The best place to look at the restricted area of the Vīķi swamp and the Lielauce lake which is in the middle of that swamp is the Lielauce castle, where a wooden pathway stars. The pathway will lead visitors across the swampy shores of Lake Lielauce and deliver them at a boating area on the open part of the lake. The swamp itself is to the South-east of the lake. The restricted area is there to protect biotopes and species in the area.

he wetland meadows that are around the Pededze River are the site of this 200 ha farm with some 350 red deer, other deer and wild boar. There are towers from which you can watch the graceful animals, and there are ponds for commercial fishing. Please contact the owner well in advance for a tour.

The nature reserve “Plieņciema kāpa” is founded in 1987 and covers 60.6 hectares of land. Since 2005 it is a Natura2000 site. The nature reserve protects a 150-200m wide and 3.5km long part of a distinct, continuous dune rampart. The dunes shelter Plieņciems village protecting from sea winds. The key natural values here are rare and protected biotopes of national and European significance: “Wooded dunes of the coast 2180” in the area of 61.8 ha, “Fixed dunes with herbaceous vegetation, 2130 (grey dunes)” in the area of 8.27 ha, “Shifting dunes along the shoreline with Ammophila arenaria (white dunes) 2120 in the area of 3.20 ha”, “Black alder swamp forests 9080”, ) in the area of 2,68 ha, as well as rare and protected species of Latvian and European significance including eastern pasqueflower (pulsatilla patens), Rolling Hen-and-chicks(Jovibarba sobolifera), Nothorhina muricata, Wryneck (Jynx torquilla), Woodlark (Lullula arborea).

In the nature reserve, there is a “Vabu square” – a deflation in the dune where for centuries local fishermen have been drying nets. In the 18^th and 19^th centuries ships were built here. Nine ships have been built here in 1882 - 1925. The four-masted gaff-rigged schooner with hoisting engine “Eurasia” was completed in 1925, the largest ship built by the Kurzeme fishermen. It was one of the works of Martin Morgenstern (1866-1945), a famous shipbuilding master.

Thanks to dunes, Plieņciems village was a popular holiday resort and has been mentioned in written sources already in 1738. Clergymen and landlords with their families used to stay here. In 1808, a merchant from Riga bought the local pub and replaced it with a massive two-storey building with a large ball-room and dining hall. On July 15, 1810, a sea bathing facility was opened for health treatment. For arrival of the empress Elisabeth Alexeievna, the wife of emperor Alexander I of Russia, who was a grandson of Catherine the Great, the road from Tukums town was repaired, the two highest hills were levelled, a road passage was dug across the Plieņciems dune, and a lime-tree alley was planted to facilitate access to the beach and bathing spot. Later, in 1920ies, the resort circles consisted mainly of the Kurzeme region landlords. There was a dance-floor in the park of Plieņciems village, and a special orchestra played music for resort guests three times a day.

This territory protects the shore of the onetime Baltic lake of ice, which most significant part stretches for 10 kilometres on the eastern side of the Grobiņa-Ventspils highway from Kapsēde till Vērgale bus stop. From the top of this ancient shoreline there is a lovely view of the Piejūra lowlands, but no specific viewing areas or information stands have been installed. There are protected species and habitats in the territory.