Ķegums – Vecumnieki
Ķegums – 17 km “Birzemnieki” – 6 km Vecumnieki
Stage consultant – Olga, WhatsApp or SMS, +371 26427717, e-mail: olga.cernisova@inbox.lv
This stage runs through beautiful pine forest. You should bring water and food with you for the whole day, because there are opportunities to buy something only at the end of the stage in Vecumnieki. Bird cages are used as a stage marking in many places during this stage.
If you have questions about a particular stage or need assistance on the road, please call to SOS phone +371 29252339 Vija
The stage begins at the Ķegums Evangelical Lutheran Church. Go along Liepu alley to the right in the direction of the Daugava. Then walk along the paved path along the bank of the Daugava, from which you will see a Ķegums HPP. Going in that direction, diagonally across the park with a beautiful inscription Ķegums, along the Sunstone, to the stairs. Climb up, cross the street, and turn left on the bridge over the Daugava.
Cross the bridge and follow the road sign in the direction of Jaunjelgava. For 1.5 km carefully walk straight along the highway without pedestrian sidewalk, but do not forget to enjoy the beautiful view of the vast Daugava reservoir. Behind the bus stop “Pludinātāji” turn right onto a wide gravel road, Aberman Road (Abermaņa ceļš). This is where the journey through the forest begins and you can also see the first bird cage with the Camino mark.
You should ignore the first side road on the right and only after 400 m turn right to a smaller gravel road, and without going sideways walk 1 km straight to the crossroad. The gravel road turns right, but at the crossroads you should continue straight across a beautiful forest road. After 1.4 km, a high-voltage power line will appear and after 200 meters the crossroads will appear again. Here you should turn right and go along a completely straight, wide, and scenic forest road, Mātīte trail (Mātītes stiga). After 2.2 km you will reach a crossroads of five roads, please continue straight, but already on a gravel road. Also, at the next crossroad after 1 km you should walk straight.
After 400 meters there is the next crossroad where you have to turn right and walk for 2.4 km on a gravel road only straight until you reach the next crossroad. Here you should turn left.
From here you only walk straight, despite a sidewalks coming from the left. Here, the yellow arrows will definitely help you to navigate.
After 3.3 km turn left from the gravel road to a small forest side road.
Walking only straight after 2.2 km you will reach a T-junction where you should turn left. Here the big beautiful coniferous forest ends, shrubs and swamps begins.
After 400 m you will see a bright yellow sign on the left – the house “Birzemnieki”. You can visit the house, if you want to learn the basics of beekeeping, taste and buy various honey products. But Camino way continues to the right through a beautiful deciduous forest, along a collapsed farmstead with impressive oaks, until another T-junction which you will see after 1 km – there you turn right.
Here begins the last straight section of the road for 3.3 km to Vecumnieki. Across the fields, along the houses “Mucenieki”, “Upeslīči”, “Siltlaiki”.
You will arrive at a T-junction with the highway Vecumnieki – Ķegums, where directly opposite you will see the Wood4ex factory, and on the left, there is a road sign that indicates that Vecumnieki ends, but you should go to the right, to the village center.
After 1.8 km you will reach the crossroad of the highway in the center of Vecumnieki. You should go a little to the right until the pedestrian crossing, cross the Riga – Skaistkalne highway on the left and there you will reach the epicenter of various shops. Continue straight on Rīgas Street, after 300 m you will reach the Vecumnieki Evangelical Lutheran Church, which is the end point of this stage.
