Vetlan Cliff

Vetlan is an almost sheer system of bluffs on the left bank of the Vishera, eight kilometres from Krasnovishersk. The wall begins forty to fifty metres above the river and rises to 263 metres above sea level, stretching for 1,750 metres: walking beneath it is like walking along a giant's fortress wall. From the top edge opens a view over the Vishera's reaches and forest expanses; from below, the cliff reads best from the water — by boat or on a float trip, when the walls pass overhead. Across the river stands the Polyudov Kamen: the two cliffs answer each other across the Vishera like two watchtowers. Vetlan is where Krasnovishersk takes its guests first of all. The paths up are well worn, but the cliff edge has no railings: people come here for silence, views and a sense of scale no photograph conveys.