In September, Pam from our Marketing team, headed to Finnish Lakeland on a self-drive holiday with her sister and brother-in-law. Looking for somewhere to kick-back and recharge, the trip was planned around three lakeside properties in this sprawling region to the east of Helsinki.
I love where I live in the UK. It’s surrounded by countryside and only 20 minutes from the south coast. But lots of other people seem to love it too. In a country of nearly 70 million, we have to get used to sharing. And that’s fine, most of the time. But sometimes the desire to get away from it all makes me crave space. Somewhere more tranquil. Somewhere like Finnish Lakeland.
Lakeland in Finland is vast. There are thousands upon thousands of lakes in what is the largest lake district in Europe. There are also a lot of trees but not a lot of people. You can’t help but connect with nature here. At around 4,400 sq. km, Lake Saimaa is the largest in the country and with all its tributaries dominates the area. As such, two of the properties we stayed at were beside Saimaa though in quite different settings. Another was beside smaller Lake Urajärvi. A mere minnow compared to Saimaa but no less spectacular and conveniently less than two hours from Helsinki airport. The driving was very easy. Granted, Finnish sign-posting and place names might have been in double Dutch, but with the help of Google Maps and very little traffic, navigating between resorts was straight-forward and mostly, wonderfully scenic.
All three resorts we stayed at – Radalla, Järvisydän and Sahanlahti – were perfect places to slow down and hit the reset button on life. This trip wasn’t about how much we could do – though there were plenty of activities available – or even where we could go. It was very much about being present in the moment. About practicing the art of being, not doing. I genuinely had only one thing to ‘tick off’ on this holiday and I achieved it within 40 minutes of arriving at our first property, Radalla Resort. Lake swim in the evening sun and floating sauna. Oh wow! Already exactly the holiday I’d envisaged, it was incredible how quickly the day’s travel weariness dissipated. This first swim/sauna combo was one of many simple but satisfying moments on the trip that I just wanted to bottle so I could lift the lid from time to time and find that joy all over again. All we had to do was repeat that feeling for the next seven days.
There are plenty of ways to spend your time in the lakes on foot, on wheels and on the water. Padel tennis pops up too. But refreshing lake dips and warming saunas formed the greater part of this holiday and were so easy to achieve. The resorts really are on the lake edge with jetties offering easy access to the water. All you need to do is to take the plunge. The sauna was never far away. Our accommodation either had a sauna or we were metres away from one. And once you’re done dipping and steaming, then you breathe deep and soak up the stunning views and look forward to a delicious dinner, locally sourced… naturally.
Other activities crept into our escape. An afternoon cruise into Linnansaari National Park with time to explore nature trails on a small uninhabited island. Sadly no sign of the Saimaa seal. Electric mountain biking on the hillside trails around Järvisydän. Walking meandering nature trails on the Puumala archipelago near Sahanlahti. A tour around Olavinlinna castle as we detoured to Savonlinna between resorts. An unexpectedly delightful afternoon tea at the Tea House of Wehmais. All were great fun, but when I reflect on this trip, I’ll always come back to the lake swims and saunas and that incredibly relaxed feeling that followed.
Why September? Quite simply, September is one of my favourite months to travel. It’s outside school holidays but summer is clinging on and most places are quietening down as the seasons transition. I often travel in September and it seemed the perfect time to visit Finland’s lakes for the first time. And so it proved. For the third year running, September temperatures in Finland were a record warm and the sun shone most days.
There’s no denying we were lucky with the weather, but rain wouldn’t have dampened our spirits. Not when our main motivation was to get wet anyway!
This road trip through Finnish Lakeland felt like finding the secret to life… a calm, healthy life. It wasn’t flash but it was special. Being surrounded by the simple natural beauty of lake and forest was good for the soul, dipping into the fresh water knowing that a warming sauna was steps away was good for the body, and the lovely, helpful locals who made everything so easy was good for the mind.
The positive sense of wellbeing from this trip was undeniable, but there were also physical benefits. My brother-in-law reported that his psoriasis had all but cleared up. My sister had the clearest sinuses in years. So much so, that a sauna is top of the wishlist for home improvements!
Kiitos and happy travels!
Feeling inspired?
If you’d like to start planning your own adventure, browse our collection of holidays to Finnish Lakeland or let our expert team tailor a trip just for you. Call our Travel Specialists on 01737 214 250, or you can send an enquiry to start discussing your options.