South through Latvia. Lithuania, Poland and Germany

 Riga by night was an enchanting place and as a huge new moon rose over the city a waterside barrage of fireworks added to the imagery.

 

I had cycled round the new development on the bank across from the old city with the modern National Library being the most substantial and eye catching building.

The following day I explored the city more fully and enjoyed the military guarding the war memorial with precision marching, the beautiful churches and parks, another dramatic police convoy, apparently for the Prime Minister and the remarkable Central Market with 4 huge arched buildings devoted separately to fish, meat, vegetables and then anything else.

The coast was followed up to Cape Kolka where I spent a warm peaceful night in a large empty car park and walked along the modest cliff edge with a shallow sea below. The last section of road had been unusually wide and was in fact a secret former Soviet runway.

The pine clad Baltic coast was sublime and the beaches even more so but I came to grief trying to reach one of the wild camping spots as the van became well and truly bogged in a particularly deep section of soft sand. Fortunately my weight saving efforts before leaving had not extended to removing my folding shovel, rescue mats and 12v winch so once these had been retrieved from the bottom of various cupboards and a suitable length of rope selected I tied off to a convenient tree.

Having then dug out all four wheels and placed two mats behind each front (driving wheel) I was able , thanks to the long length of control switch wire gently ease the van out of trouble with the engine assisting the winch. Of course sand got everywhere and it was hot and sticky but I was out soon enough and started reversing perhaps half a mile back to a junction where I then spotted the caution sign hidden by foliage. A different track soon had me on a mile or so of permitted wild camping under the trees but right alongside the beach so I pitched up and took off for the rest of the afternoon on the silvery sands.

A little further south I went to visit the radio telescope at Irbene that had been left by the retreating Soviets who had used three 32m diameter parabolic antennae to eavesdrop on western communication satellites but the complex is being redeveloped albeit rather slowly and all I saw were the numerous and brutally stark accommodation flats in typical Soviet style (or lack thereof) that now lie empty.

Industrial buildings and machinery could spoil the busy and affluent city of Ventspils but their brightly painted forms actually enhance the dock side area and the centre has some delightful old streets and squares plus some quirky pieces of art and sculpture. 

Moving inland to stay at Lake Usma I arrived at a small site where, when the woman in charge did eventually turn up, she turned out to be quite the most miserable of souls, however it was cheap and nice enough to be worth staying and I was soon off on the bike for a circuit of the Lake following a number of gravel tracks which had become badly corrugated as per the outback roads of Australia a decade or more ago. It was lovely scenery though and I arrived back to find the place filling up - mostly guests in the chalets including one family gathering with a guy on a large Harley with a massive sound system whose mission in life was to entertain one and all - fortunately his choice of music was very acceptable - mostly Mozart and Handel : not.

Returning to the Latvian Coast for a final time I called at Liepaja or more accurately Karosta to the north where huge Soviet Naval Defences lined the coast as part of the protection for a massive naval base - again on withdrawal they had been mined but ineffectively with most just lurching alarmingly in to the sea. The area of the base was enormous (several square miles) and the numerous bunkers and accommodation blocks lie in various stages of decline but rising amongst them are the gilded cupolas of St Nicholas Maritime Church which sits in remarkable contrast to the dinginess of the local housing stock.

 

Nearby is a former military prison, originally built as an infirmary but soon repurposed to deal with soldiers' misdemeanours from initially Soviet and subsequently Latvian forces. The guided tour was excellent with the guide dressed and acting as a warder and putting the fear of God in to us with unnerving ease. It is possible to spend a night in a cell and indeed a stag do were about to do so - heaven knows what they had lined up for the groom to be, already dressed in a lurid canary yellow outfit.

Some of the rooms have been brightened up by local artists but still felt claustrophobic.

Across in to Lithuania and again I was inland to visit the Zemaitija National Park - busy as it was a sunny weekend but I found a good spot in a car park by one of the many Lakes and set off for a circuit of two other Lakes to obtain some respite from the 30 plus temperatures.

