Rowing in search for the origins of Pasvalys: rowboat tour on the river Mūša

Itinerary: Migoniai-Ąžuolpamūšė

Tour purpose: to explore archeological monuments of the prehistorical times of the country and to discover the origins of Pasvalys while touring along the river Mūša between the hill forts of Migoniai and Ąžuolpamūšė with stops at ancient tombs, burial sites and settlements on the left and right banks of Mūša.

Tour length 17 km

Duration - one day

Objects of the itinerary

Migoniai hill fort

Burial site and settlement in Ustukiai

Ancient settlement in Vytartai

Papyvesiai mound and ancient settlement
Graves in Vaidžiūnai

Ancient settlement in Vaidžiūnai

Pamiškiai mound

Ancient settlement in Pamiškiai

Ąžuolpamūšė hill fort

The starting point of the travel: Migoniai hill fort. We will reach it following the old Joniškėlis road from Pasvalys. The view of the scenic and filled with legends hill will open up before us at the village of Šimoniai on the right bank of Mūša, 6 km away from Pasvalys, where the stream of Pušynė falls into the river of Mūša. The tour opened, we climb aboard the rowboats ready for travel and embark down the river.

When reaching Antanas Smetona bridge in Ustukiai we moor the boats on the left bank. We walk the old road of the village of Ustukiai down to the graveyard where we get the view of the ancient burial ground and settlement site. We carry on rowing in the direction of the deserted manor of Vitartai located on the left bank of the river. We pass by the manor and by the mouth of the stream Maišiogala flowing into Mūša and another nameless quite small stream and we „drop anchor" at the spectacular high cliff as if moulded out of clay. We step ashore and make a short turn back until we reach a nameless creek and take the way up. That's where we get the sight over a small field of the size of 0,17 ha, the place of ancient settlement of Vitartai.

We meander down the river Mūša and row past the village of Parvalkai, sung by Petras Vileišis. We reach the deserted village of Vaidžiūnai and the nearby confluence with the river Lėvuo. We set our boats to the right bank. There's a steep cliff in front of us and the graves of the hanged on the top of it. The Papyvesiai mound and the ancient settlement is quite nearby - it is an outstanding monument from the Stone Age in Northern Lithuania.  We cross to the left bank of Mūša and we get off at theVaidžiūnai burial ground and the ancient Vaidžiūnai settlement. We board again and we row along the left bank until we reach the disappeared village Pamiškiai. We stop as soon as we see the river Pyvesa meeting with the river Mūša. We are at the very origins of Pasvalys. At first we see Pamiškiai mould. Two ancient settlements of Pamiškiai are quite nearby. They were found during the archeological expedition in 1990 organized by Lithuanian Institute of History. The beginnings of Pasvalys must be somewhere in the area of the villages Pamiškiai, Papyvesiai ir Vaidžiūnai. Our quick break ends and we are back at the oars. There's one more object to discover on the tour itinerary - it's Ąžuolpamūšė hill fort which emerges on the left Mūša riverbank next to the Rauboniai village.

We wish you a travel full of wonderful disoveries!