I completed my Latvian End to End in emphatic fashion today, dipping my front wheel in the Baltic at the beach in Liepāja, the country’s westernmost place. The guidebook calls the town ‘gritty’, and it certainly was: the ferocious seaside winds kept blowing sand into my gob. Which is odd, because one thing I’ve got better at as I’ve got older is knowing when to keep my mouth shut.
But first, the brief scoot from Aizpute. Today was another day of mixed weather – blustery winds mostly behind me, hot sunny intervals, cold cloudy drizzle. And of, er, not exactly stunning scenery. Not quite as plain and dull as say the fens around Spalding, but not the Yorkshire Dales, either.
Still, the cycling was quick and easy, despite a couple of nasty close passes – unusual for Latvia. Even the stretch along the big fast main road the last dozen miles into Liepāja wasn’t too bad: there was a roadside cycle path for most of it, and just enough asphalt hard shoulder for the other bits.
And it wasn’t really that busy considering it was the A9. Which seemed appropriate for the end of an End to End, and recalled my first End to End of Land’s End to John o’Groats back in 1997, which also finished on the A9.
After days of mostly empty landscapes, small towns and sparse hamlets, Liepāja had a big-city feel to it, with factories and residential blocks and retail parks and trams, one of which I spotted coming from behind trees in a wood, as if emerging from a crafty toilet break.
I headed to Jūrmala (‘Seaside’) Park, the green strip that buffers the town from the beach, or perhaps the beach from the town.
Beyond the memorial to those lost at sea (a rather unappealing Soviet-era lump, I thought), international cycling route E9 excitingly goes along a boardwalk over the sands and to the very water’s edge, where it then turns left and continues southwards down the beach.
But for me, this was the End of the End to End.
I took some victory snaps – with difficulty, in the buffeting winds – and with the project essentially complete, wandered down through the park to find a beer to celebrate with.
Jūrmala Park was a good place to be in a good mood. It was sunny, benignly full of families and people ambling round. There was a tennis competition in the sports area, and the practice and tournament courts were being played, spectatored and lively.
LATVIA FACTS 10
Latvia claims to be home of the first Christmas Tree: the large decorated pine in the main square of Riga in 1510.
At the southern edge of the park I found the large silver globe, about four feet across, that I was aiming for. It depicts the countries of the world, and it rather puts my international travels so far into perspective: I’ve experienced only a tiny fraction.
With a good push you can spin the globe gently round, and I collaborated with a genial young local mum and her toddler to do that. ‘Liepāja in the world, the world in Liepāja’, a sign says.
Which seemed a good place to declare this particular bike ride complete. Mission accomplished. Especially as, almost opposite, there was a bistro that provided a tasty pint of Tērvetes beer to toast my trip.
This has been another lovely, essentially stress-free, very enjoyable End to End ride. No punctures, no mechanicals, no physical issues. (And thanks again Gary for the loan of the bike.)
Latvia’s a quiet, gentle place where not much happens, but for me it happens interestingly and invitingly. Accomm has been inexpensive and often charming and unusual, the roads have been quiet, and I’ve had several welcome wild swims and dips in lakes and the Baltic. Food and drink has been decent and affordable, and the beer scene is far better than on my last visit a decade ago.
The unspectacular scenery and lack of big-ticket things to see and do (and the tedious gravel tracks that make up much of the country’s road system) won’t put Latvia at the top of many people’s cycling bucket list.
But I’ve had a great time, relishing the challenge of getting by in an unfamiliar language and culture.
Quiet, modest, green, friendly, not especially good at anything apart from being contented, never be rich or well-known, but rewarding to get to know: you could say the same about Latvia.
Cheers!
Miles today: 34
Miles since Borderland: 368