Leg 4: Kuressaare to Muhu

Distance: 43 mi/69 km
Climb: 591 ft/ 181 m


Ridewithgps course located here.

There are excellent bike routes around Kuressaare

More canola fields

The ride from Kuressaare to Muhu was very much like the previous day's ride.  The landscape continued to be populated by farms and the occasional church.  There are a few convenience stores to pick up water or something small to eat.  There was one difference, however, and it wasn't a good one.  I had experienced large horseflies riding in the Baltics in 2013.  There are huge, their bite hurts a lot and they are not particularly afraid of humans swatting at them.  We were lucky not to run into them previously in Estonia, but on this day, we ran out of luck.

We hit a flock of them east of Kuressaare and they flew in tight formation around each of us for many miles, looking for an opportunity to land a bite.  They are so big and persistent that we could see their shadows on the ground swarming around each of us.  Alas, the more we flailed and swatted, the more they maneuvered in tight formation.

We discovered, through exasperation, that the best tactic was to keep up our riding speed and ignore them to the best of our ability.  They rarely landed and bit.  In a few miles, they disappeared as fast as they had appeared.  Strange.

After escaping airborne death, we set our sights on Orissaare for lunch, a medium size town just before the bridge to Muhu Island.  We stopped at a local restaurant and found good food for reasonable prices.

Following lunch, we crossed the 3 km land bridge between the islands and proceeded down a series of dirt roads until we arrived at the Antsu Jaani Tourist Farm, our accommodation for the night.  We had done research before starting our trip and knew that the purported best restaurant in Estonia was on Muhu Island.  It is called Alexander Restaurant at Pädaste Manor.  We made reservations and went for dinner.  It was very nice and quite delicious.  Our luxurious meal juxtaposed sharply with our rustic lodging, but we decided that it was a nice way to stay balanced on our tour.

The land bridge between Saarema and Muhu Islands

Our tourist farm is owned by a retired lawyer from Tallinn and her professional singer husband.  They are gracious hosts and we enjoyed talking with them quite a bit.  They also had the world's sweetest dog.  All in all, Muhu is a remarkable place.

Dirt roads en route to our farm accommodation

The Alexander Restaurant at Pädaste Manor.  Excellent but pricey

The owners' dog at Antsu Jaani Farm