In 2011 we decided to go to Crimea (from Kyiv) along a new route – through Odessa. Before that, we drove through Pervomaisk and through Zaporozhye. The decision was taken spontaneously – in the sense that we did not have any evidence that it was better this way.As a result of the experiment, we ended up … in the Crimea (1020 kilometers in 15 hours), but even now it is quite difficult for me to assess the attractiveness of the route. I’ll try to tell you in more detail, and you decide for yourself – to go or not to go.
Route.
Kyiv – Odessa – Nikolaev – Kherson – Armyansk – Dzhankoy – Feodosiya. And right into the sea :)
Speed.
I must say right away that we were driving very slowly, as we heavily loaded the car (both the passenger compartment and the roof rack). I didn’t want to rape the car, I didn’t want to overpay for gasoline either, so I pressed the gas pedal very gently and thoughtfully. Acceleration to 100 km / h took 15-20 minutes. And we didn’t go any faster.
GAI.
Managed to get to the Crimea avoiding communication with traffic police. At the same time, the number of observed patrols simply cannot be measured (probably their number is approaching 30). On the Odessa highway, they mostly hid in technological breaks in the median strip and caught riders. And on the highway to Nikolaev, the traffic police mainly hunted trucks (weight and dimensional control).
Road condition.
In the Kyiv region, the road is wide but broken. Further to Odessa itself, everything is fine. Then, almost to Nikolaev itself, the eerie asphalt, gouged by numerous trucks, stretches. This does not bother, because due to the continuous flow of trucks, one lane and the prohibition of overtaking, it is still impossible to accelerate (even up to 60 km / h). Everything else is standard. Except in front of Feodosia itself (near Vladislavovka), already in the dark, we were surprised to find that there was no further road, but there was an earthen rampart across the path and something like a sticky arrow to the left. She pointed to a multi-kilometer miracle detour on some kind of semi-primer.
Petrol.
Refueled 4 times. A total of 1000 hryvnia was spent. This means 1 hryvnia per kilometer. In fact, one of the gas stations was forced – they poured 10 liters at some unknown gas station, as the red light began to flash. The fact is that on the last 100 kilometers before Odessa it is extremely difficult to find a decent (well-known, network) gas station.In Crimea, fuel cost the same as on the rest of the route.
Local history.
I liked the Odessa estuaries – an interesting color and shape of the coast (they smell differently).To our surprise, the route did not slip past the city, but nevertheless led us to one of the sleeping areas of the southern capital. The eye noticed some differences with the official capital, the ear was surprised by the unexpected (non-Odessa) accent of Odessa DJs on the radio.In Nikolaev we drove straight through the city center. No traffic jams. Lots of trees and one way streets. Pretty mansions (probably summer cottages of the 19th century) and a curious cathedral of unconventional shape and color.