Skuodas District: 2 Routes for Families

Many of you will agree that in the spring, when the sun pampers us with its warmth, traveling is a pleasure. And with no more restrictions on movement between municipalities, we can safely travel around Lithuania.

Skuados district: 2 routes for families. Pack some snacks, jump in the car and go on an adventurous trip around the Skuodas area. Kristina, the mother of two girls, has tested the routes and shares her insights.

Route no. 1: I.Navidanskas botanical park, Apuolė mound, Skuodas city park

We decided to go on a traditional Sunday family trip and visit I. Navidanskas Botanical Park, Skuodas City Park and Apuolė hill on the still quite cold second weekend of April. The first planned object was Skuodas Park, but the children didn’t care about it at all, so the route had to be turned upside down. And this time the family excursion started from I. Navidanskas Botanical Park.

I. Navidansk Botanical Park

I will be honest, we are not visiting most of the places in the Skuodas district for the first time. I. Navidansk Botanical Park has also been on our previous routes, only that time when we arrived at the place, the initial view did not even tempt us to get out of the car. This time – it was necessary.

True, when driving from the Skuodas side, we did not see the indication that there is a botanical park in that place, so it is necessary to use navigation. We drove to a small parking lot on the edge of the park, and next to it – the building of a cafe that has probably been closed for years. Around the building, there are already covered outdoor tables, and if you walk a little further, you can find a wooden outdoor toilet. But let’s go to the park.

About the Park

The beginning of the park in early spring, when the trees are still leafless and the nature is not green, could really scare away travelers who think that the park is called botanical, it must surprise them. But a kind of beauty can be seen even at this time of year.

And here we are, further down, already in the depths, we came to the ponds, near which there are arranged areas, gazebos, barbecues and even a hot tub. It’s true, we have to mention that in order to cook barbecue or have a meal here, you will have to pay a set fee. The tracks are well maintained, so you can safely go even with children in strollers, but don’t expect a changing table or warm water. And although there are no children’s playgrounds here, our two girls enjoyed the park. We saw more than one squirrel (very close), picked flowers, had snacks at “rest” places, and there was certainly no shortage of territory to roam around.

More information with exact coordinates of this location can be found in the “Travelling with Children ®” attractions map.

Jeditai mound

After leaving the I. Navidanskas Botanical Park, we headed towards Skuodas again. That’s where we got a little lost from the route, seeing a sign on the road – Jedžiotas mound. And here we will give you a tip: if you are not a fan of mounds and such places, then do not get lost on the path because of the track. To get to the mound, you had to drive on asphalt, gravel road, field road and you can say by plowing the soil.

About the Mound

When we arrived at the place, we still had to think about whether we had already arrived, because there were only trees and plowed fields around. However, we soon found a post marking the site of the mound. This time, the children and the man stopped in the middle of the mound and decided to pick up some flashlights, and mom wouldn’t be mom if she didn’t survey the area. Approaching the edge of the mound, I found a steep slope, and as usual for mounds, more than half of it was surrounded by a wide river (we later found out that it was the Luoba river). True, we do not recommend going here with babies either, well, unless you are carrying them in your arms while walking on top of the hill.

Apuolė mound

Let’s travel further. This time we turned to the left not out of curiosity, but because there was a sign on the main road – Apuolė mound. In fact, we were already in the mound almost a year ago, so it was interesting to compare for ourselves how the children’s behavior would be different. The entire road to the Apuolė hill is paved, and upon arrival you will definitely find a place for your car.

There is a gazebo near the parking lot, which can accommodate a large company, and nearby, as usual, there is an outdoor toilet (admittedly adapted for the disabled). To get to the mound, first of all, you have to go down the stairs with about 100 steps, cross a small bridge and go up the steps again.

Top of the Apuolė Mound

At the top of the mound, the environment and path are arranged. And the track is not just for you, but adapted for families with babies and even the disabled (it is true that you will have to go around to get to the mound with a wheelchair, but the road is certainly not too long).