I also checked out the location of the next day's destination which was a now abandoned Soviet Nuclear Base. Seen from Google Earth the four concrete caps are now easily visible but during the Cold War the existence of this base was a well guarded secret. The caps would roll away on rails to leave the four warheads able to launch from their 30m deep silos each connected deep underground by a network of bombproof tunnels with the communications room, command and control centre, generator room, fuel and propellant storage and living quarters all spread out over six levels. The warheads had been pointed at Norway, Germany, Turkey and the UK and were part of the arsenal dismantled following the SALT negotiations between Reagan and Gorbachev - a very chilling prospect. Having been abandoned for many years most of the metal and other usable equipment and machinery had been repurposed by locals but the whole experience was both fascinating and thought provoking, again with due respect to the situation in Ukraine.

 

Down at Klaipeda and in need of a service night I pulled in at a shaded camp site five miles out of town which was just seeing the last of its weekend crowds leaving - people flock to the area as it is a short walk across to miles of beaches which were still as full as Bournemouth on a Bank Holiday as I cycled round and on in to town to check out the ferry across to the Curonian Spit. Klaipeda centre split by the River Dane was lively and lovely with a full masted schooner moored up and a busy port including the large ferry that crosses the ten minutes or so to the spit every 15 minutes - a return for adult and bike is around £3 although at the other ferry you can take a vehicle which seems pointless and incurs a significant toll for non residents.

Picking my way back through the centre I was tempted by a shady canopy beside a Chinese restaurant and was soon tucking in to prawns and rice washed down with a cold beer. Back at the site it was much quieter and I took advantage of their showers for a longer soak than normal.

In the cool of the morning and ahead of the crowd I was soon back at the ferry terminal and swiftly aboard for a day riding the 30km or so south to Nida beyond which the Spit sits within the Russian oblast of Kaliningrad and the road is blocked. The ride passed through pine woodland with the huge dunes rising from a sublime beach - very much unspoilt and well worth the visit.

 

On my return I stopped for an ice cream and cider in the shade as it was still very warm and was eventually back across the water for the short ride home.

My route deviated east now to get round Kaliningrad and finally leave the Baltic States behind as I re-entered Poland on a small back road that cut through to a lakeside free camping spot. Here for the first time I met border guards, presumably as it was right on the intersection of Poland, Russia and Lithuania but they were friendly enough and after looking at my driving licence sent me on my way - I doubt they could decipher my Welsh address anyway. One looked at my rear tyre which is in need of replacement but still legal - the front ones are fine but the rears seem to wear more quickly, probably due to the weight carried so I may try a slightly higher pressure on the new set once sourced back home. The old van wore the front tyres more quickly but I think that was down to less grip having a lighter engine and narrower profile but these have done 20,000 miles which seems OK.

Anyway the camping spot was perfect on yet another warm evening with two other vans parked away on the grass and I enjoyed watching a combine harvester at work in the adjacent field. One of the many changes over the last two months has been seeing crops go from growth to harvest and the storks from parenting gawky youngsters to gradually heading away on their long journeys south to Spain and North Africa.

Heading across Poland my first destination in a largely empty and unpopulated area was at Gierlotz where the Wilczy Szaniec or Wolf's Lair - Hitler's Bunker - occupies 27 acres of woodland and was camouflaged by planting the flat roofs with trees and shrubs and covering the walkways with camouflage netting that was changed according to the season. A number of enormous bunkers were built for Hitler, Goring, Bormann and Himmler although apparently Bormann disliked the damp, dark airless structures and insisted on living in a fortified house. The bunkers were comprised of rooms encased within 3m of reinforced steel with a 500mm gap full of impact absorbing gravel and then another 3m thick reinforced outer shell. Everywhere was mined in case the place needed to be abandoned and indeed these were detonated on departure doing little more than creating large cracks and toppling the odd roof on its side. Hitler spent some 800 days holed up here which some think may have led to his increasing isolation and mania. It was also the site of the failed assassination attempt by Count Stauffenberg who had left a briefcase bomb in a briefing room that although detonated had been moved by another and the stout wooden table it then stood behind had taken most of the impact. He had fled to Berlin assuming success but was arrested and shot along with about 5000 others though to have been involved or sympathetic to the aim of capitulating to the Allies before Germany suffered further loss and damage.

 

It was a remarkable experience with the awesome size and strength of the structures still hard to pick out amongst the surrounding vegetation. A display in another building gave credit to the heroic Warsaw uprising that yet again has similarities to the bravery of today's Ukrainian forces in a different conflict.

