We have left Riga behind and are moving north-west, and firstly to the Kemeri National Park area. The roads here are not great, and we regularly have to use unsealed roads.The park is a place of forests, lakes and bogs. Wet ground seems to be everywhere. 

The township of Kemeri looks like a place from where most of the residents have long since departed. An apartment block stands partly demolished, a large hotel has been abandoned and many of the wooden houses are in disrepair. We did see a few mostly elderly persons out and about but it does seem a bit like ghost town. 

But history explains why. The town developed around health treatments with sulphurous water. Mud baths were also popular. The resort became popular with Russians, and in the early C20 a rail link was built between Moscow and Kemeri. The resort was mostly destroyed during WWI, and though the Latvians rebuilt it in the 1920s, the area has since waned in popularity. There are still places where water can be collected from the springs, though we did not fill our water bottles with the milky looking liquid. We did see a couple of locals chatting by a spring under a pretty little gazebo, so obviously a social activity is to gather by the well.

We detoured through Lapmežciems, an area renowned for its smoked fish industry, but sadly it must be the wrong time of year as all was closed. There are some lovely lake views here however, and the beaches are beautiful. Who knew the Baltic beaches have such white sand?

On through Tukums and Sabile, (known as the 'Switzerland of Europe'), until we arrive at Ventspils, our stop for the night.

Here the waterfront is very commercial as this is Latvia's largest port, but there are also historical sites, lots of wooden houses, and strangely, cow sculptures.