Kamiane Selo

In pine and birch forest in the northern Zhytomyr region lies a field of rounded granite boulders, some of them several metres across, left by weathering of the Ukrainian shield and by ice. Local tradition tells that a village stood here and was turned to stone as a punishment, and hollows on some of the rocks are pointed out as footprints. The site is a geological reserve, reached on a boardwalk through the trees.

The landscape

• The boulder field - rounded granite blocks scattered through the forest.
• The hollows - weathering pits on the rock surfaces, read locally as footprints.
• The Polissia forest - pine and birch woodland covering the whole area.
• The boardwalk - a raised path through the site.

When to go

May to October is the comfortable season. The forest is wet and buggy in high summer. Autumn is the best for the light through the trees.

Practical notes

The boulders are impressive but the site is small and takes an hour. Roads in are poor. Mosquitoes in the Polissia forest are severe from May onwards.

Nearby

Olevsk is south, and the Polissia forest runs north.

Key facts