March is considered by some to be the best time to travel around these places. Enough light, not bitterly cold, yet winter, which defines the character of the region, is still in full bloom. You stand a good chance of seeing aurora borealis too. Alexandra has just stumbled on this photo report of a bicycle trip to Solovki in March.
It needs to be mentioned that the only way to get to Solovki this time of year is by plane from Arkhangelsk at the cost of 10 th. roubles ($US170) both ways.