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Friday 6 August
Trip south of Dugavpils again, this time reaching Demene via Birkeneli and Varaviksne. No camera unfortunately. From Birkeneli to just outside Demene I was on unmade roads again, so speeds were down to 5-6 mph as I ploughed through sand. There is little variety in the scenery but it feels very remote and vast. There are people about, though. You do see the occasional person walking or riding a bike. Cars are rare, which explains why the roads aren’t made up. The demand hardly justifies the expense.
Sunday 8 August
Very hot weather was predicted for Saturday and Sunday and in fact temperatures reached 35 degrees C. The heat is made all the more unbearable by the humidity, making it feel very sticky and clammy. Condensation immediately collects on anything cold taken out of the fridge. It was so hot on Saturday that I spent the whole day indoors with the fan on full blast – also nursing a chaffed posterior from so much off-road riding on Friday, bringing back memories of riding along the Nantes-Brest canal with Sue Etheridge and Larry Clarke in 2007 . I doubt whether the thud-catcher would have been much use, had it still been on the bike. It would have absorbed every last ounce of energy on these horribly corrugated tracks. Bike Friday performs much better without it.

Hot weather or not, I worked out a nice little route along the southern bank of the Daugava via Sadnieki and Skrudalienas to the P68 where I had been the previous week on my ride through Kumbuli. I left at about noon. The weather was fair. The heat descended like an iron fist when stationary but there was a cooling, compensatory breeze once on the move. I set out with one and a half litres of water, which I had frozen in the ice box of the fridge (a trick I learned from Sergei). It thaws out over about 6 hours providing a constant supply on ice-cold water.

Lake at Silene

The weather was changeable. A veil of grey cloud hid the sun for a while, but by the time I reached Silene the sun was out again and the heat oppressive. People were dancing in the local pub to the sound of romantic Russian music played on the accordion. There was a store (Veikals in Latvian) where I was able to buy a litre carton of juice for 85p.

Water bottle now containing a delicious mixture of juice and iced water, I set off towards Kumbuli. The tarmacked road soon deteriorated into the familiar, tedious sand track. A few spots of rain fell. Not discouraged I ploughed on. Thunder rumbled. Clouds gathered. I found myself heading into a storm. I was only about 4 miles from Kumbuli when the storm broke. Simultaneously torrential rain gushed down and a sudden wind viciously tore through the forest. A tree, close to where I was standing, was sent crashing to the ground. With understandable urgency (!) I headed back along the track in torrential rain and was lucky enough to find shelter under the eves of a barn. No dog. I hoped my luck would hold. The storm lasted about 20 minutes after which the sky brightened and I was able to continue my way to Kumbuli, announced by the incessant barking of dogs.

Bright sky after the storm

Fascinating place, Kumbuli. What happened here? Just outside the village/town was a derelict factory. Having got round the fallen tree that blocked the road ahead, I passed between derelict, deserted blocks of flats with darkened windows and smashed in entrances. I found a place to have my sandwiches. In an incongruous concession to beauty there was a small bed of pink and purple Cosmos and riotous  orange Nasturtiums, lovingly cared for by someone; there was some sort of sculpture – a split boulder held apart by a collection of smooth, oversized pebbles, now complemented by a number of empty plastic beer bottles. Close by was what seems to have been quite a large pub or social centre – empty, also falling into ruin. What happened to the people who once energised this empty place.

Derelict factory at Kumbuli

From what I gather, nationalistic Latvian politicians decided to dismantle Russian industry after the fall of the Soviet Union, as if this in itself would miraculously restore Latvia cultural identity. In fact thousands of Russian-speaking Latvian citizens were made jobless as a result. Apparently 2000 people were put out of work in Daugavpils when the chemical factories were closed.

The situation is compounded by the fact that the whole of south eastern Latvia is predominantly Russian speaking. But if you wish to see Russian as a written language, you must go into people’s homes because the language is publicly forbidden.

Viewed from this perspective it is easily to guess what might have happened in Kumbuli. It is a strange paradox that communities which apparently thrived under Communism now face extinction under Capitalism.

The plan was to head along the forest road to the P68 and then west along the fast descent back into Daugavpils and be home “in time for tea”. As I set off along the track, thunderclouds were gathering again menacingly to the east. It seemed another storm was brewing. I saw some of the frightening damage the freak storm had done earlier. Huge trees lay across the track, most of which had, by now, been sufficiently moved or sawn in the short term to make the track accessible again for traffic. It was amazing how quickly locals responded to the situation. It soon became obvious that a second storm was indeed on its way and the last place to be was in the forest. With only sand to hold the roots down, trees were easily uprooted. I knew there was a little hamlet just down the road and I sheltered there under the welcome eaves of a deserted house while the storm passed over. I was amazed to see hailstones the size and colour of Fox’s Glacier mints generously embed themselves in the grass before me like free jewels. The storm blew over and I ventured further along the track, expecting any obstacles to have been removed. At one point about five huge trees had been blown down in the same place completely blocking the road. So I retraced to Daugavpils via Demene, witnessing the trail of damage the storms had left behind – not just trees but blown off rooves and blown down overhead power lines. It was shortly before nine when I got back. 55 miles on the clock. Graham Black, it was one of those days!

