Our first motorcycle event in Latvia turned out to be a fantastic experience. Adventure riding, challenges, campfires, great conversations and a Quest where lunch somehow became more important than winning. Sounds about right!
Two Different Ways to Get to Latvia
September brought us to a new country and a new motorcycle event: OUTDURO Scout 2026, held near Lake Vaskaris in Latvia.
Getting there was already a little adventure of its own. Joris took the sensible “by land” approach: leaving a few days earlier with a car and our bikes hooked on a trailer, enjoying a relaxed ride (well, except the potholes and wild truck drivers) and meeting fellow bikers along the way.
Agata, meanwhile, had to improvise. With no days off available, she flew to Riga on a budget airline, carrying just a laptop bag. Motorbike gear and the rest of stuff travelled with Joris, who collected her from the airport.
Not exactly our usual way of travelling, but it worked!
OUTDURO Scout – These Guys Know How to Organise an Event!
We’ve attended quite a few motorcycle gatherings over the years, but honestly, I don’t think we’ve ever been to one that was so well prepared!
The organisation was fantastic. You could really see how much thought and effort had gone into putting everything together. From the activities and workshops to the overall setup and atmosphere, everything felt carefully planned.
And the people? Absolutely brilliant!
OUTDURO Scout had exactly the kind of atmosphere we love: relaxed, friendly, welcoming and full of people who share a passion for adventure riding. Plenty of opportunities to meet new faces, exchange stories and simply enjoy being there.
The programme offered something for everyone: the more challenging Pathfinder competition, a relaxed exploration-focused Quest, group rides, technical workshops, travel presentations, live music, campfires, good food and even a Latvian sauna experience.
Unfortunately, Agata still had to work during the first two days, which meant missing the riding activities while everyone else was out having fun. But hey, working remotely from a motorcycle festival in a Latvian forest isn’t the worst office arrangement either. 😉
And at least the afternoons and evenings were there to enjoy!
Travelling as a Couple – The Unfiltered Version
We’d also been invited to give a presentation about travelling as a couple.
Now, after years of riding together, broken motorcycles, ambitious plans, failed plans, frustrations, disagreements and some absolutely fantastic adventures, we had plenty of stories to share.
And we decided to be honest about all of it.
Not just the beautiful landscapes, exciting routes and wonderful memories, but also the less glamorous reality of travelling together. The arguments, different expectations, different riding abilities and those moments when you start wondering whether travelling the world together was such a brilliant idea after all. 😂
Same trip. Two stories.
The presentation went really well, and what made us particularly happy was the response. People appreciated the honesty and the fact that we weren’t trying to paint some perfect picture of life on the road.
Several people came to talk to us afterwards, and those conversations continued over the following days.
That’s one of the things we love about these gatherings. Sometimes the most interesting part of sharing your story is hearing what others have to say in return.
The Quest – Or How Lunch Became Our Main Priority
By Saturday, Agata was finally free from work and ready for some proper riding!
We teamed up with Marc (Marc Travels) and Alexey (APEX Rally Works) to take part in the OUTDURO Quest.
Unlike the more demanding Pathfinder competition, the Quest was focused on exploration, discovering interesting places and completing various tasks along the way. And we actually did pretty well! We managed to complete a good portion of the challenges and had a fantastic time riding around the area together. But somewhere along the way, we discovered that all four of us shared a very similar approach to the whole thing:
Winning is nice. A good lunch is better. 😁
So lunch took priority. No rushing through the meal just to collect another point. No stressing over the remaining tasks. Just four bikers enjoying good food, good company and a day out on the motorcycles.
And frankly, that’s exactly how we like it. We might not have completed every challenge, but we definitely got what we wanted out of the day. Sometimes the best part of an adventure isn’t reaching the finish line first. It’s the people you share it with and the moments you allow yourself to enjoy along the way.
Latvia, You Made a Great First Impression!
Our first visit to Latvia couldn’t have been much better. A fantastic event, excellent organisation, wonderful people, great riding and plenty of good memories to take home.
A huge thank you to Rihards and the whole OUTDURO Scout team for inviting us, for putting together such a well-organised event and for making everyone feel welcome.
And thanks to everyone who joined our presentation, came over for a chat, shared a story or simply spent some time with us.
Would we go again? Absolutely! Hopefully next time without having to squeeze a full working day between the campfire and the next adventure.
A Little Bit of Everything – Our Video Recap
With so many things happening throughout the festival, there was simply no way to experience or capture everything. Especially with work taking up a good part of the first two days.
So the video below isn’t meant to be a complete report of OUTDURO Scout 2026.
It’s our view of the event: some riding, a bit of the Quest, moments around the campsite, motorcycles, people and the atmosphere that made the weekend so enjoyable. Hopefully, it gives you a little taste of what OUTDURO Scout is all about.
Want to See More of OUTDURO Scout 2026?
As we mentioned, our video only captures a small part of everything that happened during the festival. With so many activities, rides and things going on at the same time, it was simply impossible to be everywhere!
Luckily, the organisers have put together their own official event video and a photo gallery, giving you a much broader look at the adventures, people and atmosphere of OUTDURO Scout 2026. So, if our little recap left you wanting more, make sure to check them out!
📸 Explore the Official Photo Gallery (Photography by Billijs Locs): https://outduro.com/gallery/outduro-scout-2026/
🎬 Watch the Official OUTDURO Scout 2026 Video (video by Arvīds Barānovs):
And who knows? Maybe we’ll see you there next year!