It was another early start to catch the train from Riga to Tallinn, a journey that was going to take about six and a half hours. I’d looked at flights to see if I could do it faster, but once I factored in getting to and from airports, waiting around, and the fact that the available flights were all in the afternoon, it didn’t make much sense.

So I booked the long train journey.

I hadn’t even considered buses.

Kert, the Estonian I’d met in Riga, told me he was taking the bus, which was a much more palatable four and a half hours. I did briefly look it up as an option, but decided to stick with what I’d already booked and use the train time to get some work done.

Fortunately, I had a seat the whole way, so it wasn’t all bad. And the countryside was very pretty.

I arrived in Tallinn around 2pm to rain, but it wasn’t heavy enough to stop me walking from the station to my hotel. By the time I’d checked in and headed out again, it had stopped completely.

Tallinn has a much more complete Old Town than the other Baltic capitals I’d visited, with a good stretch of surviving city walls. Cobbled streets, interesting buildings, a Gothic town hall, monuments, cathedrals, viewpoints… I loved it. It was my favourite of the three, possibly because it felt so compact and intact.

I did a good zigzag through the town, absolutely looking like a tourist as I gawped at everything. Getting up onto the old city wall was strangely enjoyable; so was seeing a group of three young Australian gay guys at the end having their own photo shoot.

I grabbed some lunch in a food court – ramen, but not as good as Vilnius – then headed back to the hotel for the gym and a nap.

Connor, the Irish guy I’d met in Riga, had altered his plans slightly so he could spend a night in Tallinn, so we caught up later for some food and a drink before heading to a gay bar called Hello! for a little while. It was quiet, but the music was good. I didn’t stay long, though, because I was keen to get an early start the next day.

I’d booked a hire car so I could drive out to Lahemaa National Park and explore a bit. There was absolutely more I could have done with a deeper dive into Tallinn, but I was craving greenery.

The skies were grey, although the rain mostly stayed away, and the dim light made the forests and bogs feel even moodier.

My first stop was a hike through Viru Bog with about half of it along a wooden boardwalk. The hike itself wasn’t difficult, but it was a very cool place to see. The pine forest was picturesque, the bogs were something different, and what I loved most were the bog pools.

Including one you could swim in.

I had specifically set myself a reminder to bring bathers and a towel.

I did not bring bathers and a towel.

So when I got there, I was faced with a choice: don’t go in, or go in and potentially be wet for the rest of the day.

It took me a minute to decide.

Of course I went in.

I had a brief window where no one else was around, stripped down to my underwear and took the plunge. The air temperature was about 13°C, and the water felt appropriately freezing.

The pool was huge and would have been an amazing place to swim in warmer weather. As it was, I stayed in just long enough to paddle around, settle into the cold for a moment, and then get out.

The water seemed impossibly deep. It was pitch black and I couldn’t see the bottom.

Even better, I couldn’t touch it.

Who knows what’s down there?

I climbed out, dried myself with my jacket as best I could, and set off to finish the rest of the hike through the bog and then more forest. By the end of it I’d managed to dry out, so all was well.

There were also mushrooms everywhere. Absolutely everywhere.

I didn’t eat any of them, although surely some were edible.

I guess everything’s edible once.

From the bog, I drove to the coast to Restoran ja Hotell Wirkes’, where I stopped for lunch. It wasn’t cheap, but I had a lovely view across the Baltic Sea and the food was excellent.

The bread was delicious. The butter was also delicious. The salmon cured with gin and beetroot was even more delicious.

Then I had Baltic mackerel for my main and apple cake with ice cream for dessert.

Yum yum yum.

After lunch, I did another short trail that was supposed to show evidence of beavers. I did see one partially gnawed tree, but no dams.

Definitely no beavers.

Then it was off to another trail for about 90 minutes. This one was less exciting, and the boardwalks were so slick with slime, leaves and mud that getting out alive became the main focus.

Plus mosquitoes.

Apparently the forest was also full of moose, but again, I didn’t see any, because they don’t exist.

There are also bears roaming around the area, but none crossed my path either.

After a very decent amount of hiking, I started heading back around 3:30pm, stopping at Jägala Waterfall on the way before returning the car in Tallinn.

I was so glad I’d made the effort to get out of the city for the day. The whole thing had been magical.

And swimming in a bog pool?

Never thought I’d get to do that.