Pathway On the old Ruazan Road

The ecological trail "Along the ancient Ryazan road" is laid in the area of the ancient road that connected Ryazan and Vladimir. This road was used until the early 20th century, when it was replaced by a narrow-gauge railway. Now all the wetlands of Meshchera are included in the National Park.

The road through the Meshchersk lands appeared in the Middle Ages. Its length was 75 km, of which 30 km stretched along the marshes where no one lived. It is not difficult to imagine how much people were afraid to travel along this road. Fairy tales about goblins and mermen seemed to be a reality in these places. The "Robber Nightingale" from folk folklore also lived in these places on the road near Murom.

The old Ryazan Road, skirting the most swampy areas of Meshchera, crossed the Pol River in four places. The piles of one of these bridges near the village of Erlex have been preserved and are now an interesting attraction on the ecological trail "Along the ancient Ryazan road".

The ecological trail begins on the auto road that connects Gus-Khrustalny and the village of Urshelsky. This road runs along the huge Gusevsky swamp. After driving 20 km from the city, you need to turn right at a small barrier, not reaching 800 meters before turning into the villages of Erlex and Abbakumovo. The road through the Gusev swamp is narrow, so there is only enough space near the barrier for two cars.

The distance from the barrier where you can park to the destroyed bridge over the Pol River is only 270 meters. Here the river overflows into a small lake, and in the distance, you can see the Church of the Holy Trinity in the village of Erlex. This place is the most picturesque on the ecological trail «Along the ancient Ryazan Road». Take a walk along the shore, and then return back and walk along the bed of the Pol River.

The length of the route from the barrier to the Sosnovaya camp is 2.5 km. At first, the trail stretches through a pine forest and only at the end it again comes to the swampy bank of the Pol River, which has overflowed into a small lake. There are several recreation areas in these places. There is also a Yutnaya camp behind the Sosnovaya camp.

The maximum length of the ecological trail "Along the ancient Ryazan Road" is 3 km (to the Yutnaya camp). Here you can see the beautiful nature of the central Russian strip and watch the birds living in the swamps.