Swieta Lipka's remarkable church contained a stunningly ornate Baroque organ decorated in blues and golds whilst outside a square of cloisters housed 44 stone statues. Back in the car park a lovely old red German coach caught my eye before I moved on to Lidsbark Warminski with its Teutonic riverside castle and turrets reflected in the surrounding waters.

 

That night was spent on an empty aire at Dobre Miasto where power and water were available FOC and strangely no one else was staying. I walked in to town to admire the huge Gothic red brick church and on my return the coloured fountains by a town wall tower. The leccy was appreciated as although I am confident my gas will last it gave me plenty of hot water for a long hot shower. I brought 3 907 Camping Gaz cylinders and two Calor 3.9s on this 8 week trip so about 14kg or 30 litres and will have perhaps 4/5 litres left. I haven't cooked a lot as it has been warm but equally the fridge has been on each night and I have showered daily so I think that bodes well for future trips when refills are tricky to source.

Heading west again I stopped at Marzewo to watch the remarkable boat lift on the Ostrodzko- Eblaski Canal where two carriages on rails raise or lower boats some 25m on a cable system powered by a large waterwheel. It was fascinating and forms part of a total of five similar lifts on this Prussian built waterway.

 

Up on the north coast near the Wislana Lagoon and Spit I visited another Nazi Concentration Camp at Stutthof. Initially incarcerating local Poles it expanded in 1942 to take 'undesirables' from across Nazi ruled Europe and in 1944 became part of 'The Final Solution' when gas chambers and extra crematoria were installed - some 85,000 people perishing there with many of their photos and stories hauntingly displayed. A narrow gauge railway carried carriages that were filled with people promised a journey to Palestine only to roll back after a return trip two stations down by which time Zyklon B had imposed its final solution.

It is so important that we remember these atrocities but also learn the lessons which around the world we seem unable to do.

 

 

The Wislana lagoon stretches some 60km up to Kaliningrad separated from the sea by the eponymous Spit where I found a place to stay in the back garden of an old house. There was no one else staying which surprised me but as I cycled a few miles north to Krynica Morska I soon found out why.

Here in somewhere resembling Blackpool Beach was a stretch of hotels, packed campsites, cafes, restaurants, gift shops and a fun fair all absolutely heaving. As ever though a couple of miles out and I had the pine woods largely to myself as I cycled to yet another Russian frontier with fencing straddling the beach and ominously no footprints in the nomansland on the Russian side. A distant observation tower was flanked by video surveillance cameras and as I cycled back a 4x4 with Polish border guards passed me presumably heading off duty. I stopped briefly to enjoy buskers on the waterfront before returning to the peaceful camping where a large murmuration of starlings descended in a clatter on the fruit trees around me.

 

After visiting the mighty fortress at Malbork my aim next day was to go to Hel, another peninsular, but a terrific storm had flooded the access road and traffic was snarled up for miles - interestingly I had received a warning text on my phone, in English, something I believe is soon to be introduced in the UK. Presumably all the locals had also received it but ignored it so there was traffic chaos and I decided to head inland away from the coast which had been getting busier all the way south from Estonia.

The day ran away with me a bit as my golden rule to be pitched up no later than 6 was thwarted by non existent or unappealing camping options. Down one long track an old lady in a tumbledown farm had clearly offered camping once but this was no longer available and with the language gap I turned away unsure what to do as dusk fell. I spotted a camp fire in a field with a couple of tents and a caravan so drove in to find that it was a simple bivouac site with no facilities. The Polish group staying there said I was welcome to stay, rang the owner who soon arrived for his 50 zloty (£10) and then left us to it. I was invited to join them around the fire which was lovely and they insisted on sharing their grilled sausages with me. Thus an unexpectedly pleasant end to a tiring day left me relaxed and ready for a good night's kip.

With only a few days left of this trip and a fair way to go for my ferry I decided to crack on to Germany stopping on the outskirts of Szczecin to use my final zlotys on a tank full of cheapish diesel (£1.30/l) and a pizza to leave the waitress all my change.

A few miles across in to Germany I stopped for the night near the Oder that I had cycled along a couple of months ago and again set off by bike up the river to the small town of Schwedt where I couldn't resist  the aromas coming from a Greek restaurant - the lamb cutlets were sublime.

