Cape Kolka is the place where Latvia comes to a point, and where two seas meet. The Baltic Sea lies to the west and the Gulf of Riga to the east, and at the tip, a long sandy spit extends into the water, so you can watch waves from two directions collide. It is a flat, windswept, quiet place, with pine forest behind and a beach of pale sand strewn with driftwood. The nearest town of any size is Roja, about thirty kilometres away, and the nearer settlements are small fishing villages, so fuel and supplies need planning.
The area is part of Slītere National Park, which protects a remarkable stretch of coast, including old dunes, wet forests and the Blue Hills, an ancient shoreline now several kilometres inland. Migrating birds funnel along the cape in spring and autumn, and it is one of the best places in northern Europe to watch them. Kolka itself was historically home to the Livonians, a small Finnic people whose language is almost gone, but whose culture is honoured here. A memorial and a Livonian community house recall their fishing tradition.
The ride along the Kurzeme coast is gentle and peaceful rather than dramatic. The road runs through pine forest and coastal villages, with occasional gravel stretches, and the surface varies from good asphalt to rough patches. Traffic is light, and the distances are long, so the pleasure is the quiet and the smell of resin and salt. Elk and deer cross the road at dawn and dusk, so slow down in the forest. Wind off the sea can be strong, and the water is cold even in summer.
At Kolka, there is a small lighthouse and a viewing point, plus a cafe in season, but options are limited. Fill the tank in Roja or Ventspils before heading out, and carry water. Smoked fish, particularly flounder and herring, is a coastal staple, along with dark rye bread and local beer. Midsummer, around the twenty-third and twenty-fourth of June, is a big celebration in Latvia, with bonfires and flower wreaths, and the northern light lingers late into the night. It is a lovely place to finish a ride and watch the sun go into the sea.