Still in Rõuge, we went on a little excursion to Luhasoo bog.

Estonia has a lot of bogs – about one fifth of the area is covered in marshes and bogs. (Here’s a bit more about Estonian nature for the non-Estonians among you.) Many of them have plank paths for hiking, and some have raised viewing platforms.

Luhasoo has a hiking trail of about 5 km with a very nice plank path through the bog, to and around the lake in the middle of the bog. Many of the planks had started rotting – not so much that there was any danger of ending up in the bog water, but they were springy enough to notice when walking. Which I actually rather liked.

At intervals along the trail there were educational boards with information about the ecology, plant life etc of the bog – really well made and interesting. I learned that bog water is so acidic that it harbours no bacteria and is therefore very safe to drink, and for the same reason peat moss can be used to cover wounds. I also learned that the correct English name for the wild berries that in Swedish are called “blueberry” is not actually blueberry but bilberry.