Turna: Lakes, Camino Stage and Regional Culture
Turna combines a distinctive lake landscape with a rural Camino stage and regional events. For planning your trip, both the waters of the Turna lake group and the specific route sections and seasonal notes are therefore relevant.
The Turna lake group is located in northern Latvia in the municipalities of Ä’rÄ£emes pagasts and KÄrÄ·u pagasts, in the municipality of Valkas novads. The largest lake in the group is known as Valdis and Valžezers. It covers an area of 24.8 hectares and lies southwest of Turna. The group also includes Kukris, which covers an area of 21.9 hectares.
Valdis is described as a public subglacial through-flow lake. This designation describes its geological classification and water flow, not the facilities available on site. The Turna–StrenÄi Camino stage also passes the RÅ«Ä·u Lake, which lies to the left of the road.
What kind of landscape will you experience along the route?
The Turna–StrenÄi Camino stage runs mostly along rural paths and passes through the Ziemeļvidzeme Biosphere Reserve. It crosses the Seda River and thus touches on various landscape elements between lakes, a marsh zone and the river course. Gathering places for birds can be observed in the marsh zone of the biosphere reserve. This makes the route particularly interesting for travellers seeking a nature-focused route with specific points of orientation rather than a purely local sightseeing tour.
A practical point of orientation is located at Lake Valdis: About 500 metres after the start of the route at the community centre, there is a bathing area on the shore established by the Latvian State Forests, with a changing room and a table. On 2 June 2026, bathing-water samples were taken and tested there, at Lake Valdis, one of the most frequently visited bathing areas in the municipality of Valkas novads.
What information applies to the Camino stage?
During the 2026 season, walking the paths through the Seda Bog may be difficult and potentially somewhat dangerous because of road construction work. Some markers may also be missing during this work. This restriction affects the specific Turna–StrenÄi stage and should be taken into account when planning your own route.
The described route begins at the community centre and heads towards the sports field. The combination of rural paths, the crossing of the Seda and the section through the biosphere reserve makes the stage varied in terms of content, without implying any specific walking time or level of difficulty.
What events and cultural connections are there?
“Lieldienas Ä’rÄ£emes pagastĆtakes place every year on Easter Monday in the municipality of Ä’rÄ£emes pagasts. This makes it a recurring regional event within Turna’s cultural surroundings. Another connection between the places is provided by the “Lieldienu zaÄ·a skrÄ“jiens†run: the route is six kilometres long and leads from Ä’rÄ£eme to Turna.
The “Caka†handicrafts group is also part of the documented cultural surroundings. It has existed since 2009, preserves traditional skills, passes them on to the next generation and encourages others to discover the world of handicrafts.
For further orientation, you can also visit Valka, Ērģeme, Zaķi and Omuļi.
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What is the area of Lake Kukris?
An area of 21.9 hectares is given for Kukris. The lake belongs to the Turna lake group.
How long is the “Lieldienu zaķa skrējiens†run?
The route is six kilometres long and leads from Ērģeme to Turna.
Since when has the “Caka†handicrafts group existed?
The group has existed since 2009. It preserves traditional skills, passes them on to the next generation and encourages people to discover the world of handicrafts.
For the higher-level travel overview: Valkas Novads.
