, is a very interesting place. The Rybachy Peninsula will certainly appeal to those who love travel, nature trips and sea fishing. Photos from trips and trips to this unique place can be found on the Internet, as well as in travel magazines. There you can also find reviews from experienced tourists who love outdoor activities and interesting photos amateur fishermen.

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You can get to the Rybachy Peninsula from Murmansk. The main thing is to think through the trip route in advance, because due to the difficult weather conditions the trip to Rybachy may be disrupted. To get to the Rybachy Peninsula from Murmansk, you must have a map with you. The Rybachy Peninsula in the Murmansk region is one of the most interesting places on the map of northern Russia.

Travel to the Rybachy Peninsula in the Murmansk region: why it’s worth going there

To those who love active recreation in nature, it is not at all necessary to leave Russia for this. In our country there are also very interesting routes. In northern Russia, above the Arctic Circle, is the city of Murmansk. This is one of the northernmost cities in Russia. From Murmansk you can easily get to the Rybachy Peninsula.

There are several reasons why you should definitely visit Rybachy. These are the following reasons:

Those who are interested in national history and the military glory of Russia will certainly want to return to Rybachy again and again. Here you can still find shells and other artifacts that survived from the time of the Great Patriotic War. The heroic past of the Rybachy Peninsula is even sung in the famous Soviet song dedicated to farewell to the Rocky Mountains. There are industrial enterprises, fisheries and reindeer farms there.

Murmansk region Rybachy Peninsula: fishing for outdoor enthusiasts

This place has a “telling name”: Rybachy. It is no coincidence that local residents dubbed This peninsula is just like that. The Rybachy Peninsula provides everyone with a unique opportunity to have a great time on real sea fishing. You can fish with either a fishing rod or a more modern spinning rod equipped with a variety of additional accessories. They usually go to sea by boat or motorboat. You can go sea fishing in the following ways:

While fishing you can easily catch the most varied sea ​​fish , which a resident of the Russian middle zone usually seen only in stores. It is good to catch both large cod and small capelin here. If you are very lucky, you can see real fur seals basking on the seashore.

On the peninsula there are a large number of private fisheries and tourist centers designed for fishing enthusiasts. At the camp site you can rent transport and fishing equipment. Those who are afraid to go out into the open sea for the first time without an accompanying person can take with them a competent instructor - an experienced fisherman who will help organize fishing correctly and get a good catch.

For fishing, you should choose calm, windless weather. Fishing during a storm is dangerous, therefore, if a tourist plans to go to Rybachy specifically for the purpose of fishing, it is advisable to check the weather in advance.

While fishing you can do unique photos. Northern sea ​​waters are rich in fish, so even a novice amateur fisherman will not be left without a solid catch. Everything you need for fishing (bait, clothes, accessories) can be purchased at local fishing stores. The best time for fishing is the short northern summer. From time immemorial, local residents have been engaged in fishing, hence the “speaking” name of the peninsula. You won't catch fish like this anywhere else. Sea fishing in one of the coldest and northern places our country is an activity for real men and passionate fishing enthusiasts.

Rybachy is located in northern Russia, so the climate there is very specific. So, when going on a trip, you must definitely take warm clothes with you: a jacket, boots, a warm hat, waterproof clothes for sea fishing.

The Rybachy Peninsula is rich in mushrooms and berries. Passionate mushroom pickers should be aware that blood-sucking insects are rampant in local forests during mushroom season, so you should definitely take protective equipment with you - insecticides and repellents. Those who go into the forest for a “silent hunt” should wear long sleeves so that their arms and legs are reliably protected from bites.

Those, who goes to Rybachy in the summer, in the midst of local tourist season, must make reservations in advance at a hotel or tourist center, otherwise there may simply not be any free places.

On your trip, be sure to take a camera and video camera with you. There are big problems with cellular communications on the peninsula. In order to talk on the phone with family or friends, you have to specifically look for a place where there is mobile communication.

On the peninsula there are several nature reserves and national parks. While staying in these places, you must strictly adhere to the rules of conduct that are mandatory for all visitors. : do not make fires, do not leave garbage behind, do not pick flowers or break tree branches. In case of violations generally accepted rules the violator risks paying a substantial fine.

