05 Jul 06
Flat tyres are a pain wherever they occur, but when you're in Russia and you have only a vague idea of where you are, it's thoroughly unnerving.
We were in the former Soviet state as part of Project European Amber Road, an EU-funded operation dedicated to bringing together the new EU states in both a cultural and tourist sense. Passing through 11 countries on its way from Russia to Italy, the route links together a number of World Heritage sites. I had given myself 10 days to cover the 2,300 miles and, thanks to the puncture, was already in danger of slipping behind schedule.
We'd set off that morning in an appropriately hued Amber Gold Ford Galaxy from St Petersburg, heading west to Tallinn, Riga and then Palanga in Latvia. However, motoring for the independent traveller in Russia isn't easy: good maps are scarce, the sat nav doesn't work and what few road signs exist are in Cyrillic. Tourism might be catered for in larger cities, but once in the countryside, you're on your own.
English isn't exactly a second language in Russia, but somehow we fumbled through. Major roads are scarce: there are two running west from St Petersburg and, more by luck than judgement, we hit the right one to take us into Estonia and on to more civilised EU-funded tarmac that allowed us to cruise at increased speeds without the fear of losing the suspension.
