Touring in West Latvia - Tour No. 1

Tukumss - Engure - Kolka - Ventspils - Talsi

The picturesque town of Tukums, nestling on the banks of the Slocene river between the hilly Kurzeme region and the plains of Zemgale, is an ideal starting point for a tour of the North - west of Kurzeme.

The town is particularly famous for its castles and its manor, dating from the 13th to the 19th centuries and between them tracing the progress of much of Latvia's turbulent history. Oldest of the three - indeed, the oldest building in town - is the Castle Tower of the Livonian Order, built from 1299 to 1306, at 18 Brivibas Square; a fragment of the castle wall can also be seen. Its glorious past forgotten for 200 years the castle served as a warehouse and prison before becoming home to an exhibition dedicated to Tukums' history.

On Tukums' highest point, Milzkalne, can be seen the 15th -century fortified manor house of the Schlockenbeck Estate, with its museum dedicated to the history of road - building and horse - drawn vehicles. More modern, but a must - see for any visitor, is the classic Durbe Manorhouse, set in acres of landscaped parkland complete with rotunda and stone bridge across the ravine, as well as its own museum.

Only 25 km from Tukums is Jaunpils where, in the centre of Old Town, you can visit Jaunpils Castle, built in 1301 and the only remaining fortified Livonian castle in Latvia. The exhibition hall and museum are full of information on the history of the region, and nearby you can find the town's Lutheran church, built in 1592.

As you travel from Tukums, along the coast of the Gulf of Riga, you'll see the traditional fishing villages with their distinctive huts, net huts and smoke houses - where the herring so central to the country's diet is processed. The town of Engure has a Maritime School and a museum which explains much of the nautical history of the district, as well as a Luttheran church built in 1804.

The most northerly point of the hilly region of Kurzeme is the Kolka Horn, where a spit 6km long and a few metres wide separates the Baltic sea from the Gulf of Riga. Between Gipka and Ovisi lies the state - protected territory, the Liv Coast, established in 1991 to safeguard the area that is home of the Livs, a tiny handful of people descended from the original coastal tribe and still speaker of a Finno - Ugric language similar to Estonian. Today the region encompasses 14 fishing villages; Kosrags in particular is worth visiting for its 18th - century buildings.

Travelling south - west towards Ventspils will take you to the Slitere Forest, a spectacular area declared a national park in 1921 in order to protect the unique, almost primeval, landscape of the region and its geological history. Surrounded by forests, Ventspils itself, located at the mouth of the Venta river, is a major trading port, but it also has much to interest the visitor, including a fine example of a Livonian castle and several churches - and for relaxation, a beach. Also worth seeing are the Ventspils History Museum and, at 2 Rinku Street, a fascinating open - air exhibition dedicated to sea - fishing: fishermen's cottages, boats and tools are all displayed, as well as a windmill and a narrow - gauge railway span.

Fifty - five kilometres away from Ventspils, surrounded by forest, is Usma Lake, the fifth largest in a country known for its inland waters. The lake has seven islands and in 1912 one, Moricsala, was proclaimed a nature reserve. The lake is a popular holiday destination, and yachting and fishing are all available for visitors; gathering forest berries and mushrooms is also popular.

Returning to Tukums will take you through Talsi, famed as one of Latvia's most beautiful towns. Looking at the stupendous surrounding scenery of the North Kursa uplands - lakes, hills, parks and gardens - it's easy to see why. Talsi was also the centre of many medieval wars involving the Livonian Order, and cultural and historical monuments dedicated to their memory abound in the town. The Museum of Agriculture at 11 Celtnieku Street is not in fact a boring old exhibit, but a fascinating collection of ancient tools, as well as a display of historic radios and cameras.

An essential stopping point for anyone interested in the history of Latvia is the Talsi Regional and Art Museum, 19 Milenbaha Street, dedicated to the region's past and particularly strong on the Liv and Cour nations and their tragic history, and on the economic and cultural life of the district. The museum also plays host to various exhibitions of fine and applied arts, and the Castle of Firksa the Baron of Okte (1885) and a forest park are also contained in the museum grounds.

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