There are places on the peninsula where all hunting and fishing are completely prohibited. Therefore, before planning these activities, it is necessary to check with local residents, whether the chosen place is forbidden.

Those, who loves animals and is interested in agriculture, can visit numerous reindeer herding farms scattered in abundance throughout the peninsula.

The Rybachy Peninsula is a unique place in northern Russia. This place has an ancient history and a heroic military past. Those who have visited the Rybachy Peninsula at least once usually return there several times. The majestic northern nature makes people's hearts skip a beat with admiration. However, it is not recommended to travel to Rybachy with small children, because the weather on Rybachy is very harsh. – ideal for those interested in nature native land and loves extreme tourism. A holiday here is inexpensive, but will be remembered for a long time.

Song of the war years "Farewell" Rocky Mountains“Many people have heard, and some may even remember the words of this song, which mentions the Rybachy Peninsula, disappearing in the distant fog. But at the same time, few people thought: where is this land located? It is located in the very north of the Arctic Circle, 150 km from regional center Murmansk. And Cape German, located on the peninsula, is the northernmost geographical point of the mainland European territory.

History of the peninsula

In this harsh but beautiful place, located on the shore and Motovsky Bay, people began to settle long ago. The Rybachy Peninsula, according to surviving documents, received its name back in the 16th century. Indeed, in the waters surrounding the peninsula, which do not freeze all year round thanks to the North Cape Current, the Pomors have been fishing (herring, capelin, cod, etc.) since ancient times. Russian Empire the peninsula began to belong to 1826, when the state border with Norway was finally established. After the revolution of 1917, the western part of the island went to Finland, which was subsequently annexed to the USSR after

During the Great Patriotic War, the Soviet Arctic became the scene of fierce battles between Soviet troops and Wehrmacht troops. The German command attached great importance to the capture of the Kola Peninsula, rich in nickel deposits, and planned to as soon as possible to capture Murmansk, the main base of the Northern Fleet, but these plans were not destined to come true. Standing in the way of the invaders was the Rybachy Peninsula, which was the most important strategic point from which the entrance to the Pechenga, Kola and Motovsky bays was controlled. Rybachy remained for them an unsinkable battleship, which played a decisive role in protecting the northern borders of our Motherland.

At the end of the war, Soviet military garrisons were located on the Rybachy Peninsula, located almost on the very border with Norway, and entry into its territory was limited. Currently, most garrisons are closed, and almost anyone can get there.

Peninsula today

The Rybachy Peninsula, the map of which is replete with bays and coves, rivers and lakes, has become a place of pilgrimage for ecotourism lovers. Fans of off-road racing and fans of extreme diving come here not only from Russia, but also from other countries.

Also on the Rybachy Peninsula summer season Many representatives of youth patriotic clubs arrive to visit the sites of the bloody battles of the Second World War and maintain the monuments to the fallen soldiers in proper condition.

This is truly the real End of the Earth - beyond that there are only the boundless expanses of the Arctic Ocean, against the backdrop of which everyone who arrives here is sure to take memorable photos. The Rybachy Peninsula and the adjacent Sredny Peninsula are also attractive because they can most often be observed here. It is not for nothing that the longest polar night on the mainland is here (42 days) and (59 days).

In the evening we were already in place.

The Rybachy and Sredny peninsulas have been a military specially protected area for decades. Back then, probably no one even dreamed of traveling along them. They knew that there, in the northernmost mainland of Russia, off the coast of the Arctic Ocean, there were peninsulas on which there were military personnel, missile troops and border guards who guarded against European enemies.

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In the 90s, Gorbachev made concessions to the civilized worlds and withdrew the military from the peninsula. Since then, Russians have gained another huge territory for travel, recreation and fishing.

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The military left, but did not transfer the territory in status. The Rybachy and Sredny peninsulas are suspended in the air without a definite status of belonging. Military settlements were abandoned. Looters stole valuables, and time and north winds picked up this baton.

Everywhere you look, there are remnants of military equipment, garbage from the military and from new travelers. These objects only reek of sadness and disappointment. I didn't want to take pictures.
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All along the shores of Rybachy Bay, a wave washed up logs from some kind of structure.
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When we stopped in Murmansk at a store to buy gear for sea fishing and picked up groceries along the way, I noticed that the city had not yet had time to repair the city after the German bombings.

