Route “On the Road to the Rumelian Pine”

Drive along the Malaya Vishera — Lyubytino road to the sign for the village of Syuska, turn toward the village and continue about 2 km to Krasnoye. At the start of the village, turn right and drive to the parking clearing. From there, follow the path down to the Lanoshenka River and the first information board, then cross the suspension bridge and continue toward the Rumelian Pine. The trail is about 13 km from Malaya Vishera and showcases a rich variety of plants and animals: wet-meadow, forest and bog vegetation, aquatic plants, insects, arachnids, worms, molluscs, amphibians and birds. The spring and the Lanoshenka River are especially interesting. Information boards: “Start of the Route” and “Rumelian Pine Stop”. Trailhead coordinates: 58.762104, 32.359005. Visiting season: May-October. Trail sights On the slope above the Lanoshenka River is a 19th-century estate park. The buildings have not survived, but the historic layout remains, including a four-row spruce avenue and a line of pines along the southeastern boundary. A small meadow contains old oaks, birches and pines. Much of the park is planted with lindens around 200 years old, as well as old oaks, pines, Swiss stone pines and spruces approximately 100-200 years old. The main attraction is the Rumelian Pine, an evergreen with a tall, slender pyramidal crown. It is extremely rare in northwestern European Russia and is usually found only as isolated specimens in old parks and estate groves; for example, only one tree grows in the Ladoga area of Karelia. The tree can reach 30 metres in height, with a trunk up to 1 metre in diameter, and its crown begins almost at ground level. It prefers fertile, moist soil, is highly decorative and tolerates urban smoke and air pollution well. In the Novgorod Region, its seeds ripen successfully and have high germination rates.