Rivers

The Vecročupe river flows out of the artificial Vaide pond.  It was created by blocking the Vaide and the Kukšupe rivers.  This happened during the Soviet occupation, when forestry people decided to establish a fishing pond and an area for recreations.  A wooden pergola has been installed at the pond, and there is an information stand, as well.  On the northern shore of the pond is the Vaide cemetery, which dates back to 1928 and has interesting wooden crosses.

This is a territory that is unique at the Latvian and the Baltic level, one which stretches from Valmiera to the Gulbene District. Here we find the irregular Gauja River valley with a dense system of ancient rivers. The meadows on the banks of these rivers are important in terms of biological diversity. There are stands of oak and broad-leaf trees. Many rare and protected birds live and next here – the corn-crake, the woodpecker, etc. The territory is excellent for bird watching, nature studies, ecological tourism and various kinds of active tourism.

The River Ķīšupe (length – 31 km) begins its journey in the marshlands of Lēdurga Parish. As the river reaches the seashore, its bed and the location of its mouth often changes. One of the tributaries of the Ķīšupe carries a rather interesting name – Pupaļurga. The name of the River Ķīšupe probably comes from the name of a man and his house. In the 17th century a man named Ķīsis (in English: ruffe) used to live by the river. 

The Brasla River flows through a lovely valley that is approximately 300 m wide and up to 30 m deep. It is near the Inčukalns-Valka highway. The river has among the most beautiful rapids in the country, with mighty cliffs (the Brasla cliffs) that can be seen at nearly every curve in the river (except along the lowest reaches of the river). During the winter, various unusual frozen waterfalls can be seen in some of the cliffs, including the Krauļukalns cliff and the Jāņavārti cliff. On the left bank of the Brasla, opposite the Brasla fish farm, there are the Aņīte cliffs -- a series of sandstone cliffs that are 1 km long. The cliffs are between 2 and 35 m in height, and the sandstone cliffs are separated by ravines. On the right bank of the Brasla, there are major cliffs such as the Vāršavu cliff, the Kraukļukalns cliff, the Jāņavārti cliff, the Slūnu cliff, the Virtaka cliff and the Buļi cliff. How can you best learn about them? Boat down the river from the aforementioned highway or even from Straupe, which is further upstream. An alternative is hiking down the right bank of the river, though please take into account that the terrain is fairly extreme, and you are going to have to think about what to do when you arrive at the place where the Brasla River flows into the Gauja.

Der Fluss ist klein, aber hat ein großes Tal, das von der Straße Vecumnieki – Ilūkste durchquert wird. Der Name des Flusses Vilkupe ist mit dem ehrgeizigen Plan des kurländischen Herzogs Jacob verbunden, die Flüsse der Flussbecken von Daugava und Lielupe zu verbinden. Die Arbeiten an dem Verbindungskanal wurden angefangen, aber das Projekt wurde nicht realisiert. Der Fluss Vilkupe war in diesem Projekt als ein Teil des Verbindungskanals vorgesehen. In Bezug auf diese Tatsache ist es wert, über die Größe der Ideen und Innovationen eines kreativen mittelalterlichen Menschen nachzudenken. Ungefähr 4 km von der Ortschaft Vilkupe ist ein Fragment des Kanals markiert und zu besichtigen.