The road from Murmansk to the turnoff to the peninsulas took a couple of hours.

From the asphalt road leading to Norway after the checkpoint, after a few hundred meters, we turned right and immediately found ourselves in the USSR in 1943.

Although I was warned, I was still shocked by such hellish roads. It turns out that “German bombers targeted the roads.”

We covered 100 km to our destination in 10 hours. Although our car is a real SUV, we still hit the bottom hundreds of times.

Despite the fact that such hellish roads were not only on our way, but in all directions. Like in that fairy tale: if you go there, you’ll break the wheels, here you'll drive a car leave it.

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Only real extreme sports enthusiasts travel along these so-called roads, where there is danger on every meter.
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We crossed rivers, small surviving bridges, fords, puddles and mud alternated. Therefore, the peninsulas are held in high esteem among travelers, jeepers, fishermen, quads, and snowmobilers.

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Here and there there are broken cars on the road...
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Nature, despite its, at first glance, scarcity, did not allow us to take our eyes off itself. It’s a pity that we weren’t able to take much photographs; we stopped a couple of times. There was no time for that.

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In a couple of places on our way we encountered some stencils that did not deserve respect, as if this territory natural park. This means that somewhere there are offices and employees who receive salaries.
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What are they doing, maybe they built a gazebo, but that’s unlikely.
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At the next monument.
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Thousands of soldiers died on the peninsulas. Many monuments. Some of them are in good condition.
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Abandoned monuments abound in peninsulas like this one.

Upon closer inspection, you can see a dozen gravestones overgrown with grass.

But in the cities we pompously celebrate Victory Day and organize an immortal regiment.

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In fact, it is not surprising that the monuments are abandoned. If monuments near the hero’s city of Murmansk are being destroyed and there is no one to repair them, then it would not be worth expecting a better attitude towards them in the distance.

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There is no one to get permission to fish from. So, catch as much fish, crabs, and shrimp as you can, even in tons.

Perhaps we were in the status of a poacher since we fished without a license.

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There was a sea of ​​fish in the sea..))
Various fish in the depths seemed to be waiting for the lure to immediately be attacked and to be hooked.

There were also unfamiliar ones, like this scary-looking fish.
Just in case, we let her go back to sea. Then we found out that you were selling something rare.
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We came across these weirdos from the depths of the sea
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The fish were caught so well that from the very first day the question arose: “Where should I put it?”

The most cunning fishermen from the team hurriedly went out to sea on the very first day and fished with all their hearts as many as two boxes of different fish. So on the second and third day, fishing was taboo. Don't throw it away?

Then they caught as much as they could eat. And they caught fish selectively that they didn’t eat yesterday.

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Fried flounder fish, oh so delicious!
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We cooked food on gas. By the way, there are no trees as such on Rybachy. Some small handicrafts, from which there is no way to make a full-fledged fire.

Semeshkin Anatoly Konstantinovich at the workplace.

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Keith liked our presence on the shore and every day he approached us a hundred meters and defiantly blew the boiling water away from him through the pipes. Apparently its hull had holes and water was leaking out.
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We wanted to catch a whale for dinner. We conferred and consulted and decided not to.
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Shish kebab from some large fish and Armenian vodka went well together.
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A group of fishermen from Arkhangelsk, with two cars and trailers, specialized in crabs. They had conditions for storing fish. Therefore, they boldly caught both fish and crabs.

Moreover, they knew where and how to place nets and traps.

I even helped them for a minute to release the crab from the net. But he ate as much as he could. Before that, I only knew the taste of crab from those sticks that are sold in stores. Incredibly delicious.

It turns out that there are too many crabs in these parts. They were once brought from Kamchatka to breed, and there were so many of them that either through the bay or across the isthmus they crossed into the waters of Norway.

The paradox is that Norwegians commercially catch crabs and sell them wholesale, including to Russia.

And in Russia, mafioso responsible officials do not even allow amateur fishing. Although unofficially, but quite legally, crabs are sold in Murmansk on every corner, wholesale and retail, and in any form.

Our team did not know how and did not catch crabs. But we ate when the Arkhangelsk men treated us, and they always treated us.

