Erglu Cliffs

The Erglu cliffs, the eagles' cliffs, run for around seven hundred metres along the left bank of the Gauja downstream of Cesis, a wall of red Devonian sandstone up to twenty-two metres high with the river directly below and pine forest on the plateau above. A boardwalk with viewing platforms runs along the top and steps descend to the riverbank, where a sandy beach is used by canoeists coming down the Gauja, which is the usual way people arrive. The rock is soft enough that carving names into it has been a persistent problem, and sections have been fenced to stop it. Sand martins nest in the face.

What you actually see

• The cliff wall - the seven-hundred-metre sandstone face above the river.
• The boardwalk - the path and platforms along the top.
• The river beach - the sandy bank below used by canoeists.
• Sand martins - the birds nesting in the soft rock.

When to go

April to October for the boardwalk and the river; the canoe season on the Gauja runs from May to September. Autumn colours the valley. Winter closes some boardwalk sections in ice.

Honest expectations

The best view of the cliffs is from the water, not the top, which many visitors do not realise. Boardwalks are slippery when wet. Carved graffiti on the rock is extensive. Parking is a walk from the site.

Nearby

Cesis lies upstream; Sietiniezis is downstream.