There were no playgrounds here either, but with so many steps, hills, tracks, bridges, there was certainly no shortage of space to unwind and exercise your legs. But don’t expect to find changing tables or baby-feeding rooms in this place either. If you plan to have lunch in this place, then hot water and food should also be yours.

However, what makes this place different from I. Navidanskas Botanical Park? A wealth of information. Unlike there, there is certainly no shortage of information stands and directions for movement.

More information with exact coordinates of this location can be found in the “Travelling with Children ®” attractions map.

Skuodas City Park

After visiting the Apuolė mound, we chose the last point of the day’s journey – Skuodas city park. There is certainly no shortage of pitches around this park. And the park itself really surprised with its organized environment.

You can go around the Skuodas City Park on the “Health Path”. While walking along this path, you will pass: various sculptures, a barefoot path, a monkey bridge, a playground, outdoor exercise areas. There is also a fountain in the park, but it is not working at the moment.

As usual for parks, there is no shortage of benches in this one as well. And of course, the park is really suitable for a family traveling with a baby. However, I would be very doubtful about the place to change the baby, well, unless you go to a catering establishment and there you might have that option (we traveled during strict restrictions, so we couldn’t really check it). And of course, next to the park, there is the pond of the city of Skuodas, which the locals call “the Sea of Skuodas”.

More information with exact coordinates of this location can be found in the “Travelling with Children ®” attractions map.

Route no. 2: Barstyčiai stone, Barstytaliai bog and observation tower, the National Vaclav Into Stone Museum

Another Sunday and we’re on the road again. This time, the route was planned as follows: Barstyčiai (Puokė) stone, Barstytaliai marsh and observation tower, the national Vaclav stone museum and the Šaukliai rockery. We didn’t know if we would really be able to overcome everything, so we didn’t put too much pressure on ourselves and calmly went on the excursion.

Barstyčiai (Puokė) stone

Soon we reached the first point of the route – the Barstyčiai (Puokė) stone. As in other places – we had already been here, so we knew what we could find. First of all, upon arrival, there was a small, but perfectly accommodating parking lot, with an information stand nearby.

About the Stone

The big stone and the entire area around it can be seen from the parking lot: a small pond, a gazebo, a path (it is true, there are small steps, but if you come with a baby, you can take the stroller on the meadow).

But you also won’t find mother-and-child rooms with changing tables or warm water in this place. To strengthen yourself here, you will need to have your own food and drinks in your bag again, which you can eat deliciously in the giant gazebo.

And although there is no playground nearby, your children, like ours, will be able to have a great time running around in a large, spacious area: on the slopes, in the meadow, and older children or even small ones, with the help of their parents, will be able to climb on the big stone. But save energy for other attractions.

More information with exact coordinates of this location can be found in the “Travelling with Children ®” attractions map.

Barstytaliai swamp and observation tower

The second object planned for this weekend is the Barstytaliai bog and observation tower. After arriving in Barstytaliai, we found impressive sculptures in the very center of the village, which really attract the attention of many travelers and make them get out of the car. We continue and before we even reach our destination, we see that we are going in the right direction, because everywhere you look, there are swamps. Upon arrival, there is an information stand near the parking lot (it’s true, we couldn’t find directions on how to reach the tower on the road, we had to use phone navigation).

Behind the stand is a very vaguely named track. We took a risk and took that “obscure” forest track. It’s good that we didn’t get distracted elsewhere, because it appears there was a path to the observation tower.

Specifics of the Tower

The tower is not high, but it is enough to see the Barstytaliai marsh, and at the top you can find information about what animals and birds live here.

Probably no one has any questions about playgrounds or places adapted for changing babies. You probably rarely find such places in nature. However, a baby carriage can easily pass through that “forest path”. Our girls probably liked the organized race in this place the most: “who will reach the observation tower first”, and information about the inhabitants of the swamp.

