Naantali

Nauvo to Naantali, Finland

Every once in a while every cyclist experiences a wonderful day's riding that just encapsulates every reason that they love cycling so much. For me, today was one of those days. When you combine fine weather and a glorious assortment of quiet back roads, some busy roads, just the right amount of hills to get the blood pumping, spectacular scenery and a great group of friends to share the ride with, what more could anyone wish for ?

The day started quite early and we were underway by 7.45 am in order to catch our first ferry for the day. If we missed this one we would have had a 4 hour wait for the next one, so no one wanted to be the one who keopt the group waiting. Fortunately we made the ferry in good time and were able to enjoy a 45 min journey gazing out at the amazing parade of islands gliding past the windows.

As we left the ferry we started with a serious climb up from the water and this soon had everyone puffing vigorously. The road then undulated for quite a few kilometres and we pedalled happily just savouring the moment. This was the reason we had come so far to this country and today we were rewarded in spades.

By 11am we were starting to get hungry and discovered a lovely "bakery" in a small town. As we were enjoying our hot chocolates and cakes the young waitress told us that an identical group of riders had been there the previous day (apparently all Australian riders look identical to them). This was yet more evidence that we were following the wheel tracks of Group 1.

From time to time the clouds parted and we found ourselves riding in cool sunshine. Since today is the day before the summer solstice, the hours of daylight are just about at their maximum.

On the outskirts of Naantali we rode through a huge modern golf course and stopped at the imposing club house for a delightful meal before continuing on our way to the township itself. Naantali is a resort town noted for its spas and health resort but we were prepared for just how huge the complex was. This is easily the most people we have seen since leaving Helsinki and I suspect that some are here to celebrate the solstice.

The size of the complex must have distracted me enough to leave my back pack (containing passport, money, glasses, camera, etc) right in the centre of the entrance hall. When I realised what I had done I had about 60 seconds of pure panic but fortunately it was still there.

Tomorrow is our final day of cycling in Finland. We will then have a free day in Turku before flying to Stockholm to begin our Swedish ride.Read more