My next hop was to a small free camping spot by a lake, part of the Muritz National Park with a good ride in the early evening to Waren at the centre of the Park on its largest lake. It reminded me of Bowness on Windermere in Cumbria with lake cruisers and private yachts, sparkling waters and a lively cafe scene. Back at my lake a couple of other vans had parked up including one lass in a Caddy who seemed to be roughing it a bit, sleeping with the tailgate open and a large mossie net for comfort/curtains and limited privacy. She was up and about first thing to do some rather pretentious yoga whilst her gas stove boiled away. Anyway each to their own and before long I was away to Schwerin whose magical castle seems to almost hover above the lake. I walked the gardens and admired the views before finally moving on to an aire at the Luneberg boatlift on the Eiblag Canal.

 

The aire had all utilities and at 8 euros was good value and stood almost beneath the towering boat lift buildings. They looked like the new ones under construction back at Niederfinhow but the waterway was carrying more traffic and I was able to watch several huge barges rise and fall suspended in the huge steel trough. The larger push tugs move two barges of 24 shipping containers each but the lift can only deal with one tug/barge combination so the crew have to see one barge safely through, moor it up, drop back for the second and then hook everything up again to proceed. It is a remarkably speedy process with other stand alone barges also passing through carrying everything from grain to coal, aggregates, scrap metal or more specialist tankers carrying gas and oil.

After a quiet night there with a utilities service stop I am now back at Tecklenberg after a day on the autobahns with less than 200 miles to the Hook of Holland. I am a day ahead of schedule so tried to amend my booking but to no avail - as it is the Bank Holiday weekend and the end of school holidays I guess each sailing will be pretty full.

Anyway I was last here 8 weeks ago and whilst I rarely return to old haunts I knew this place was quiet and shaded with a pleasant village just up the road so may well stay two nights. I walked in this afternoon for kaffee und kuchen and have brought the blog up to date for the final time on this trip.

It has been a great success covering some 5000 miles over the last 8 weeks and discovering cultures, history, politics, languages and customs that I was previously unaware of. I would recommend the Baltics to everyone but suggest you get off the beaten track to see the real sides of life and how they relate to recent global history and indeed more current events. From Tallin at the top of Estonia back here to the heart of modern Germany the gradual transition from a post Soviet occupation of rural backwaters through resurging economies in Latvia and Lithuania and the modernising of Poland I have seen gradual but noticeable changes in the quality of housing stock, agricultural production methods, the age and quality of transport and the presence of ever more stuff as affluence grows as witnessed by the stock in shops, possessions in people's gardens and the accoutrements of increased leisure be it boats, bicycles or motorhomes.

The final batch of piccies lie here 

and I now look forward to an Autumn of house sitting for some friends, catching up with others and a return to the mountains of Central Wales as I've not seen a hill in two months!

 

ESTONIAN ISLANDS

 An early start saw me cycling the five miles or so down to the small ferry terminal in time for the 07.45 sailing to Vormsi which takes around half an hour. It was a simple enough ferry that could work in either direction so simply ploughed a straight line across the smooth Baltic waters.

Vormsi is the smaller of the three islands I intended to visit and had a deserted flat perimeter road with various side tracks down to beaches, coves and fishing jetties. The houses were generally beautifully kept and sported substantial wood piles of split silver birch often stacked on top of the dry stone walls to assist with seasoning. A set of bee hives at one place was very colourful and out at a marine navigation aid a group of sea kayakers had pulled in for a break.

Before long I was back at the ferry with enough time to enjoy a coffee and ice cream along with a German couple who had done more or less the same route.

 

Back at the camp site in Haapsalu I sorted out the van with regards to domestic services and cycled in to the town with its pretty lake and collection of old engines and rolling stock at the now disused station with its remarkably long platform : apparently sleeper trains used to arrive there from Moscow and on that theme I enjoyed a good night's sleep after a less than strenuous day. 

 

I was away next morning after a Dutch guy came over to ask me to fill in an ACSI questionnaire about the site which I was happy to do giving them full marks. After a food shop I headed back to the same ferry terminal, but this time caught the larger ferry to Hiumaa that takes about 90 minutes. It was a sublime crossing but I had been reading up about the winter ice road that is created most years for a month or more - You Tube videos made it look quite an experience. The shallow, almost tideless waters of the Baltic allow this remarkable event to occur but there is a 2.5t weight limit, a minimum speed and no stopping for selfies - plus wearing seatbelts is forbidden.

