Day 12: Roja to Mikeltornis

82 km and not even any porridge for breakfast. My first stop was Kolka, where the waves from the open Baltic Sea meet the Gulf of Riga. The meeting of the waves from different directions was very obvious, a blustery spot even on a warm summer’s day.

I chatted to Gunter from Frankfurt, a serious cyclist who was cycling from Tallin to the Polish/German border. We shared a coffee and then he sped off, no doubt nearly in Lithuania by now.

From I headed along a near deserted coastal road through the forests. The sun was shining and I had plenty of butterflies for company.

I had lunch at Mazirbe, one of the villages inhabited by the nearly extinct Livonians who date back to 750 and had there own language. There’s a beautiful beach, plague stone and a community centre that served a freshly made Latvian speciality of herring, cottage cheese and potatoes.

Onwards to Mikeltornis and my stop for the night. Piza Guesthouse is like very simple retreat. Very quiet and peaceful. I went to beach, had a dip, ate an orange and then had an evening meal chatting to a German/Austrian couple who were touring on their bicycles and camping.