Baltic Forest Hiking - For visually impaired

The starting point of Forest Trail in Latvia is located in the heart of Old Riga, the Town Hall Square. The route leads along Kaļķu Street, passes the Monument of Freedom, through Vērmane Garden and along the historic Tērbatas street. Then it arches over the Zemitāni railway station pedestrian bridge and treads into Biķernieki and Šmerlis forests. The Forest Trail winds through Jugla, passes the Latvian Ethnographic Open-Air Museum and goes on along the pedestrian-bicycle path until Baltezers.

For the first 3.5 km, the Forest Trail leads through beautiful coniferous forests that cover the slopes of the Žemaitija Upland. Up to the Cold War exposition, it coincides with the Plokštinė cognitive trail. From the museum, the Forest Trail for 5 km follows the Plokštinė road, where a pedestrian / bicycle path has been created and, approaching Plateliai lake, descends into the lowland of the lake. At the road No. 3202 (Malūno street) , the Forest Trail turns left to the south-east and after 0.3 km turns right to right to the south-southwest. After about 0.5 km it reaches Ilgio Ežero street. For the next 5.5 km, the Forest Trail forms a wide circle around Ilgis and Beržoras lakes, reaching the Beržoras village. After the village, after 2 km along Plungės street, the Forest Trail reaches the centre of Plateliai and throws another circle along Ežero street to the beach and Šeirė educational trail. Then along Ežero, Naujoji and Žemaičių Kalvarijos streets, the Forest Trail returns to the centre of the town.

The Forest Trail for 6 km runs along the edge of the Plateliai–Salantai (No.2302) road. At this section, there opens up the view of the landscapes of the western part of the Žemaitija Upland over the Pajūris Lowland. In the centre of Gintališkė village, the Forest Trail turns left to the southwest, coming to road No. 3216. After 2.4 km, it turns right to the west, where it crosses the largest forest massif in this section. During the Soviet era, there was a missile base here, as evidenced by the road paved with concrete slabs. Then the Forest Trail briefly follows the Plungė–Salantai road (No. 169) and after 1.4 km turns left. Up to Salantai, it wanders through a small country road, and the small-town centre is reached through Žemaitės and M. Valančiaus streets. The beginning of this section is in Žemaitija National Park, but the last part is in Salantai Regional Park.

Along the main street of Snēpele, the Forest Trail takes the road V1294 and after 0.3 km opposite Ķepšu lake turns right onto a small country road. Along this road, the Forest Trail bends to Slipiņciems, before crossing Sprincupe along the dam, where a pond has been created. Then the Forest Trail goes in the direction of Pelči. Nearby Pelči, the trail bends along Pelču Dambu ponds, leads to the Kuldīga–Pelču road (V1293) and further stretches through the Kuldīga garden areas – “Kurzemīte” and “Rumba”, until it reaches the Venta bank and the Kuldīga bypass. From there to the Old Brick Bridge, the Forest Trail for 2.4 km leads along a beautiful Venta coastal path, where there are wooden bridges and footbridges in wetter places and across streams town of Kurzeme.

After the Old Brick Bridge across the Venta river, the Forest Trail continues for a short time on the right bank of the Venta, notched by ravines, then, along Krasta street and Vetklīnika–Paleja road, it crosses Kalnmuiža forest and Riežupe and further up to Mazrenda continues along the roads of the vast Renda forest massif. The terrain is flat here, because this section is part of the Pieventa plain of the Kursa Lowland. In Mazrenda, the Forest Trail crosses a sand-gravel quarry and takes you to the centre of Renda along Kuldīgas street. The section belongs to the territory of the nature reserve “Ventas ieleja” and the nature park “Riežupe”.

In Bigauņciema village, you can clearly see the whole length of the Jūrmala coast. The first third of this day’s itinerary is part of the Ķemeri National Park where you can get to know historic fishing villages, the Ragaciems village fishing area with net huts and a fish market, dune habitats, as well as watch birds in the estuary of the Starpiņupe River. Starting from Jaunķemeri to Dubulti, the walk takes you across the widest sandy beach of the Gulf of Riga through the historic resort in Jūrmala and the longest city in Latvia. Keep in mind that on warm and sunny summer days there will be a lot of beachgoers.