2017-08-04 From Haapsalu to Kuivatsu, Riksu ranniku hoiuala
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From Haapsalu to Kuivatsu, Riksu ranniku hoiuala
Another night on the seafront car park that doubles as an aire de camping cars here in Haapsalu, Estonia.
Three other campers in the car park (one that has stayed over two nights like us), a tent with car and an estate car (sleeping in the back we think) all begin to leave. We breakfast, email and look at maps and stopping places for tonight. We leave mid-morning, calling at the Portaloos before we go.
We are the last to leave and take a photo of an empty car park that yesterday was full of activity and a grey, grey vista that we leave behind. As we drive the 50km south on Route 31, the weather clears and blue sky follows us, we turn west towards Lihula on H10, where there is information (and hopefully access) to the Matsula bird reserve.
We arrive in torrential rain, bouncing two to three inches off the road, it runs like rivers down the paths and roads, so we park in Lihula Rahvaülikool (Folkhighschool now a museum) and have lunch. We wait for it to stop raining, but as it eases off another torrential downpour follows. We do a little shopping for food and buy a few souvenirs… an apple core bird feeder, some doilies and another hook-up plug of better quality. We decide not to even look for Matsula bird reserve as it is so wet and more heavy showers threaten. Instead we continue south west on H10 for another 25km to Virtsu.
On the way, we see stalls at the side of the road selling smoked fish, we stop and look. There is no fish here that we recognise, except one that looks a little like trout. The fish is very good and smell delicious (like smoked mackerel), so we buy some for tea. We buy a ferry ticket at Virtsu to cross the Suur Straight to Kuivastu on Muhu island, it costs €16.20 for the camper plus two adults.
The first ferry at 15.55 is full, so we wait in line for the next at 16.20 and are loaded onto this one with a lot of cars and some trucks and coaches. We are surprised how many people are going to such a small island, unless it is commuters home for the weekend. It takes us about 25 minutes to cross to Muhu. It is very windy and we watch the children having difficulty staying upright on the front of the ferry. Once off at Kuivatsu, we cross Muhu, which is very small, and then a causeway bridge takes us to Saaremaa, the larger island. It is 100km from the ferry at Kuivatsu to the south west coast near Riksu, including 6km on dirt road before we finally find the Muha-Ralu campsite at Muha-Ranna Puhketalu. It is about 7.00pm when we arrive and we are glad to see the sign for campsite.
Muha-Ralu campsite is a super place, a very typical Estonian home, a large house which also provides Bed and Breakfast and a huge ‘garden’ at the back where there are three small wooden chalets and space for about 10 motor homes/caravans and some space for tents. There are two small motor homes already pitched plus two tents. We find a spot on the perimeter of the ‘garden’ with a good view across the centre which has picnic tables and benches with a roof cover over each, also very typical of Estonia. We are also near the WC/shower block as it happens. We hook up, inspect the facilities… all very good, including a sauna.
We open a bottle of German Gewürstaminer from the Famila supermarket near Lubeck, it is very good. Two more motor homes arrive later. I make stir fry while Mr C, skins and bones an extremely long thin fish, with emerald coloured bones (!!) and I add the fleshy fish to the stir fry. It is delicious. We finish the bottle of Gewürstraminer, it is too good to leave and we are very relaxed sitting in a sunny corner of a very isolated campsite. Mostly our fellow campers are German and one Estonian.
Haapsalu to Muha-Ralu campsite photos
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Motorhome return tour from Turku in Finland to the UK via the Baltic States
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