I spoke to just about everyone in the small campground this morning. They were all chatty and we were all interested in each others travel plans.
I really wasnt sure where I would stay tonight. I thought there was a campground at my destination but in looking closer, there wasn’t one, nor was there any available accommodation.
The german guy told me about the RMK campsites. They are like simple national parks camps usually near hiking routes. The app is in Estonian, but i couldnt see one where i wanted to go. So, i thought – something will turn up, it always does ! And of course it did.
I couldn’t resist an early second breakfast and coffee in town. I retraced my path out of town then down to the coastal bike path before heading inland after a few kms. It was flat, easy riding on bike paths, until I was in farmlands.
You guessed it – I was back into a fast-ish road, ugh. Luckily, it was Sunday morning and traffic was very light.
It felt like lazy riding. The terrain was boringly familiar and there was a lack of energy about the whole day. I spotted a cafe in Jõseuu for lunch on the map and went past it, realised I’d gone too far and went back. It didn’t look open, but it was my last chance for some lunch.
I went in a few minutes before about thirty people descended on the place. I had homemade meatballs and salad on the verandah, overlooking a pedestrian only suspension bridge. Lunch was great. I also scoured google maps for any accommodation or camping options.
Vändra and Tiru would be accommodation possibilities but there wasn’t anything available or I didn’tt believe the map. I get suspicious when there are no photos on Google maps and the place has only one review, which is 5 stars without explanation.
The only camping ground was more of a school holiday camp, so that was out too. Then I spotted an RMK campground twenty kms short of my intended destination and headed there.
I crossed the suspension bridge immediately after lunch. It was a strange one. The floorboards of the bridge weren’t connected to the banks of the river, simply suspended from the pylons with a gap at each end. It worked though.
That put me onto ten kms of more lazy roads, but this time, they were dirt roads with absolutely no traffic.
I stopped in Vändra and got some food and water, then it was back onto a fast road for another 10kms or so. When I arrived at the campground, I couldnt believe it. It was empty, had good pitches, a fireplace with firewood, and a lake. Just perfect.
I had a swim in the lake, cooked up a feast of pasta and had a fire before the mozzies arrived and chased me into the tent.