As a sequel to all this, an acacia tree in front of my flat window was uprooted during the storms, damaging three cars. This evening’s TV news carried reports of widespread storm damage.

Monday 9 August: recovery

Tues 10 August:

Statue to the founder of Daugavpils in the parked names after him.

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Trip to City Centre to check out Sergei’s flat, which is will soon be renting. Visit to various shops, including Daugavpils’ modern shopping centre with a wide range of shops. It seems that food is expensive here, but household goods are cheap by comparison with English prices. I saw a pretty mean motorbike on sale for about Ј800. Pedal cycles are pretty basic, costing around Ј50. I really don’t know where anything other than a mountain bike would be of much use. Bikes seem to be used mainly around town.

Wednesday 10 August:

 
View over Daugavpils from bridge over river.

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The plan was to do a shorter route on the unmade roads taking in smaller villages and Lake Dervanisku, which I had passed on the way the Demene. It turned out to be an interesting day in terms of using my eTtrex Vista Hcx. It is amazing that the City Navigator Map I have downloaded onto the device contains such detailed information about such off-beat places. But sometimes the tracks detailed are so overgrown or disused that they have become impassable. That creates a problem when you go off route. Up to now I have planned circular routes, always from ‘flat’ to ‘flat’. Since the eTrex is trying to get you to your destination, it recalculates the quickest way back to the flat if I go off route. Since I had not put in any way points apart from “flat”, I could not tell the eTrex to take me to specific points on route, since the via points on the route created by Mapsource had vague names. The solution would seem to be to split the route into two parts – there and back, and to name specific way points along the route, so that I can direct the eTrex to go to specific way points if I am off route. It is possible to create way points on the device itself, but it found it very fiddly.Too hot again for comfort. Very saddle sore because of perspiration.  August is NOT the best time for cycling in this sort of climate, though I understand that this year had been exceptional. Looks like back to last week in August and first two in September next year. 36 miles. Moving average: 7mph Overall average: 5.3mph. Elevation 278ft.

The fine weather on Friday was followed by every humid and cloudy on Saturday, eventually developing into a full-blown thunderstorm which lasted for hours and drenched Daugavpils in torrential rain. So much for any plans to make another foray into the surrounding area.

Sunday and I still had no pictures of Daugavpils. Since the pattern seemed to be sun in the morning, thunderstorms in the afternoon, I set off in the morning on foot to take some pictures. Daugavpils is the second largest city in Latvia with just over 100,000 inhabitants, but it is hardly photogenic.  There is a large, well-laid out park, seems popular with locals who use it to rest and shelter for the sun.

 
Park in Daugavpils

  
Modern central avenue in Daugavpils

There is typical slav architecture, and an impressive modern central drag, an open air market selling clothes, fuit and vegetables. Shops seem few and far between with no tea shops or cafes to talk of.

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On returning to the flat I greeted the few people sitting on the wall in front of the flat. Sergei, one time Latvia decathlon champion and now sports teacher at a local school, keen to learn English, seized on the opportunity to try out his English and offered me tea in his flat.

Hence a cycle trip on Monday to visit his mother-in-law, who owns a farm about 15 kms outside the side on the Daugava River.

 
Lake by Daugavpils River

While the farm consists of some eleven acres of land, only a plot about the size of a normal allotment is under cultivation. Latvia seems to have suffered more than most countries from its separation from the former Soviet Union. Money is in short supply, jobs – if available at all – are poorly paid (ca. 160 GBP per month) with taxes running at about 50% of the gross income. If a community is lucky enough to have one inhabitant with a tractor, a little more cultivation can be achieved. But this is the exception rather than the rule. Many young people, in desperation, prefer to try their chances elsewhere.

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Tuesday – trip down to the lakes around Demene, not from the border with Belarus. Interesting to see the area beyond the border shaded out on the satnav. Excellent quiet road as far as Demene but then again, dreadful unmade roads off the beaten track, but pretty undulating countryside interspersed with numerous lakes of varying sizes.. Kumbuli caught my attention. A small community, some older type wooden houses and dilapidated blocks of flats built under Soviet rule.

