A week in the woods
Thought I would dust off this old account here to share a few recommendations from the recent holibags, since a few people have asked about it. We did the Wild Taiga self-drive tour of Eastern Finland.
What we liked about Finland:
1. They are geared up for the outdoor types
Seemingly this is what you get for paying your taxes. Lots of national parks out there. They are geared for a combination of day trippers and several day hiking treks. There are clearly marked routes and they have judged lunch stops and end of days stops pretty well, with the placement of rest sites, cabins and lean tos. Population is that dense, so most trails we did were really quite, often only us. They also do canoe trails and rentals, recommended swimming areas and snowmobile/ski trails. Give you a clue, if a trail crosses a lake, it is for snowmobiles. Like all Scandanavian countries, the cycle lane is seperate from the road and ideal for roller skiing and nordic walking and other silly looking things. Oh and did I mention it was fairly flat.
2. They are seriously into environmental stuff
This took a bit of figuring out. If you take recycling to the supermarket you bought the goods in, you get a discount voucher for that days shopping. They use a lot of wood, because they can. Lots of triple glazed windows (with blinds inside, so you don't need to dust them) and good insulation - guess they need it. They have Everyman's Rights, which includes foraging in a sustainable fashion. Most places we stayed, the owners foraged for the food and cooked seasonally. Meant the menu could be limited and I had to face a few fishy meals, but they knew about maximum capacity to protect their environment and heritage to maintain a balance. They also tend to grow stuff in their gardens too (if the reindeer don't raid it).
3. Saunas
Prefer the traditional wood fired ones, even though they can take a few hours to heat up. They no longer recommend jumping in a lake afterwards due to risk of heart attacks. No doubt some do it. On a cold evening, after a day of walking it is nice to come out into the crisp silent air and watch the moon light on the lakes, before returning to a drink in front of the log fire.
4. The wildlife
The key places we recommend are:
Ollila Holdiay Cottages - each cabin is well apart and on the lake with a jetty and rowing boat for use. Basic, but one of our favourite places. Reindeer regularly raid the garden and there was a gather of black-throated divers on the lake (rather haunting in the evening). They organise moose hunting or bear/moose watching trips.
Arola Farm - The river cottage is awesome and on the river and is good for Eagles, but in Spring it is visited by bears. In and around the farm itself and they do specialist bear spotting trips too. We could have done with longer here, as it was I got squeaked at by a mouse.
Era-Eero - This is fairly basic place, but a bit like hobbit town. The roads to get to it are interesting, but the owner will pick you up from the local airport (he doesn't speak English, but usually someone there will translate). We spent the night in a rather posh wolverine hide. They feed them, so it is nearly always guaranteed. The dutch couple that went to the bear hide saw 8 bears, which in the midst of the shooting season is impressive. The bears hang around the main cabins in the Spring and play on the buildings. The owner was setting up the sauna and came round the corner to find a bear trying to get in. He told it that the sauna wasn't ready and the bear ran off. They feed red squirrels at the side of the main cabin, we had 4 squirrels fighting over the food. Not convinced for wildlife? The BBC was filming there earlier in the year for Lynx. It took a week and a half to get footage, but is considered one of the best places to see them. Also a chance to see wolves. The last two are very rare though.
That is the highlights of places to stay for wildlife, but it is a land of forests. We saw black grouse, goshawks, sparrow hawks, golden eagles, white tailed eagles, northern hawk owls, woodpeckers and loads of reindeers. We also saw evidence of beavers, but not the critters themselves.
5. The woods
I always joke that him indoors is an Ent and I'm an Entwife. I like forests. The trees are a bit narrow and weird. There is little variety. Many areas are heavily managed, but have clearer vision than UK forests (bad for grouse as there is less cover to hide from goshawks). The whole country is covered in blueberries. I mean covered! I have never seen so many funghi. Got a bit obsessed. The key animal that holds the woods together is the ant life. They local used to sell the anthills as a commodity for the rich fertile soil they produce. This is outlawed now in many areas.
6. The history
We were interested in the Winter War. What is it like having a big powerful neighbour, that likes to flex it's muscles, with little support coming from anywhere. Finland is unusual because it fought on both sides of the World Wars, purely trying to exist. What we saw, they celebrated the David against Goliath aspects and where the battles were won. They play down the politics, but even if they had to sign unwanted alliances, the small victories are probably worth the rememberance. The conditions must have been miserable, especially as temperatures got down to -30 degrees.
Few other points: The people were friendly and helpful, but they like their space and privacy so they space people apart where they can. You aren't always waited on hand and foot, you can be left to things, but don't be afraid to ask. It is a country driven by seasons, winter being popular for cross-country skiing and the dog sleds and snowmobiles. Spring/Summer is the time for herbs and animals. Autumn is quieter and hunting season, so slightly less chance of wildlife, but less mosquitoes and less tourists.
