At the furthest eastern point in the EU, Finland’s district of Karelia borders the Russian steppes in an area of vast wilderness and outstanding natural beauty.There is little here apart from forests, lakes and a few small towns and villages. For company, the farmers have elk, wolf, and lynx; brown bear and beaver; and the rivers are filled with salmon, burbot and trout. The summers are long and hot - perfect for hiking, canoeing, cycling and camping, and the winters are a picture postcard scene of sparkling snow and the colourful and ever changing Aurora Borealis. In February, Adrian had the chance to experience the delights of this winter wonderland...
It’s only when you spend some time in Finland and, perhaps more importantly, some time with a Finn, that you come to appreciate the importance of the word “sauna”. To a Finn, it’s not just something you “do”, it’s a daily necessity, it’s the time to chat away the days worries; it’s relaxation, it’s energy, it is: life itself.Without “sauna”… well, that’s just not worth thinking about…
Being blissfully unaware of this, my trip to Finland meant that the days of cross-country skiing, snow-shoeing, dog-sledding and snow-mobiling, were followed by an exploration of all things “sauna”: Wood saunas, ice saunas, “smoke” saunas – the list goes on… Now, I’ve had a few saunas in my time, and they’re OK, but I’d never really worked out what all the fuss was about.After a sauna every night of that week, however, I am truly converted, and I was actually quite proud of my achievements in the heat and humidity stakes! What could be better than drinking cold beer in a beautifully crafted wooden sauna, with 4 ft of crisp white snow outside the door and the stunning Northern Lights overhead…?
For safety’s sake and as silly it may sound, I feel obliged to suggest one golden rule: Never take a sauna with a Finn!It was only on the last night, when I had to evacuate the sauna at break-neck speed as a wall of searing humidity hit me full on, did I realise that up until now our Finnish guide, Keijo, had merely been playing with us. What we had experienced so far was “saunas for beginners” (swimming trunks included), and Keijo was obviously a man at the top end of “advanced level”. As I escaped into the utter bliss of minus 15oC plus wind chill on my bare flesh, I could hear the roar of delight as he threw more water on the stones and the humidity soared even higher to yet another level…
At the other end of the temperature scale to a humid 74oC, is a very dry minus 40oC. Not an uncommon temperature in Finland in February. Fortunately, we’d arrived during a “warm” spell, so daily temperatures were hovering around the minus 10oC level.Personally, I find minus 10oC a little on the chilly side; but for a husky, it’s a little warm.Too warm in fact - certainly for pulling a wooden sledge and a 13 stone man (i.e. me!).The “warm” weather meant that my long anticipated dash through the forest with a team of dogs, was more of a gentle afternoon stroll with frequent pushes on my part to get them up the slightest of inclines. It was fun none the less – the shear excitement of the dogs before they set off is something to behold. Although, as I’m in the business of selling holidays, maybe I should gloss over their excessive flatulence!
Our accommodation for the week was in two different areas.The first four nights were at the remotefarmhouse of “Kiviniemi”. Here, a collection of huts, outhouses and the farmhouse itself were the perfect place from which to explore the surrounding hills and lakes by cross country skis and snow shoes.Our guide ‘Keijo’ could not have been a better host.He worked tirelessly to make our stay comfortable, memorable and informative. He was a wealth of information on everything Finnish – from their lands lost during the 2nd World War, to current farming techniques, the timber industry, animal behaviour and the finest Finnish delicacies (which he produced from the kitchen every night with incredible ease…)
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Our second base was the historic farmhouse of ‘Vuonislahti’ on the shores of vast Lake Pielinen. Our bags were transferred by road, while we took to the snow-mobiles and covered some 80km on frozen lakes and narrow forest tracks.This was definitely the highlight of the week (“Boys and their Toys” what can I say?).Our 350cc (170bhp) machines certainly could pack a punch, with speeds of up to 50 mph achieved on the wide open lakes. It was a very physical day, so the evening sauna was a welcome way to unwind.Cooling off in the frozen lake afterwards was optional of course, but I figured it had to be done…
The seven days seemed to go by all too quickly, but I felt I had been thoroughly immersed (quite literally!) into the Finnish winter experience.All that is left now is to go back and experience the delights of what’s on offer in summer: Another one on the list…