Anyway once on dry land I headed north to a cape where camping was allowed on an old Soviet listening station that for many years had been off limits even to the few islanders who hadn't been forcibly removed. There was a sign up asking you to pay before staying or risk a 100% penalty so I walked up the long beach to the rather laid back surf school and snack bar to hand over my 10 euros.

I then returned to the van and took a book and beach blanket down on to the sand for a couple of hours with the breeze keeping any biting beasties at bay.

As I settled in to the van a few hours later I heard a continuous buzzing noise and looked outside to see a drone hovering in front of the windscreen. I jumped out to wave at which point it veered off over the trees. Not long after I saw headlights on the beach and within minutes Andrus had roared up on a powerful quad to check that I had paid - - they'd not taken any details at the bar which seems daft but as there were only a few handsome young English guys travelling solo in blue long wheelbase hightop T4s with mountain bikes on the back and UK plates I was soon regarded as legit. Andrus was a really nice guy and said the drone was operated from the surf school owners' house and had a 7km range - impressive.

He said in his four years working there I was the first UK visitor and indeed it has been a month since I saw any UK plated  vehicle.

 

After a great night's sleep in this remarkable place with birch and pine woodland, sandy beaches, rocky outcrops and crumbling Soviet bunkers it was a shame to leave for the ferry across to Saaremaa (all ferries are very cheap and regular as they are lifelines for the islands) but as I hadn't booked I thought best to arrive early for the next sailing. On my way I visited and climbed two impressive lighthouses meeting Andrus again at the first as it was near Milicamp - he would like to visit England and work as his wages here were only 800 euros a month and yet again I cursed Brexit for its narrow minded and short sighted approach to labour mobility, let alone the ludicrous restrictions on my personal freedoms, although I genuinely appreciate how fortunate I am to do what I do.

Down at the port there was no queue and tickets were on sale in an hour, one hour before sailing as all prebookable tickets had gone. Thus I made some lunch watching  the machines at work modernising the marina facilities and boarded alongside a lorry loaded with cut reeds that are still used as a roofing material - in fact I had seen then under box profile tin sheeting being used as insulation on some buildings. They crammed in the final vehicle and left off a delivery van who would have a three hour wait so I was glad I had arrived early.

The Angla Windmill collection was made up of 9 mills that remained from I think 17 that had once occupied the site, each was slightly different and three were available to go inside giving an opportunity to inspect the wooden workings. A venerable collection of old tractors added to the scene and the beautiful building alongside had all manner of farm tools and domestic equipment from a bygone era on display.

 

Up at Cape Panga  I stayed in a large open car park on a very hot evening - day visitors had gone and it was very peaceful even if the cliffs and treacherous sea below were perhaps less fearsome than you were led to believe - a death defying 20m or so which counts for high round here.

The Mihkli Farm Museum was remarkable as after the death of most of his family the former owner had gifted the traditional buildings and land to the state and it remains almost unchanged from the way it evolved through generations of ownership - the carriage shed contained carts and snow sledges that would be required through the long harsh winters they experience here.

Down at the very south of the island stands Saare lighthouse built in 1960 (a particularly good year for many reasons). I was again tempted by the 300 plus steps for a panoramic 360 degree view before being even more tempted by the fish restaurant nearby where I enjoyed herrings as a starter and sardines as a main washed down with a local apple cider all for around £15.

A proposed free camping site down a side track on the coast turned out to be a small marina but it was a good place to stay and the owner was very friendly - he'd studied for his degree in England and was now benefitting from a huge European push to promote sailing along the Baltic coast with many small marinas evolving from old fishing jetties. His facilities were top notch and the 20 euros included hook up thus eking out my gas a little longer.

I decided not to bother with the island's largest town as it is billed as a swanky spa resort and gets busy at weekends so it was a short hop down to Muhu, my final island which is reached by a 2km causeway. Most people rush on through this one as they are on their way back to the mainland but I knew there were two good rides to be done and followed the Caravanya Apps's coordinates down a series of unsurfaced roads to a free camping spot out on the coast. It was idyllic and comprised of an open camping area with fire pits and a couple of wooden shelters, bins and a long drop toilet. I tucked away off the track itself and had a sea view with total privacy, apart from a pair of black adders dozing on a rock who slipped quietly away.