What we liked about Finland:
1. They are geared up for the outdoor types
Seemingly this is what you get for paying your taxes. Lots of national parks out there. They are geared for a combination of day trippers and several day hiking treks. There are clearly marked routes and they have judged lunch stops and end of days stops pretty well, with the placement of rest sites, cabins and lean tos. Population is that dense, so most trails we did were really quite, often only us. They also do canoe trails and rentals, recommended swimming areas and snowmobile/ski trails. Give you a clue, if a trail crosses a lake, it is for snowmobiles. Like all Scandanavian countries, the cycle lane is seperate from the road and ideal for roller skiing and nordic walking and other silly looking things. Oh and did I mention it was fairly flat.
2. They are seriously into environmental stuff
This took a bit of figuring out. If you take recycling to the supermarket you bought the goods in, you get a discount voucher for that days shopping. They use a lot of wood, because they can. Lots of triple glazed windows (with blinds inside, so you don't need to dust them) and good insulation - guess they need it. They have Everyman's Rights, which includes foraging in a sustainable fashion. Most places we stayed, the owners foraged for the food and cooked seasonally. Meant the menu could be limited and I had to face a few fishy meals, but they knew about maximum capacity to protect their environment and heritage to maintain a balance. They also tend to grow stuff in their gardens too (if the reindeer don't raid it).
3. Saunas
Prefer the traditional wood fired ones, even though they can take a few hours to heat up. They no longer recommend jumping in a lake afterwards due to risk of heart attacks. No doubt some do it. On a cold evening, after a day of walking it is nice to come out into the crisp silent air and watch the moon light on the lakes, before returning to a drink in front of the log fire.
4. The wildlife
The key places we recommend are:
Ollila Holdiay Cottages - each cabin is well apart and on the lake with a jetty and rowing boat for use. Basic, but one of our favourite places. Reindeer regularly raid the garden and there was a gather of black-throated divers on the lake (rather haunting in the evening). They organise moose hunting or bear/moose watching trips.
Arola Farm - The river cottage is awesome and on the river and is good for Eagles, but in Spring it is visited by bears. In and around the farm itself and they do specialist bear spotting trips too. We could have done with longer here, as it was I got squeaked at by a mouse.
Era-Eero - This is fairly basic place, but a bit like hobbit town. The roads to get to it are interesting, but the owner will pick you up from the local airport (he doesn't speak English, but usually someone there will translate). We spent the night in a rather posh wolverine hide. They feed them, so it is nearly always guaranteed. The dutch couple that went to the bear hide saw 8 bears, which in the midst of the shooting season is impressive. The bears hang around the main cabins in the Spring and play on the buildings. The owner was setting up the sauna and came round the corner to find a bear trying to get in. He told it that the sauna wasn't ready and the bear ran off. They feed red squirrels at the side of the main cabin, we had 4 squirrels fighting over the food. Not convinced for wildlife? The BBC was filming there earlier in the year for Lynx. It took a week and a half to get footage, but is considered one of the best places to see them. Also a chance to see wolves. The last two are very rare though.
That is the highlights of places to stay for wildlife, but it is a land of forests. We saw black grouse, goshawks, sparrow hawks, golden eagles, white tailed eagles, northern hawk owls, woodpeckers and loads of reindeers. We also saw evidence of beavers, but not the critters themselves.
5. The woods
I always joke that him indoors is an Ent and I'm an Entwife. I like forests. The trees are a bit narrow and weird. There is little variety. Many areas are heavily managed, but have clearer vision than UK forests (bad for grouse as there is less cover to hide from goshawks). The whole country is covered in blueberries. I mean covered! I have never seen so many funghi. Got a bit obsessed. The key animal that holds the woods together is the ant life. They local used to sell the anthills as a commodity for the rich fertile soil they produce. This is outlawed now in many areas.
6. The history
We were interested in the Winter War. What is it like having a big powerful neighbour, that likes to flex it's muscles, with little support coming from anywhere. Finland is unusual because it fought on both sides of the World Wars, purely trying to exist. What we saw, they celebrated the David against Goliath aspects and where the battles were won. They play down the politics, but even if they had to sign unwanted alliances, the small victories are probably worth the rememberance. The conditions must have been miserable, especially as temperatures got down to -30 degrees.
Few other points: The people were friendly and helpful, but they like their space and privacy so they space people apart where they can. You aren't always waited on hand and foot, you can be left to things, but don't be afraid to ask. It is a country driven by seasons, winter being popular for cross-country skiing and the dog sleds and snowmobiles. Spring/Summer is the time for herbs and animals. Autumn is quieter and hunting season, so slightly less chance of wildlife, but less mosquitoes and less tourists.