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The crab that I lowered to the ground turned out to be warlike and attacked me and wanted to eat me. But I managed to get out...
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It turns out that to keep crabs longer, you need to boil them in sea water.
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When, on the way back at the airport, I saw what crabs were being sold for and counted how many rubles I ate for those 10 days, I felt sick. You could have bought a used foreign car for that money.
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Although the Arkhangelsk people showed us a way to fish for crabs, for us Urals it was not a feasible dream. Bring such things with you, etc..

By the way, sometimes, but very rarely and only when they come to Rybachy good people, then it becomes warm on the peninsula, so much so that you can sunbathe and dive into the sea. That's what we did.

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It was so hot that we only cooled down with watermelons. Like this watermelon eater.

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We swam in the northernmost mainland of Russia near the shore of the Arctic Ocean. Since there were no women within a radius of one hundred kilometers, they swam without swimsuits.
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The sea water was very clear! All the fish in it off the coast were visible despite the fact that fish and crabs relieve themselves here, not counting the whale.
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On Rybachy the weather is extremely changeable. Either, as it should be in the northern part of Russia, it is windy, cold, rain and snow, then it is sunny with heavy winds and rain.

This is what we experienced ourselves. A strong wind instantly tore down the fishermen's tent, although I don't remember where they came to the peninsula from to drink vodka.

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It turned out that the sea here ebbs and flows back every day at the same time, no matter what the weather is like outside.
A wave from the sea instantly flooded rubber boats. Then a lot of people couldn’t drag them to the shore.
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In the photo is the caretaker of the Izhevsk group. The cruelest man. He always looked into the distance and commanded: “Bring a ton of fish here, take a ton of crabs there!..”
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For the slightest disobedience, he almost tore my friend to pieces.
Just kidding, staged shots. The kindest man
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Some Izhevsk guys collected cloudberries and made jam in the camp. What can you say, well done, they were thoughtful enough to bring sugar and utensils with them.

And the cloudberries were very tasty and sweet with sourness.

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I’m amazed how all this junk in the photo fit in one car, as well as four healthy men and another nasty dog. Otherwise, it is expensive for everyone to travel such a distance in their own car. And ruin your car on these roads.

The only houses on the peninsula built over the last 20 years for tourists. The toilet is outside. Wash in the sea.. Conditions are a little better than in a tent.
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But in your tent, although it’s a constant mess all the time, it’s cozy and warm...
Because it’s yours!!!
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During the war with the Germans, the peninsulas were important for defense for the USSR. Then the defense of Rybachy and Sredny was built in such a way as to repel attacks from the sea. From the shores, our troops controlled the movements of the German fleet in the Barents Sea and did not allow them to approach Murmansk.

And now various kinds of structures were visible on every meter, if you looked closely.

Unexploded anti-submarine ships bombed on the shores of the Barents Sea.
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It is not clear the purpose of this nail, 4-5 cm thick, driven into the stone. Probably from the time of the Vikings.
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It is for this reason that the peninsulas truly became a historical museum area.

On the road to Zubovka, to the mainland northern region Russia, on the side of the roads, our “guide” showed rock paintings from the Stone Age.

It is not clear who painted in these harsh lands in those centuries, Finns, Russians or Norwegians.
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The peninsulas were previously inhabited by Vikings (Norwegians), and they left their cultural mark in the form of ruins of trading posts and mounds of graves.

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Our military left a fresh and boldly uncultured trace in the form of destroyed structures.

The Norwegians, even further north than the peninsulas, have created paradise living conditions. We became one of the lucky ones in the world.

In the meantime, there are only frightening ruins around on the peninsulas.

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But off the coast there are submarines here and there...

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I left Rybachy with complete disappointment, but with the intention of returning here again someday.

I would like to return, but not in a jeep with a trailer. Stay in a cozy hotel, catch fish without fear of being a poacher, eat crabs, travel around the peninsula, go to your room in the evening, look out the window at the cold winds, wrap yourself in a blanket and sleep until dawn.

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Should the Vikings or Finns rent out the peninsulas? Should we, in exchange for offset, come for a couple of weeks for a free rest as a human being?

There will probably be some inaccuracies in the story, so please correct me.

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