Today Wednesday 4 August – up at the crack of dawn for morning ride with Sergei. Conversation is limited but he is a very agreeable companion. We cycled to Kauja, east of the town, taking a variety of roads and tracks, passing lake and enjoying the shade of the forest. It was hot! I just saw in a newspapers that temperatures have exceeded 37 degrees C. The humidity makes it all the more oppressive.

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Well, I got here safely on Monday after a gruelling trip. The plane left at 7 in the morning, so I travelled all night and was pretty jet-lagged when I arrived. Early days yet, but impressions will change.

Daugavpils is in the SE corner of Latvia and has a population of about 100,000 people. It is the second largest city outside Riga, so Latvia is really quite a small country.

The area to the north-west has numerous lakes, so my first major foray was yesterday (Friday). I used the satnav, so that was fun, but I took a map in case. Just as well!  The two main roads out of D-Pils would seem to be the A13and the A6. They carry relatively little traffic, but they are quite narrow for arterial roads with just enough room for two lorries to pass. It was quite hairy cycling back yesterday afternoon and in the end I kept on the sandy cycle path alongside the road.

I was surprised to discover that almost all roads except for the main ones are unmetalled. Cars and lorries can negotiate them quite well, but the surface consists of an inch or two of sand, so there was a constant risk of skidding and I kept my speed to the minimum.

The countryside is quite flat with long gentle slopes. The main roads are straight for miles and can be rather monotonous.  Unless you’re really into off-road cycling it is hardly a country I would recommend (at this stage) for cycling.  40 miles really does mean 40 miles of pedalling, unlike Devon where I am either walking up steep hills or free-wheeling down the other side. I seem to remember Sue finding Norfolk rather strenuous for the same reason.

I’m paying a total of about 100 GBP for accommodation - all four and a half weeks, which is good value. I also have plenty of time during the day to spend learning Russian.

More posts to come when and as occasion arises. Otherwise I’ll see you on the first Sunday I’m back for the Kingsbridge ride.

Julie, Bryan, the three Grahams and I set off slightly late, everybody had expected George. In Ivybridge Bryan decided to take the main road to the coffee venue, he did not like the hills in my proposed route. Neither do I, but I like cars even less and ours was definitely the less busy.

On the way to Ermington there were four men with metal detector busy in a meadow with cows, I wonder, what they were looking for.

We continued to Sheepham, Mary Cross and Hangman’s Cross. Just as we reached the Loddiswell road at Coldharbour Cross, Bryan appeared as well, the timing could not have been better.

At the garden centre we found George and Iris there already.

Iris went back and George continued to Slapton, while we turned towards Hatch only to have to wait some time, while cows were herded into a field.

The road to Hatch Venn and Bridge End on the map looks flat parallel to the river, in praxis it is anything but flat.

As it was low tide, we took the tidal road. Now up the steep hill, I told the faster chaps that lunch would be at the picnic benches behind the car park at St. Anne’s Chapel.

The little lane was like a motorway and even pushing bikes up was a pain. I was covered in stinging nettles burs and little green seedballs, which attached themselves everywhere.

Graham J. waited at the top, he was off home, as he had marking to do.

At the picnic side there was no sign of the Graham B. and Graham R.

We had a leisurely lunch and as we headed towards Modbury the 2 Grahams came against us. God knows where they had been and where they were going.

At Modbury toilet Julie and Bryan tried to fill up their water bottles, but it was one of those units and the water warm.

A tea-stop in Ivybridge was much more refreshing.

Anna

There were only a few of us at the start waiting at Plymco, Brian Richardson, Sue, Iris, Andy our leader and myself (Julie).  We presumed apart from those we knew of away on holidays the others were missing in action on the Devon Delight! It was quite cool and a bit grey as we set off towards the Plym track and looked forward to break at the Knightstone.  Brian Short caught us up just as we were about to enter the tunnel.  From the Knightstone most turned back for home, but Andy and I decided to go on despite the gathering clouds, but instead of heading for the original destination of Berre Ferrers we headed through Milton Combe and on to Lopwell Dam. There we sat on the bench eating our sandwiches, reflecting on life and watching all the wildlife on the Dam - a family of ducks on the far bank, a lone Egret and a pair of Swans. Also whilst there two fish of unidentified description lept momentarily from the water. As we left we investigated the butterfly meadow to the side of the building/toilet block, but it wasn’t the weather for them to be out! It was then just beginning to rain very softly as we made our way back skirting past Tamerton Foliot, on to Roborough village where it became harder! The trees coming down Plymbridge Road provided shelter and we rejoined the track at Plymbridge. Despite the little bit of damp a very pleasant ride, thank you Andy. 

 Sorry no pictures of this one.