Palna River

The Palna is a left tributary of the Bystraya Sosna flowing through the Stovolyansky, Yelets and Krasninsky districts of Lipetsk Oblast. The river gave names to a whole series of villages — from Argamach-Palna to Palna-Mikhaylovka — and runs through a scenic valley with high banks. By Argamach-Palna the Palna valley adjoins the Vorgol canyon: together they form the Yelets 'mountain cluster' — two gorges with exposures a few kilometres apart. For weekend walks this is the densest part of the oblast. The river is shallow and calm; below the villages the banks are wooded. The walking link 'Argamach-Palna — the Palna mouth — the Vorgol Rocks' is one of the oblast's best foot routes.