Tallinn, Estonia to Białystok, Poland via Latvia and Lithuania

Blimey, Estonia is small. There I was riding along then all of a sudden I was at the Latvian border.

I got the ferry from Helsinki to Tallinn that morning, and arrived in Estonia a couple of hours later. Didn’t really have a plan, just headed in the general direction of Poland. Tallinn wasn’t particularly appealing, with the exception of Helsinki, all ferry ports seem to be in the worse parts of town. So I didn’t hang around. Out of town I was again riding through forests, except the trees in Estonia were twice the height of those in Finland and Norway.

I had had no luck getting my bike serviced in Helsinki. That we’re all booked up, so I was heading west via all the BMW Motorrad dealers. Only problem being that today and tomorrow, Thursday and Friday, were national holidays in Estonia. So I was out of luck there.

The standard of driving had detiorated considerably since leaving Helsinki. In Scandinavia, on the whole, drivers stick to speed limits, pull over to let you pass, and don’t seem to be in a hurry to get anywhere. Here, they overtake anything that moves and have no concept of my side and your side of the road, whoever gets there first, owns it.

I was just getting to like Estonia, when I reached the border with Latvia. I was also getting to like Latvia when I stopped for a McWiFi and some git nicked my GoPro. I didn’t realise until after I had booked a hotel in Riga, so I was a bit nervous about leaving anything unattended.

I didn’t choose the cheapest place in Riga, but it still only cost €24. Which was cheaper than most Norwegian campsites. On booking.com, hostels in Riga start at €2, which can’t be much more than a park bench. I had a great room though, private bathroom, sofa, tv and all the comforts.

The next morning my bike was still there, and everything intact and as the public holiday seemed to extend into Latvia and Lithunia, there wasn’t much to do except continue.

The next BMW Motorrad dealer was just over the border in Poland at a place called Białystok, so that’s where I headed. I arrived at the dealer early evening on Friday. They where closed so I started looking for somewhere to stay. Fortunately, right next door was the hotel Belweder. So I booked in, at only £23 a night it was amazing value, cheaper than many Norwegian campsites.

I wasn’t sure if I would be able to get anything done or how soon, but I was at the dealers just after opening on Saturday morning. Not only did they do the service that morning, but it cost half what it does in the UK.