More information with exact coordinates of this location can be found in the “Travelling with children ®” attractions map.

National Vaclav Into Stone Museum

We get into the car and drive on. Another object on today’s route is the Republican Stone Museum of Vaclav Into. We were last in this place less than half a year ago. However, to our surprise, the children did not tell us: “we don’t want to”. On the contrary, like last time, this time too, both of them were curiously interested in the name plates near the stones and asked all kinds of questions.

The open-air museum is fully adapted for families with small children. The best proof of this is the voices of children and the abundance of families during our visit.

In this area, or rather on the outskirts, next to one of the many parking lots, the little ones can spend time on the playground. There may not be many benches, but in warmer weather you will find a place to sit on the stones.

Around the Stone Museum

The tracks, the observation bridge and the entire area are fully adapted for traveling with a baby. There are several catering establishments nearby, so you will definitely find warm water, changing tables and, of course, hot food.

There is really no shortage of information and links. It is in this facility that there is absolutely nothing missing. Children learn and see a lot of things (parents just need to have the patience to read everything written), and parents can have a great and meaningful day with their family. And what’s more – here you will definitely find places to take a nice profile picture.

However, we did not complete the selected route that day. We leave the last object for another time…

More information with exact coordinates of this location can be found in the “Travelling with Children ®” attractions map.

The Šaukliai Boulder

The day of the last object has dawned. True, different. This time we went on the trip without Dad. However, this very fact was not a minus, but a plus. Today was a real girls’ day. So after performing all the morning rituals, the three ladies of the family set off.

The last object on our list is Šaukliai rockery. The weather was not the best (although it was the last Sunday of April on the calendar). As we approached Šaukliai, we were “attacked” by a drizzle, but when we arrived at the place, it had already ended and when we got out of the car, the sun was warming us up a little.

Hiking Around the Boulder

It turns out that we started our route-hike along the Šaukliai Boulder Trail from the end (we found out about this at the end, after seeing 2 or 3 arrows. But anyway, there is no big difference from which side you start walking. The route is suitable for walking with small children. Well, at least for me and for my two girls (3 and 4 years old), this route was not difficult.

However, if you don’t think your kids will be able to cover the 2km distance and you want to bring a stroller, then I would suggest not to go. Although part of the path is wooden, the rest is a stony (as is typical for boulders) forest path.

There is an observation tower in the middle of the wooden path, but the stairs are very high and steep, so children may need help. There are maybe 4 benches along the entire path, so if you REALLY want to sit down and rest, don’t expect to do it anywhere…

Do not expect warm rooms and “comforts” when traveling with a baby in this place either. But there is plenty of fresh air and nature.

Next to the bouldering trail is the Šaukliai pond, and on the other side of the pond there is a recreation area where you can find an outdoor toilet, an outdoor stage, gazebos and space for children to run around (if they are not tired of walking the trail).

More information with exact coordinates of this location can be found in the “Travelling with Children ®” attractions map.

Our Summary

That’s it, with the Šaukliai rockery, our family travels in the Skuodas district have come to an end (at least this time). If we had to describe the entire route in general, this is: do not expect that all these objects can be visited in 1 day (we visit many places for the 2nd and 3rd time, but we still find something new).

Well, except to get out of the car, take a picture and drive on. However, if you want to experience and see everything in these places to the maximum, you will have to allocate at least 2 days for this.

Experiences for Children

If you or your children are not nature lovers and are more looking for entertainment, then we will say frankly – these places will not have that either.

There are no comfortable toilets or children’s rooms, and even in many places you won’t find a cafe to buy warm food. However, if you’re a real traveler, you’ve already gotten used to changing your baby in the car and putting various snacks in your travel bag.

And finally. Even without the amenities, we strongly recommend these places for families with children of all ages. Nature and natural, productive time with children, a minute of respite from the work of the week, are necessary and necessary for all of us.

This article is author’s work and was prepared by “Traveling with Children ®”. Copying and using without permission is strictly prohibited.

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