Another walk??

I know this may sound a bit half-hearted, but I think I am committed to starting another walk next Tuesday or Wednesday. I have had the walk planned in my mind for some months. The proposed walk is marked in red on the map of the Baltic States (with the walks in 2008 and 2009 also marked.


"Western Baltics" is a misnomer as I will not be going to Estonia. I will start at Nida near the border of Lithuania and the isolated pocket of Russia known as Kaliningrad, walk up the entire western coast of Lithuania to Liepaja in Latvia, then head inland through Kuldiga to finish at Kolka on the north-western tip of Latvia.
There are 3 main reasons for choosing this route - the Curonian Spit, Kuldiga and Kolka. In Latvian, the Curonian Spit is spelt with a "K" (Kursu Kapas). So it has always been the "Triple K" walk.


The Curonian Spit has interested me for some time. This is the Wikapaedia map:


The map does not, however, capture the magic of the place. Below is a shot from space which excites me each time I view it.

The caption from the web-site reads as follows:

The Curonian Spit in Lithuania and the Russian Federation was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000. Human habitation of this elongated sand dune peninsula, 98 km long and 0.4-4 km wide, dates back to prehistoric times. Throughout this period it has been threatened by the natural forces of wind and waves. Its survival to the present day has been made possible only as a result of ceaseless human efforts to combat erosion through stabilization and reforestation projects.


The image covers an area of 55.8 x 109.5 km, was acquired on July 25, 2006.


Credit for this image is given to NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team.

I had contemplated starting in Kaliningrad, but the prospect of walking in a Russian-speaking country was too daunting. I think the 50kms on the Lithuanian side will give me a fair idea of the landscape. In 2008, I walked part of the Latvian coast at the end of my 24 day, 750kms walk. Whilst parts are seaside resorts, there are many stretches of isolated coastline.

The north-west tip of Latvia around Kolka was a restricted zone in Soviet times, but now is a favourite destination. I have always wanted to visit, although my route this time is fairly indirect and should take me about 11 days.