Taivassalo

This morning we finally got to start the bike ride we had come so far to experience. After leaving our hotel in Turku we walked a short distance to the bike shop that was to supply the bikes for our ride. The next 30 mins were spent adjusting and sorting the gear before it was finally time to get underway. The bikes supplied were the typical European bikes with upright stance and easy riding characteristics. Although they were not made for speed, they are the type of bikes that most Europeans love to ride.

The region that we will be riding in Finland is called the Turku Archipelago (or as the Finns pronounce it – The Torrrku Archie Pelago). This is a beautiful region of thousands of islands, lakes and coastal inlets. The roads are quiet and the area is ideal for cycle touring.

According to our instructions we had about 42 km to ride before we encountered our first of many ferry crossings. Since there was only ferry each day for this crossing, it was absolutely imperative that we did not miss it. I had already heard from Paul (the leader of Group 1) that they only just made it to the terminal in time so we were careful to watch our progress.

Although we had been expecting a flattish ride we actually found that the ride was quite undulating with several quite steep climbs along the way. These would not normally have been too much of a challenge, however we also faced the extra challenge of a howling head wind that buffeted and fought us virtually every kilometre of the way. The temperature also plummeted to about 7 C reminding us that we are now even closer to the north pole even than we were in Helsinki. Even in the short summer the weather can be extremely variable this far north.

Fortunately the cold did not evolve into rain, even though the black clouds hovering overhead did make me feel rather nervous. As the day wore on the clouds slowly dispersed and we were presented with rather luke warm sunshine instead. One thing that did not change all day was the fierce wind. At one point I stopped to add another layer of clothes and had to take off my riding gloves in order to remove my rain jacket. The wind immediately grabbed both of the gloves and threatened to send them hurtling over the side of the bridge we had stopped on. I dropped my bike and ran after them, just managing to save them from disappearing over the edge. At the same time Ken was running after several important sheets of notes that were blown from his grasp.

In spite of the meteorological challenges we managed to reach the ferry terminal with almost two hours to spare so were able to sit down and enjoy a leisurely lunch before climbing onboard the waiting boat. Many of these ferry crossings are free but when you consider that this region of Finland had something like 30,000 islands it is the only way that people and goods can be carried between the scattered centres of population.

While we were waiting for the ferry we also talked to the owner of the small cafe and he told us that they are only open for a few months each year and then everything is stored away for the winter. Every one who can leave the area leaves, and only a few diehards stay behind to endure the arctic freeze that envelopes the region for half the year. He also explained that most Finns are actually looking forward to global warming as it will make their lives a little bit more endurable.

On the ferry we all crowded into a small passenger room and told jokes while we enjoyed the warmth. After about 45 mins we reached our destination and rode the remaining 12 km to our accommodation for the evening. This turned out to be a wonderful converted stone cow barn with walls at least 1 metre thick. The friendly proprietor supplied a delightful and delicious meal and soon after 12 tired cyclists staggered up to their rooms for an early night.Read more