Day 8.

 Day 8. Tuesday Aug 19.

Riga to Bauska (Latvia)

76km

Weather: Forecast was good. Dry. Became very warm after 50km. 24° as I finished. Light breeze into my face.

Road conditions:  Road surfaces were smooth. About 30 km on gravel, but it was manageable; could move along at 20km/hr in most places but needed concentration.

Availed of the hotel breakfast so left a bit later at 8:30. Also the night porter had taken the key of the storage room home so that added further to the slow start.

I walked the first couple of hundred metres on those big cobbles down to the bank of the river. Heavy morning traffic along here. Crossed the bridge and had a last look back at the skyline of Old Riga.

It was slow getting out the first 3km but then directed onto quiet cycle ways.

By 10km I'd left it all behind and headed off into rural Latvia. Latvia is about 3/4 the size of Ireland. About 1/3 are Russian speakers probably as a result of the Soviets basing a lot of  advanced manufacturing here during their occupation after WW2.

Just 24km out the gravel started on my selected route. No sand or muck or washboard. In all I covered 30km on gravel over 2 sections. I start on gravel and Garmin informs me...Stay on this road for 17km. 

These sections were busy enough with all the required furniture...bus stops, speed limits, road signs and the occasional house.

I pulled in to a bus stop by a small church in Emburga for my morning snack ( brought from breakfast). Temps were into the 20's and I reached for the sun cream. None, well not in the bar-bag where I normally keep it. I concluded that someone in the last hotel had taken a shine to it. I was disgusted but I'm not going back. Suffer on!

These gravel sections brought me through a vast agricultural area. Harvesting the wheat is in full swing. I couldn't describe them as 'fields' they were so vast.

Combines in action; combines moving from place to place; thousands of round bales ready for collection.

And then other tractors tilling the harvested ground; some ploughing and others doing a shallow tilling.

The second 12km stretch of gravel brought me right into Bauska, a busy town and I quickly located my hotel at 2pm. Relieved to be in out of that heat.

I spotted a Lidl across the way and headed over there to pick up a few snacks. Doors closed. It's a brand new branch and has a grand opening at 7:30am on Aug 21.

Back in the hotel I discovered the sun-cream in a little used pocket of my panniers. Apparently, in Riga, I had removed it from the bar-bag  just in case someone should take a liking to it. So, my apologies to Hotel Justus.

Now to rest up after an enjoyable day and prepare for tomorrow.

Thank God for the health and thank God for the energy.