Sietiniezis Rock

Sietiniezis is a mass of white Devonian sandstone on the right bank of the Gauja, around fifteen metres high and running for several hundred metres, and it is the largest outcrop of the white variety in the country, quite different in appearance from the red cliffs upstream. Weathering has cut it into towers, alcoves, overhangs and small caves, with a labyrinth of shapes at the base, and a boardwalk loop of around a kilometre runs through and around the formations with steps up to a viewpoint over the river. The forest around is pine on sand. Carved names cover the accessible rock faces, some of them nineteenth century.

The landscape

• The white sandstone - the pale outcrop unlike the red cliffs nearby.
• Weathered forms - the towers, alcoves and small caves in the rock.
• The boardwalk loop - the kilometre circuit through the formations.
• Historic carvings - the names cut into the rock over two centuries.

When to go

April to October for the boardwalk; autumn colours the valley. Winter closes sections in ice. The site is quiet on weekdays and busier at weekends.

Good to know

The boardwalk is slippery when wet or frosty. The formations are modest in scale. Carved graffiti covers much of the accessible rock. Facilities are a car park and information board.

Nearby

Valmiera lies northeast; Cesis is upstream.

Key facts