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Merv-IOM
Subscriber
- Joined
- Jul 27, 2011
- Messages
- 2,284
- Points
- 113
- Location
- Isle of Man
- Member No
- 2,034
- RV Type
- A Class
- Model
- Winnebago Journey DL 34 HD
- RV Experience
- Since 2011
Tallinn, Estonia to Siline, Lithuania
The sailing (Tallink Ferries) was a breeze, the Baltic like a mill pond! We shot off the ferry to the Tallin City Camp which is a double edged sword! It's very handy for visiting the old town and Joey Dunlop's memorial but it's a rip off! It's a warehouse car park with very basic dumps etc. and no security or fence. Not that security was a problem, but when you're paying 25 euro's a night (inc lekky) you'd expect a little more. Ho hum, it didn't detract from our visit to the old city. It's been on my hit list for years as I'd seen pictures of the old city walls etc but to be honest tho, we were disappointed. Sure the old city was lovely, but it's very small inside the walls and stuffed to the gunnels with 1,000's of cruise ship tourists. Outside of the old city we found the place to be grubby and uninviting. Heading south from there we stayed on another city campsite (slightly better than Tallinn) at Parnu, a lovely resort town at the bottom of Estonia.
Next stop was yet another city camp in Riga, Latvia. This time tho' it was laid out very nicely and as clean as a new pin. Riga was a huge surprise to us both. Where we were disappointed with Tallinn, Riga blew us away! It has elegance and charm, beautiful cobbled streets to meander thro, city parks to die for and the whole of Latvia is impeccably clean and neat. It's probably the only place so far, except for Copenhagen, that we'd come back to.....it's that nice (Barcelona of the Baltic, sympathetically arranged for tourists but not crowded). Trundling south west we stayed the night at a Dairy Manor Farm at Sieksate, miles form anywhere and we had the place to ourselves (right beside a deer enclosure).
A breakfast 'meeting' with a fag and a cuppa, we stuck our travel pin in Nida, Neringe in Lithuania – on a spit of land that runs from Klaipeda to Russia, about as remote as you can get! To get there included a ferry (£27 return) then Neringe park entrance fee £17 before we set off on the 50km roller coaster ride to a campsite near Nida, 4km from the Russian border. In a way it was disappointing too as there was not a lot there apart from hundreds of Lithuanian & Russian holiday makers – a lot of effort to end up surrounded by bloody tourists! 2 days was enough and we drove to where we are now, Medaus Slenis campsite at Siline, nr Jurbarkus, Lithuania. What a relief! It's a beautiful spot, way out in peaceful countryside – and we have the place to ourselves. The whole place was built by the owner (a thatcher and bee keeper) and it is delightful. £12 a night with 16 amp lekky and 'tinternet. (www.medaus-slenis.lt).
One thing I haven't mentioned yet is the state of the roads.......they're bloody awful! Estonia is the worst of the Baltic sates, shaking everything shakeable in 'Arvey and ourselves too. Latvia was a little better with patches of potholed roads and Lithuania is ok on the motorway but as soon as you come off.........yikes! It seems that they've done spot repairs on the roads since Roman times – they look like patchwork quilts, so much so you can barely see the original tarmac. Thank goodness for air suspension and good teeth!
Vilnius beckons tomorrow, so it's time for bed.........:wink:
The sailing (Tallink Ferries) was a breeze, the Baltic like a mill pond! We shot off the ferry to the Tallin City Camp which is a double edged sword! It's very handy for visiting the old town and Joey Dunlop's memorial but it's a rip off! It's a warehouse car park with very basic dumps etc. and no security or fence. Not that security was a problem, but when you're paying 25 euro's a night (inc lekky) you'd expect a little more. Ho hum, it didn't detract from our visit to the old city. It's been on my hit list for years as I'd seen pictures of the old city walls etc but to be honest tho, we were disappointed. Sure the old city was lovely, but it's very small inside the walls and stuffed to the gunnels with 1,000's of cruise ship tourists. Outside of the old city we found the place to be grubby and uninviting. Heading south from there we stayed on another city campsite (slightly better than Tallinn) at Parnu, a lovely resort town at the bottom of Estonia.
Next stop was yet another city camp in Riga, Latvia. This time tho' it was laid out very nicely and as clean as a new pin. Riga was a huge surprise to us both. Where we were disappointed with Tallinn, Riga blew us away! It has elegance and charm, beautiful cobbled streets to meander thro, city parks to die for and the whole of Latvia is impeccably clean and neat. It's probably the only place so far, except for Copenhagen, that we'd come back to.....it's that nice (Barcelona of the Baltic, sympathetically arranged for tourists but not crowded). Trundling south west we stayed the night at a Dairy Manor Farm at Sieksate, miles form anywhere and we had the place to ourselves (right beside a deer enclosure).
A breakfast 'meeting' with a fag and a cuppa, we stuck our travel pin in Nida, Neringe in Lithuania – on a spit of land that runs from Klaipeda to Russia, about as remote as you can get! To get there included a ferry (£27 return) then Neringe park entrance fee £17 before we set off on the 50km roller coaster ride to a campsite near Nida, 4km from the Russian border. In a way it was disappointing too as there was not a lot there apart from hundreds of Lithuanian & Russian holiday makers – a lot of effort to end up surrounded by bloody tourists! 2 days was enough and we drove to where we are now, Medaus Slenis campsite at Siline, nr Jurbarkus, Lithuania. What a relief! It's a beautiful spot, way out in peaceful countryside – and we have the place to ourselves. The whole place was built by the owner (a thatcher and bee keeper) and it is delightful. £12 a night with 16 amp lekky and 'tinternet. (www.medaus-slenis.lt).
One thing I haven't mentioned yet is the state of the roads.......they're bloody awful! Estonia is the worst of the Baltic sates, shaking everything shakeable in 'Arvey and ourselves too. Latvia was a little better with patches of potholed roads and Lithuania is ok on the motorway but as soon as you come off.........yikes! It seems that they've done spot repairs on the roads since Roman times – they look like patchwork quilts, so much so you can barely see the original tarmac. Thank goodness for air suspension and good teeth!
Vilnius beckons tomorrow, so it's time for bed.........:wink:
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