Tuesday, August 28, 2007
So you want to ride across Finland?
Tips for New Players:
1. Consider riding south to north. Sure, most of the cities are in the south, and it makes a more convenient end-point, however the prevailing winds are southerlies, and my ride would have been much more pleasant with these at my back, rather than in my face.
2. Watch your dates if you are riding towards the end of summer. Some accomodation only operates until a certain point of the summer holidays. We showed up in Muuruvesi and the place we had planned to stay at had closed the previous weekend. Fortunately, there was an alternative place to stay, but if there wasn't, it would have been at least another hour on the bike to the next town.
3. You can drink the water in the rivers and lakes with little to worry about. Well, I did and I didn't have any problems, anyway. Sometimes it is a little on the murky side, but generally the water in the larger lakes and certainly anywhere with much of a current is fine if you empty your water bottles before reaching somewhere to refill them.
4. Eat the berries. Blueberries, raspberries, lingon berries - just wander into the forest and grab a handful every now and again to give you a bit of a boost if you need it. It's tasty, healthy and free! (Be a little careful and stick to the ones that you recognise though, as there are a couple of poisonous options out there)
5. Pack light on clothes and take a clothesline and a bit of detergent. I took way too many clothes with me (beginner's mistake, I guess). Weather you are staying in hotels, little cabins or even outdoors (with the lakes and rivers around) you will have the chance to wash your clothes pretty often, and given the long hours of sunlight, they tend to dry pretty well too. The lighter your pack, the less weight you are dragging up those hills.
6. It seems that the east of Finland is hillier than the west. Having taken the train and bus up along the west side, and ridden down the east, I think I like the eastern scenery more - however it is a harder ride.
7. The people are amazingly helpful and friendly. Don't be afraid to ask for help, because you will get it in spades. A lot of people also speak a little bit of English, which is a great help as Finnish is a terrible language to learn.
8. Highly reccomended. If you are considering doing something stupid, like riding a bicycle across a contry, try Finland.
1. Consider riding south to north. Sure, most of the cities are in the south, and it makes a more convenient end-point, however the prevailing winds are southerlies, and my ride would have been much more pleasant with these at my back, rather than in my face.
2. Watch your dates if you are riding towards the end of summer. Some accomodation only operates until a certain point of the summer holidays. We showed up in Muuruvesi and the place we had planned to stay at had closed the previous weekend. Fortunately, there was an alternative place to stay, but if there wasn't, it would have been at least another hour on the bike to the next town.
3. You can drink the water in the rivers and lakes with little to worry about. Well, I did and I didn't have any problems, anyway. Sometimes it is a little on the murky side, but generally the water in the larger lakes and certainly anywhere with much of a current is fine if you empty your water bottles before reaching somewhere to refill them.
4. Eat the berries. Blueberries, raspberries, lingon berries - just wander into the forest and grab a handful every now and again to give you a bit of a boost if you need it. It's tasty, healthy and free! (Be a little careful and stick to the ones that you recognise though, as there are a couple of poisonous options out there)
5. Pack light on clothes and take a clothesline and a bit of detergent. I took way too many clothes with me (beginner's mistake, I guess). Weather you are staying in hotels, little cabins or even outdoors (with the lakes and rivers around) you will have the chance to wash your clothes pretty often, and given the long hours of sunlight, they tend to dry pretty well too. The lighter your pack, the less weight you are dragging up those hills.
6. It seems that the east of Finland is hillier than the west. Having taken the train and bus up along the west side, and ridden down the east, I think I like the eastern scenery more - however it is a harder ride.
7. The people are amazingly helpful and friendly. Don't be afraid to ask for help, because you will get it in spades. A lot of people also speak a little bit of English, which is a great help as Finnish is a terrible language to learn.
8. Highly reccomended. If you are considering doing something stupid, like riding a bicycle across a contry, try Finland.
# posted by Nils @ 6:53 PM 
Comments:
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Kiitos paljon!
I am a 4th-generation American Finn and I found your blog by googling 'Finnish helpfulness'.
I read the story of your bike trip and now I am inspired to take a similar voyage.
In 1997 and in 1999 I went to Finland and I had the same feeling of being at home there and I strongly relate to your appreciation of beauty in Finland.
It's truly a beautiful, charming land.
Tim Somero
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I am a 4th-generation American Finn and I found your blog by googling 'Finnish helpfulness'.
I read the story of your bike trip and now I am inspired to take a similar voyage.
In 1997 and in 1999 I went to Finland and I had the same feeling of being at home there and I strongly relate to your appreciation of beauty in Finland.
It's truly a beautiful, charming land.
Tim Somero
