2017-08-09 Cietais Rieksts at Pabaži to Raiskums campiste Latvia

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Riga by train from Pabaži, motorhome left at Cietais Rieksts

We wake to the promise of another hot sunny day here at Cietais Rieksts, Pabaži, breakfast and pack up.

Alan noticed there was a man setting up a stall on the car park nearby, so went over to see what was on offer. It turned out that he had bunches of herbs plus various fruit syrups and a host of other things for sale. He did not speak any English, but with google translate we were able to communicate well. 

We bought berry syrup and ground mushroom powder, no idea exactly what we were buying, but it looked ok.  We leave Cietais Rieksts café and take P6 highway east towards Raganas and enter Gouja national Park area. Taking the P7 to Turaida, we arrive at about 12.00 and it is like a zoo, I think that half of Latvia is here. We count at least eight coaches and we haven’t even turned the engine off in the car park before a Parking Rita makes towards us and asks for €3.50 (for 3 hours).

We think about it and decide not to stay, too many people and despite there being the castle and a museum, we do not want to be here for three hours so move on. We review what to do and decide to head for Apaļkalns Kemping at Raiskums. We drive on the P14, the roads getting smaller and narrower, until we hit the dirt road, but we find Raiskums campsite next to Raiskums lake.

Raiskums campsite is  super, about 100 pitches but each one a block paved parking area with wood deck with picnic table and benches, BBQ and view over the lake. Piches are tiered in such a way that everyone has a lake view and is not overlooked. There are excellent shower and WC facilities, laundry, kitchens (for tents) and really clean and well kept. We find pitch 6, next to the lake and set up.

We eat lunch, the afternoon is hot and sunny so we sit on the deck, watch the birds and paddle in the lake. There are lots of families and we watch the boys running off the end of the floating pontoons to see who can jump the highest… the furthest… or make the biggest splash! We cook the rest of the beef and chilli sauce for tea and have more big bowls of raspberries and strawberries.

We sit on the deck late into the evening. The families next to us have a fire in the fire pit and they are all sat round it in the half-light… magic.

Raiskums campsite photos

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Motorhome return tour from Turku in Finland to the UK via the Baltic States

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