From its colourful capital to forests, feasts and lush lakes, Latvia serves up one special summer escape
PADDLING kayaks through the serene 8,000-year-old bog, we’re about to enter the “second maze”, according to our guide Elina.
Locals call it this because the small islands of shrubs, moss and reeds we’re navigating are constantly shifting above the mineral-rich water, making the route through ever-changing.
If you want a moment to really pause, Latvia’s the place.
Over half of the country, which is a quarter of the UK’s size, is covered in forest, and with a population of fewer than 2 million, it’s not hard to find a stunning spot all to yourself – even in the height of summer.
We return to the shore to find Elina’s mother-in-law cooking up a feast on a portable stove.
Slices of ham and bread are served alongside a huge flask of coffee, helpings of traditional grey pea and bacon broth, and piles of fresh pancakes, both savoury potato and apple, which are demolished by my kids Poppy, seven, and Raffy, five.
It’s a brunch made from simple ingredients, but it is utterly delicious, especially when devoured in the vivid green landscape of Kemeri National Park.
Kayaking tours cost from £21.50 per person (Boardsyou.lv).
Ravishing Riga
The starting point for our trip is the cobbled streets and colourful art nouveau buildings of Latvia’s capital.
Riga sits little more than half an hour from the white sandy beaches of the Baltic coast (with a sea warmer than Cornwall’s come summer, FYI) and an abundance of nature, like those ancient bogs.
We arrive during celebrations for the city’s 825th anniversary and to streets alive with brass bands and artistic performances.
Even at its busiest, though, Riga still feels gloriously uncrowded, despite striking architecture and sculptures at every turn – the black felines perched on the turrets of Cat House and the Bremmen Town Musicians Statue of four animals balancing upon each other (said to bring luck if you rub their noses) our favourites.
Hotel Grand Poet By Semarah, with its flamboyant interiors, lies opposite pretty Bastejkalna Park, just a short stroll from the beautifully kept Old Town.
Its spa – where kids are welcome throughout the day – is home to a swimming pool, whirlpool, steam room and two saunas, and we even spot TV chef Prue Leith at the breakfast buffet one morning.
Family rooms cost from £280 B&B (Grandpoet.semarahhotels.com).
Lots to lake
One of Riga’s most popular weekend spots, Mežaparks, is set on alluring Lake Kišezers, where pedalos, rowing boats and SUPs are for hire, and swimming from its sandy shore is a breeze.
Cabo, with its hammocks and swinging seats, is an idyllic spot for sipping a rhubarb spritz, £7.70, while the kids splash about, and we hire a four-seater pedal kart to whizz around the forest trails, £17 per hour (Cabo.lv).
It would be easy to while away a whole day shoreside, but with Riga Zoo also here, we soon find ourselves giggling at the swaggering chief gelada (similar to a baboon), then wide-eyed at the glow-in-the-dark scorpions in the tropical house.
A family ticket costs £35 (Rigazoo.lv).
Another morning well spent is at Marupe Wake Park – its inflatable water obstacle course is one of Europe’s largest, with slides, swings, zip wires and climbing challenges.
As we hop across a giant panda and unicorn, the kids’ confidence grows with each leap, before we all revive ourselves in the sauna overlooking the lake, chuckling about our most spectacular splash landings.
Sessions cost from £16 per person (Udensatrakcijuparks.lv).
Later, among vibrant Mediterranean-inspired wall murals, we find a meal worthy of any great city.
We’re at Italissimo, where the little ones tuck into proper lasagne, £4, and pasta in butter broth with parmesan, £3, glugging down home-made berry lemonades, £3.70, while I dig into sublime truffled burrata with parma ham and wine-poached pear, £13.50, and tiger prawn ravioli with asparagus and a creamy bisque sauce, £14.50.
Cocktails, such as the Malfy Sour – a limoncello and citrus gin blend, £9 – are also excellent.
We soon clock children disappearing downstairs and discover a pastel playroom with a giant ball pit and interactive games screen, much to the kids’ glee (Facebook.com/restaurant.italissimo).
Going medieval
Restaurant Rozengrals, meanwhile, is a celebration of Riga’s medieval roots.
One lunchtime, we descend the steep steps and follow torch-lit tunnels to an underground dining hall for a huge platter of oven-baked duck with cherry-onion jam on a bed of pulses, £25, and pastry parcels stuffed with spinach and cheese, £7.20.
Sea buckthorn with honey, £4, is quickly declared a hit by all and we finish off by sharing Countess Amelia’s Caprice – tiny iced cakes encased in filo pastry, made from another 15th-century recipe, £6 (Rozengrals.lv).
Nearby, we discover GunsnLasers, an entertainment arcade tucked away in Galerija Centrs shopping centre, where e-karting proves to be a blast for kids and we all tear around the interactive Pixels Room, trying to avoid stepping on the ever-moving red squares of a giant light-up grid.
Donning VR headsets for family challenges is also a lot of fun for everyone.
Three activities cost £24 per person (Gunsnlasers.lv).
Tree-rific times
Still, we’re here to explore Latvia’s stunning landscapes, and an hour’s drive from Riga is Gauja National Park, the home of Turaida Castle – a reconstructed medieval fortress in lush grounds dotted with sculptures.
The kids love spotting ancient weapons and climbing the main tower with its views of the Gauja river.
Later, after venison stew with figs, £17.50, at quaint Kungu Riga (Kungurija.lv), we check out adventure park Tarzans.
Here, alongside the thrills of high-rope obstacle courses, tubing and bungee trampolining, there are activities such as a downhill hamster wheel, giant catapult and a toboggan track that hurtles us through the trees.
Packages cost £26 per child, £30 per adult (Tarzans.lv).
It all makes for a cracking afternoon – just as Latvia makes for a cracking summer adventure.