I left Nova this morning about 8:30 am.
My bike computer went crazy again this morning (as it did last night), but behaved once I left the B&B. I theorize something nearby broadcast on the same frequency that the wireless bike computer uses. Wireless spectrums don’t match from country to country.
My first destination today was Haapsulu. Haapsalu was too close to be a final destination, but the last place with accomodation for at least 50 km. I enjoyed the castle in Haapsalu – it was much bigger than I expected.
From Haapsalu? I had to leave the EV routes. The EV routes included ferries to the islands and I’m disinclined to add more ferries! But that did mean a long stretch of highway along the edge of a national forest.
I had plans to visit the ruins of Roude castle along the way. First I accidentally passed it by 2 km. Circling back, the access road clearly hadn’t been used in a long long time. I rode it anyway, fighting the undergrowth. I should have walked but riding, despite the struggle, meant I was moving just fast enough to keep the mosquitoes off.
Linda has mentioned to me a few times that I should stay on the coast, because she has a friend who cycled in the central part of the country, and there were lots of mosquitoes. What that fails to consider is the number of mosquitoes on the coast. When I finally reached the castle, I could just view it through the underbrush. I managed to snap a single picture before the mosquitos swarmed. I killed six on the back of one calf, only to immediately kill as many on the other. I thought briefly about digging out my insect repellent, but by the time I found it I would have been a husk and probably never be found. I beat an expeditious retreat.
While wild camping was high on my list of potential outcomes for the day, I had set my sights on a campsite marked on OSMAnd as a primitive camping/caravan site. Arriving I found a large gravel parking area with nowhere for a tent, and a local fishing. I also arrived at 4:30 pm, a bit early to put up my tent.
While yesterday I struggled against headwinds most of the day, the last 50 km I’d cycled with a tailwind. The next place to camp was another 15 km down the road, and also flagged as primitive, but managed by the RMK (national park service). Off I went, keeping an eye out for alternatives.
One reason I prefer to not wild camp is meeting people. Well. I found a lovely campground. No shower, but water (one spigot) and power (one outlet). No people unfortunately, but I still ended up in a lovely place. With mosquitoes.
I went ahead and made a reservation at a hostel in Parnu tomorrow. It’s about 70 km from here, a short day compared to the 114 km today, and 100 km yesterday. However, it positions me well for two 100 km days and arriving in Riga, where I’ll probably spend a couple days.