 

Further round the coast I found a small wood and polythene shack that was used as a makeshift sauna with stones piled on to the stove and a rudimentary shower outside cobbled together from an old immersion tank.

Anyway it wasn't for me and instead I jumped on the bike to enjoy the first ride - a circuit of the northern half of the island with a signed route taking in another bluff bluff, quiet farms, picturesque cottages and empty tracks. One farm had a honey shed with 8 different varieties on sale but as I still have some of my Welsh friend's in reserve I decided to resist temptation. It was a lovely evening with a good sunset and next day I rode the southern half of the island coming across another small marina where I was tempted by the fish soup served with dark rye bread and a decent lager at the small cafe.

So after a second night in blissful solitude I drove down to Kuivastu which I had checked out the day before, in plenty of time for my booked ticket - in fact the earlier sailing hadn't actually departed so I was waved on without even stopping and soon we were off on the 20 minute crossing. Far fewer passengers were allowed on the next return as certain sailings are reserved for hazardous goods, namely gas and fuel, as the islands have as much availability of commodities, food and so on as the mainland, and in fact probably more than the quieter parts of Eastern Estonia I had been in a couple of weeks back.

Heading south along the coast I crossed almost unnoticeably back in to Latvia and eventually turned off on to the old road that parallels the shore and arrived at another free camping spot amongst pines and just yards from the beach where I enjoyed another afternoon in the sun.

Yesterday I had planned to stay longer in the Gauja National Park after visiting Cesis with its lovely castle and Ligatne with its three lovely castles but most of the activity in the park is based around hiking or canoeing the meandering Gauja River and both wild camping sites I reached were down very rough tracks and being primarily for canoeists would have been prone to mosquitoes.

Ligatne has a cable car across the river and once it has crossed to the far side two people at a time can whizz down the cable to the low point in a kind of flying trapeze. The returning cable car then pushes them back to the start point. In the evening it is possible to do bungee jump from the car as well, shame I had to crack on!

Thus I have arrived in Riga on a marina based campsite just a twenty minute bike ride from Old Riga - as I passed through town a large escorted convoy shot past with the prime minister in there somewhere and followed by an ambulance and more police and soldiers - quite a sight as all traffic was held up by yet more officers along the route. One British van is also here and I got talking to my German neighbours who had lived in Melbourne for twenty years so had very good English. There is a lovely view across to the city and with all facilities available including a guarded entry barrier it will do me very well for two nights. My ferry departs two weeks on Sunday so before heading fully south I will be up to the Kolka Peninsula for a few days once I have sampled the delights of sunny Riga.

Piccies here folks..

Baltic Blast

So my first visit to Poland left a very good impression and I look forward to seeing more of the north in late August as I head for home.

However the Baltic States await and my first dip in to Lithuania started at Merkine in the Dzukija National Park where the French girl at the information center spoke no Lithuanian but perfect English. She pointed out various approved free camping spots and gave me a couple of cycling route guides - much needed as I had not been able to get a Baltic States map card for my GPS and whilst Maps.me is excellent it isn't as versatile. I checked out first one site down a gravel track and then another down by a river but the track was rough and narrow and the area seemed likely to be a mosquito magnet. Thus I returned to the first option where a couple of young adults were set up with a fire going and making good use of the wooden shelters provided. I set off on the bike and whilst most of the route could be followed one indistinct section left me rather adrift in a large grassy area with waist high foliage. However I persevered and eventually came out on a track which eventually picked up the green paint flashes that indicated the route. It is a tradition here to have carved totem poles by the houses - these very rural wooden buildings are scattered around the land of woods, rivers and lakes.

 

The next day I followed a longer route, some 40 miles, again with sections tricky to find and one wooden bridge about to collapse. Many of the villages had seen properties destroyed and partisans executed by the occupying Soviet forces during and after the war and there were some lonely and poignant but still well cared for cemeteries dotted about.

 

A lofty viewing platform gave good views across the main river and wetlands before I returned to the camp ground for a very peaceful second night. I moved on through the quiet but delightful countryside of forest, lake and river.

