While Turku is certainly a beautiful city, venturing out into the countryside gives a much clearer view of the real Finland. In fact, 72% of the country is covered by forest compared to just 18.5% of Scotland (The UK average is an even poorer 11%). So we decided to head north to the Kurjenrahka National Park.
Our planned route was to enter the park from the roadside and cut through forest until we could find a path. Unknown to most of the group however, the Kurjenrahka park is primarily marshland. Those who had elected to wear trainers soon regretted it and boots couldn’t save the rest if they stepped in the wrong place and wound up ankle deep in water.
But there was no going back now, and our feet couldn’t get more wet anyway. We ventured on. After a while of hard going terrain, we finally reached salvation in the form of raised wooden paths over the bog. From there our pace picked up as we looked for a good spot for lunch. We found it on the banks of the lake, the stunning centrepiece of the park.
Lamenting not bringing our swimming gear, we set off to do a lap of the lake. Along the way we came across more photogenic spots, an eerie abandoned cabin and plenty of dogs to keep our spirits up.
We completed the loop and decided to head back the way we came, intending to stay on the path until we were clear of the park. However, this section of path was decrepit and in the process of being replaced and traversing the old, broken and slippery planks became a challenge in and of itself. Eventually, we reached the road and made our way back to the bus stop.
All in all, it was a great day out of the town. Roughly 8 hours of walking through Finnish wilderness before it gets too cold for shorts.
~ Iain ~
留言