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Published: September 27th 2007
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We’ve spent the last couple of weeks cycling the Baltic Sea Coast, and stopping to relax on its beautiful white sand beaches in between Nida and Riga.
Nida is on the Curonian spit, a small strip of land covered in forest and sand dunes. This Unesco region is shared between Russian owned Kalingrad and Lithuania. From Nida you can’t walk more than a kilometre south over the dunes without meeting Russian border guards with machine guns (apparently!). The villages are built on sand dunes and due to shifting sands many villages on the spit have been buried several times in the past. The old method of housing meant that the local people would retrieve their buried home from under the dune and relocate to a new and more suitable location (not sure what they would do now!)
We had a day of perfect relaxation on the beach in Nida, then headed to the Latvian border. In Latvia we took the road less travelled up around the North Kurzeme cape which involved a sandy, corrugated gravel road for 60km, which we found very slow going and uncomfortable but for the motorcyclists we met they said it was like driving on ice and
Gintara and Gerard
Gintara means Amber in Lithuanian, and Gintara found some amber washed up on the spit one even.crashed in front of us, fortunately unhurt although her panniers were smashed. Still for this reason we had the beautiful Mikeltornis beach almost all to ourselves. In spring 60 000 birds per hour cross the cape as part of their migratory route.
We are now staying in Riga, it is our first ‘couch-surfing’ experience (www.couchsurfing.com) where we are staying with local hosts which has proved not only a great insight into local goings on, but a lifesaver when we discovered the train tickets we had bought (thinking they were for Moscow) were actually for some completely different city! Reinis helped us to exchange them for the correct tickets (a little taste of Russia maybe?) which has been a lesson learned!
Aug 13 Day 119
Rusne to Smiltyne (Neringa Spit) - 77km
Free camp in forest
Four flat tyres (Sonya rear)
Groceries 40 Lit
Total = 40 Lit
Euro = 11.80
Aug 14 Day 120
(Four months, 5753 km, 5799.27 euro, 48 euro per day, approx £34.50)
Smiltyne to Nida 50.5km
Camping 65 Lit
Laundry 11 Lit
Groceries 60 Lit
Total = 136
Euro = 40
Total for month = 1356.40 euro 43.75 per day
31.25pounds
Aug 15 Day 121
Rest day on beach Nida
Camping 65 Lit
Restaurant and other food/drinks 53 Lit
Total = 118 Lit
Euro = 34.7
Aug 16 Day 122 Followed Lithuanian cycle route 10 (North Sea route)
Nida to Karkle 69.5 km
Camping 20 Lit
Groceries =18 Lit
Ferry ( Smiltyne to Klaipeda) 2 Lit
Total = 40 Lit
Euro = 11.80
Aug 17 Day 123 Followed Lithuanian cycle route 10 - North Sea route. Crossed border to Latvia
Karkle to Bernati 80.5 km
Room in campground 8 Lat
Groceries 22 Lit + 5 Lat
Exchange rate 1 Lat = 1.4 euro
Total = 18.2
Euro = 24.7
Aug 18 Day 124 Bernati to Vergale 63km
Free camp
Groceries 8.67 Lat
Post .84
Gear cable 1.10 Lat
Coffee and cakes 1.66
Total = 12.27
Euro = 17.20
Aug 19 Day 125 Vergale to Ventspils 91 Km
Rode most of day with two Italian cyclists, Nelson and Paulo, very fast ride!.
Camping (including electricity) 6 Lat
Restaurant 10 Lat
Wireless internet 6 Lat for 12 hour connection
Supermarket and other food/drink 15 Lat
Total = 37 Lat
Euro
Nigel in indecorous clothing...
was not an appropriate candidate to enter the grounds of the Russian orthodox church = 51.80
Aug 20 Day 126 Rest day Ventspils
Camping (with electricity) 6 Lat
Supermarket 8 Lat
Total = 14 Lat
Euro = 19.60
Aug 21 Day 127 Rest day Ventspils
Camping (no electricity) 4 Lat
Supermarket 4.60 Lat
Post 5.50 Lat
Museum 1 Lat
Drinks 4 Lat
Euro = 26.74
Aug 22 Day 128 Ventspils to Mikeltornis 48 km (last 5 km on sandy gravel road) Mikeltornis is a beautiful and unpopulated white sand beach. Road to be sealed in 2008!
Camping 6 Lat
Supermarket 2.40 Lat
Drinks 5.20
Total = Lat 13.60
Euro = 19.00
Aug 23 Day 129 Mikeltornis to Purciems 70 Km 45 Km gravel, very dusty with occasional traffic.
Mid day swim at meeting of Baltic sea and gulf of riga (Kolkasragas). You can watch the sunrise and set from the same spot. Rode through Siltere National Park. Saw a black woodpecker.
Camping 2.50
Food and drink 9.60
Total = Lat 12.10
Euro = 17.00
Aug 24 Day 130 Purciems to Abragciems 61 km -flat well surfaced road with little traffic and occasional sea views.
Camping with electricity 5 Lat
Food and drinks and
2nd electric jug (Russian jug kaput) 14.31
Total = 19.31 Lat
Aug 25 Day 131 Abragciems rest day
Camping 5 Lat
Food and drinks 6 Lat
Total = 11 Lat
Aug 26 Day 132 Abragciems to Riga 71km
Couchsurfing in Riga
Food and drink 7 Lat
Total = 7 Lat
Aug 27 Day 133 Rest day Riga
Couchsurfing
Food and drink + Moscow map = 20 Lat
Total = 28 euro
Aug 28 Day 134 Rest day Riga
Couchsurfing (tour of art nouveau district and old town with host)
Telephone (Skype to NZ) 3 Lat
Bike tyres x 2 12 Lat
Neoprene waterproof shoe covers 10 Lat
Tea house 10 Lat
DV tapes 20 Lat
Groceries 8 Lat
Total = 63 Lat
Euro = 88.2
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Tim
non-member comment
Same old Nige...
always indecorous! See you in a few days in Ulan Baatar!!!