I reached Trakai on a sunny Sunday afternoon and parked up at a property near the Lake offering camping in their large garden but with no facilities other than water - when solo in the van water will last a week, the Thetford ten days or more and so far with minimal cooking or cuppas the 907 Camping Gaz bottles are lasting about a fortnight. Irritatingly (and totally my fault) I had failed to rectify a couple of loose connections in the leisure battery circuits so after bumpy tracks the wire under the main leisure relay loses contact, also the fridge relay which ensures that the fridge runs on 12v when driving has a worn out fuse holder so the fridge is rarely cooling when travelling - these will be a priority to resolve when I have a week above Brecon in early September - otherwise the van is doing remarkably well and with steady driving on mostly flat roads is almost breaking the 50mpg figure : not bad for a 2.5 ton high top. I have one 907 left (and may be able to get exchanges back in Germany) but also have two 3.9kg Calors each of which would last at least a fortnight so my final month is easily covered and a quick search indicates there may even be 907 exchanges available in Parbu in southern Estonia.

 

The stunning red stone castle of Trakai sits on an offshore island and is a big attraction so whilst Sunday visitors receeded I cycled down to the station to see about trains in to Vilnius some 15 miles away and later was absorbed by five hot air balloons floating right over the van towards the lake.

 

Monday morning saw me navigating the Lithuanian Railway Network app to obtain an eticket which was relatively straightforward and was soon on the 10.10 for the twenty minute journey. The station is handy for Old Vilnius and I spent an enjoyable and sunny day exploring the maze of streets and alleys with endless churches of various denominations, state buildings and former mansions and palaces. The literally high point of Gediminas hill topped by a red castle tower and easily, if lazily, reached by a modern funicular railway gave a great view of the old town and across the river the newer developments. Lunch was a rack of pork ribs washed down by a beer and followed by coffee and dessert for a reasonable £15 after which I returned on the 4 o'clock train leaving me time to walk over to the island and visit the Trakai Castle with its extensive exhibits including some lovely old carved pipes.

 

Heading north again I detoured at one point to visit austere Visaginas which houses the 5000 workers who used to work at nearby Ignalina Nuclear Power Station which was decommissioned in 2004 as it was the same design as Chernobyl - there is talk of a new installation but for now the dreary blocks of flats are a sombre reminder of Soviet rule.

A night on a quiet free camp by a river was enjoyed - two paddle boarders turned up but didn't last long with the midges and I soon had the place to myself : perfect. With the half way point of my trip approaching I decided to push on a bit stopping one night in another wild camp where I even went for a dip in the lake before reaching the Latvian border - barely distinguishable by a slight change in road signs and the usual chirps from my phone announcing my roaming limits from a new provider. Coverage has by and large been excellent and I seem to remain more or less within my 12G monthly limit.

North of Kraslava I stopped at Siveri camp ground on Lake Sivers which was a real gem. It was almost empty and right on the shore with a lovely lass, Inga, in charge, who spoke very good English. I was soon set up with a tank of water and the included electric plugged in, as is often the case around Europe the live/neutral connections were reversed but my adapted lead soon rectified that - sometimes you can just turn the two pin plug round instead, depending on the housing.

Next day I took off for a circuit of the lake bright and early before departure, Inga was delighted with a novel in English I had finished and insisted on giving me a free ice cream in return. I had seen photos of the site in winter when it all looked very beautiful but the days must be very short this far north and it would be a very different trip.

 

 

 

 

 Ludza Castle as I travelled north once more was closed for repair but the beautiful church alongside had an exhibition of glass sculptures which I discreetly enjoyed as there was a service in progress.

 

 

 

 

Suur Munamagi at 318m is the highest point in the Baltics, so not high then, but well worth a visit and topped by a lookout tower giving thought provoking views across to the vast expanse of Russia with Moscow only a few hundred miles away but the east coast opposite Japan some 6000 miles away as the bomb flies.

 

 

Later the sand stone caves left behind by mining the very fine sand found locally at Puisa were fascinating. The young Estonian girl had very good English, learned she said rather surprisingly,  from watching cartoons rather than in school and explained the history of the site which like this whole area had seen oversight by German and Soviet occupations. The historic photos were fascinating and up to forty different colours of sand had been used in the top end glass industry. Some 4000 bats now hibernate there over winter with 9 out of the 14 Estonian species encountered.

