Latvia

Latvia

Continuing our southward push we find ourselves in Latvia.

Still easy and pleasant wild camping with excellent weather continuing. Not a country (becoming a theme) that we would want to spend too much time in.

When you remove all the 'old growth forest', which must have happened centuries ago over here, and replace it with a monoculture fir forest, you also remove the wildlife. Only true survivors here. Pigeons, storks, and the occasional very nervous deer. The natural world has been brought to its knees in Eastern Europe! Make that all of Europe!

We drive into Latvia still flat and forested, perfect for camping but getting a bit boring.

Bauska Castle purched on a hill, nice to get out of the truck and walk around interesting buildings like this with so much history.

Now that's somewhere you don't want a storks nest.

Rundales Palace absolutely massive place bought back to it's glory after the Soviet period.

Looking through the stables entry to Rundales Castle. 

Further south we explored Gauja Castle grounds and it's church.

Inside Gauja church.

Partially rebuilt Gauja Castle.

Grand Latvian house.

Estonia.

Estonia

Tallin is a port city that attracts, what appears to be, a never ending procession of Mediterranean cruise ships. 

Away from the port and ferry terminal, to which we arrived after a night crossing from Finland, we set about finding a parking lot for the night. On ioverlander we find a public carpark around the corner from the residence of the president. Very convenient as we intended on dropping in for a cup of tea in the morning. He obviously didn't know we were in town as the guards weren't told to expect us.

Tallin has an 'old city'. Like any 'old city' best to arrive early to avoid the tourist groups.

In rural Estonia we didn't see any other independent overlanders during our time there. We were treated as objects of curiosity, and suspicion, by the locals living near one camping area that we found using our mapping app. 

Wild camping in the forests is generally easy to find and more private. 

The country side is much like Finland. A little to flat with monoculture fir forests.

Building beside the Presidents residents in Tallinn.

Tallinn old walled town.

Russian Orthodox Cathedral in Tallinn.

Tallinn.

Just one of the gems you come across walking around Tallinn.

Loved these storks foraging in the fields.

Got a ferry out to Saaremaa island and spent a few days exploring.

Many of these old windmills in the countryside. The wooden pole protruding from the back is used to turn the whole mill around to face the wind.

We came across this decaying old church out in the forest. The community that built it must have moved away. It was huge.

Camped near these old fishing huts in a huge wetlands area.

Finland

Finland

How to sum up Finland?  

Flat, wet, and (fir gets boring) forested. We had glimpses of lakes, but as they all appear to be surrounded by private land, a glimpse is as much as you get.

The ferry from Germany terminates at Helsinki. So if you want to get to Tallin, Estonia and the counties of Eastern Europe you have to come here. 

End of story. 

Travelling north from Helsinki is Porvoo which has many old wooden houses now used as shops. Nice place for a stroll around the old part of town. 

Wild camping in peaceful fir forests which were plentiful in Finland.

Savonlinna a few hundred k's north of Helsinki was advertised as being a lakeside paradise for wealthy Russians last century. Apart for this medieval castle all the stately homes of the past had been knocked down and replaced by ugly cream brick apartment blocks. A bit disappointing after a long drive. 

An island in Helsinki harbour had these old buildings relocated on it which was interesting to see in one location.  Sort of like Gipps Town at Moe!

The Hooded Crow a common bird all over Europe. 

Lovely wooden church, Helsinki display village.

So many different windmill designs this is the Finnish style. Helsinki display village.

Display village

Scotland's highlands draws us back.

Blair Atholl Castle.  Good to be back in Scotland where the street signs are not a meter long like in Iceland.

We visited Nigel and Glynda Hill in Pitlochry at their self built home. They milled their own timber from the forest on their property and have built accommodation cottages as well as their impressive home. An amazing amount of work.

A little fishing port somewhere in Scotland can't remember where.

Wild camped in some lovely spots.

Rugged northern Scottish coast not far from Dunnets Head.

Picture perfect  the Scottish Highlands.

Another great wild camp beside a highland lake.

Eilean Donan Castle heading down the west coast.

Pitochry Castle now a hotel.

Castle Stalker at Port Appin.

Hadrians Wall or what's left of it after hundreds of years of the locals nicking the stones.

Hanging out with some local twitchers looking for the elusive Honey Buzzard. They told us about some nesting cliffs not far down the coast so off we went.

Bempton Cliffs was covered with nesting sea birds for miles.

This is a Razorbill, it was mixed in with Guillemots and Gannets thousands of them.

And everyones favourite PUFFINS. Yay!