Bittsevsky Park has an image problem. The area should be famous for the miles of golden anemones along the wooded ravines, or the nuthatches and woodpeckers that are so tame they will almost eat from your hand. Instead, the association that springs most readily to most peoples' minds is the "Bittsevsky (or ‘Bitsa') Maniac". Alexander Pichushkin aka "the Chessboard Killer" chose these woods as the setting for most of his gruesome serial killings. It has been said that he claimed he wanted to kill as many people as there were squares on a chessboard. Since he was arrested in 2007, however, it is high time this forest was reclaimed for peaceful recreation.
Today, the park is filling up with joggers and grandmothers pushing prams. The biggest hazard on this meandering north-south trek across the park is the risk of getting lost among the forested slopes and wild flowers. A compass - if you have one - is handy just to make sure you keep going in the same direction.
The huge blue spires of the brand new Church of the Derzhavnaya icon are almost the first thing you see coming out of Chertanovskaya metro station. Before you head for this landmark, you might like to visit the local branch of Mu-Mu or the amusing German-style beer garden behind it. There is nothing in the way of refreshments to be found on the way.
Walk along the side of Chertanovskaya Ulitsa as far as the church and turn right immediately after it into Sumskoi Proyezd. Follow this road, between schools and tower blocks, until, just after block 19, a path leads right to a green-railed bridge with steps. Cross the bridge and follow the path on the far side along the top of a cliff above the Chertanovka River. You soon reach a junction with a mess of construction around it. Turn right under the pipe and immediately left up the bank so that you continue to follow the cliff above the little river. Go on past a bridge, without crossing it, and pick up the more defined track that runs westwards through the woods, still parallel with, but further away from, the ravine.
The track swings left along an avenue, following a smaller stream at the bottom of a steep-sided valley. When the valley becomes shallower and disappears, a tarmac track crosses the path. Turn right along this road and follow it for more than a kilometre through the woods. Soon after passing a sports field, turn left along a path opposite a row of benches and follow it to a T-junction with another track on the edge of a clearing. Turn left and then right around the edge of the clearing, where young trees have been planted. Turn left again, just before a large concrete block, following a path downhill to a little stream with a bridge nearby. Cross over this bridge, turn left along the far bank, passing a second bridge.
From the third bridge, you can take a short cut to the metro by simply turning right towards the houses and left along the road. But a more picturesque route involves crossing back over the bridge and following the path on the far side of the stream again until you reach a final bridge with steps and turn right over it. This leads you past a dog pound out onto a lane. The wooden archway ahead of you is the entrance to a nature trail. If you have any energy left, you might like to follow this lively route, at least as far as the spring and pond about 400 metres from the entrance.
Alternatively, behind the playground on the right is the colourful Bittsevsky market where you could pick up some fruit, veg and pies for a picnic. If you feel that after all that healthy fresh air you deserve something fancier than a picnic, try the Prince restaurant on the far side of the market. Don't be put off by the wedding-hall decor and tables laid for a banquet. When we tramped in, they were happy to ignore our muddy boots and serve up pots of tea with fresh thyme for 50 roubles a head.
Going further along the forest road, past the entrance to the nature trail, you reach the pink house of the Yasenevo Estate on your left. This building has been rebuilt numerous times since the 18th century and is currently undergoing its latest restoration. Turning right next to the house, you pass the Peter and Paul Church, which was built in 1737 to serve the nearby country estate and contains some pleasing frescoes. After the church, turn diagonally right across the small park to reach the metro.
With kids...
This route has been tested by 8- and 11-year-old walkers, but with younger kids, you might want a shorter version.
The 2 ½ kilometre nature trail at (6) is a great introduction to the forest. Numerous bird feeders mean that the area is swarming with squirrels and the little pond by the spring makes a delightful picnic spot.
The path is marked by carved wooden owls whose wings point the way which substantially reduces the risk of getting lost (the owls at one or two junctions have gone AWOL - just turn right and keep following the red and white distance markers).
There are carved figures, wooden playgrounds, little bridges and information boards, which all help to make it more interesting.
The only disadvantage is some noise pollution from the Moscow Ring Road, especially when walking along the southern reaches of the nature trail.
No comments:
Post a Comment