 

 

Soon at Varska I reached the shores of Lake Peipsi, the 5th largest in Europe at 3,500 square kilometres but with a maximum depth of only 15m. It forms the Russian border and stretched away east in to the distance with just some modest and quiet fishing villages along the shores. Varska is an onion growing area and these as well as smoked coarse fish were for sale in a number of small roadside stalls.

Having never seen Balmoral I was unable to confirm that the white castle at Alatskivi does indeed take its design from that building but it was handsome enough in the bright sunshine and back on the coast Mustvee had a small harbour and modern cafe in an otherwise small town.

Vasknarva sits 200m from Russia across the river that drains Peipsi in to the Baltic and has an ornate Orthodox monastery near the small new harbour that with an old watch tower looks right across to the Russian bank. There is a long history of movement across the borders of both people and goods which for now is suspended, no doubt to the detriment of locals on both sides. With luck normality will return but reading up on the history of the area it would seem to have been par for the course for generations.

Moving on towards the Baltic Coast I stopped at the beautiful Kuremae Russian Orthodox convent with its onion shaped domes, carefully tended gardens and a range of other stunning wooden properties and two huge wood stacks. There was a lovely atmosphere with many believers visiting, the women folk all wearing head scarves and a calm serenity everywhere.

 

Finally I saw the Baltic Coast for the first time as I entered Laheema National Park with the coast of Finland visible in the distance. I pulled up at Estonia's most northerly point and walked out on to the final spit of land to watch a good (and my first) sunset over the sea. Camping was allowed and there were a few other vans plus some tents amongst the trees but it was quiet and peaceful and very refreshing with a cool onshore breeze.

 

So on the last day of July I rolled in to Tallinn to park for 2 euros/24 hours right next to the gigantic concrete bulk that was in 1980 the base for the Moscow Olympic Sailing classes. Having served as a concert arena and conference venue it has in recent years fallen in to disrepair and been heavily graffitied. It is a national monument but faces an uncertain future so its stark and bulky remains again point to an era of brutalist Soviet architecture.

It was a short walk in to the old town through one of the wall gates and straight away I was immersed in the maze of cobbled streets, churches, a cathedral, the government and presidential buildings and right at the centre the town hall square where a colourful and excited band and dance troupe from Brazil were attracting much attention. I explored for several hours before walking out along the sea front to the Seaplane and Maritime Museum, passing en route the vast slowly crumbling prison that had seen its fair share of horrors over the years. The Seaplane Museum was absolutely amazing - three huge concrete domes had housed the aircraft with access directly from the water and at its time of construction in the 1930s had been at the cutting edge of concrete know how. It now houses a very rewarding display of yachts, nautical memorabilia, anti air craft guns and a remarkable decommissioned 1930s submarine, the Lembit, whose cramped interior you are welcome to explore. The sheer complexity of the vessel with pipes, gauges, valves, machinery, the periscope and torpedo tubes all wrapped round the crew quarters and facilities was amazing.

 

Out on the quay an old ice breaker that had ventured in to the Arctic many times could be visited and whilst far more spacious than the Lembit had a similar amount of engineering crammed in. Multiple engines powered bow thrusters for ploughing through pack ice and there was even a system to rock the ship from side to side to break up any ice that jammed it up when stationary.

As the area is being redeveloped there are new flats and an unusual Igloo Park where dozens of wooden pods are used as cafes, shops, workspaces and mini spas - a group of women were clearly enjoying a girly break in one and others could be rented for the weekend,

So after a fascinating day I returned to the van for a quick break before heading back in to town for the quieter night time experience. It hadn't been particularly busy for such a popular destination, perhaps as post Covid less cruise ships call in, just the one was moored at the harbour but the car ferries to Sweden and Finland came and went throughout the day. I returned to watch the sunset from the Linnehall structure alongside a number of others with modern Tallin's skyscrapers ablaze as the sun set.

Today I have well and truly turned south and am at Haapsalu for two nights with the intention of getting an early ferry first thing tomorrow to cycle round the island of Vormsi.

Then it will be Hiuuma and Saaremaa with the van before heading back towards western Latvia.

As ever piccies for your perusal sit here.