Hi all,
My mother and I are planning to cycle across Finland (north to south) this summer. We both live in Australia, and prior to the ride will spend a week or so preparing in Lovisa.
I have checked out the http://www.visitfinland.com site and would be really grateful for any further information or tips that anyone could provide.
For example - we are planning on purchasing second-hand road bikes once we get over there, is that likely to be a challenge?
Also, we figured that we would just get as far north as possible by train, with the bikes as luggage (and probably ride any extra distance required so that we can 'start at the very top') - if there is a better way of doing this, I would love to hear it.
Anything else to do with maps, camping/accommodation that you think would be of help probably will be.
Huge thanks in advance,
Nils
Cycling Across Finland
..have a read of the Lonely Planet...and I reckon take their advice...
Finland is flat
Finland has forests and meadows, lakes and rivers (ad infinitum)
Finland has straight roads
Finland....is not a great place to cycle...take small parts...like Åland islands...they're cool...but not the whole country! The scenery just doesn't change much....
You'll get bored after the first 300km....but you'll still have 1000km to go!
Finland is flat
Finland has forests and meadows, lakes and rivers (ad infinitum)
Finland has straight roads
Finland....is not a great place to cycle...take small parts...like Åland islands...they're cool...but not the whole country! The scenery just doesn't change much....
You'll get bored after the first 300km....but you'll still have 1000km to go!
You should check out flights because I imagine that a cheap flight would be the same price as a rail ticket. And it might take you further north. Do you want to cycle from Nordkapp? That is in Norway, Finland does not have an Arctic coastline (but I guess you know that already).
Which month exactly are you planning the trip? How long do you have?
Mosquitoes will be an issue in July.
As for maps.... aren't there GPS thingies you can clip to your handlebars? Or get a mobile phone with GPS and navigation SW. Much easier than maps.
Which month exactly are you planning the trip? How long do you have?
Mosquitoes will be an issue in July.
As for maps.... aren't there GPS thingies you can clip to your handlebars? Or get a mobile phone with GPS and navigation SW. Much easier than maps.
I would try to get the bikes beforehand. First it will probably be cheaper, and second you can prepare them and make sure they're in top shape, plus stock up on spare parts etc. Plus if there's less time pressure when you're hunting for the bikes, you have a chance to be picky. Also you'll have the language to contend with when searching the small ads (if that's an issue).
You don't want to have to spend too much time during the actual trip buying parts or fixing things when they go wrong.
You don't want to have to spend too much time during the actual trip buying parts or fixing things when they go wrong.
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littlefrank
- Posts: 3584
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Well my ex and I hitched hiked from Helsinki to Kilpisjärvi and back again a few years ago, we did it slowly, and camped along the way. I wouldn't say the scenery was boring, it's relaxing and maybe people should get out of their cars occasionally.
http://virtual.finland.fi/netcomm/news/ ... SAID=25160
http://virtual.finland.fi/netcomm/news/ ... SAID=25160
"Computers in the future may weigh no more than 1.5 tons."
- Popular Mechanics, 1949
- Popular Mechanics, 1949
Sounds like fun, would be far from boring imo...
July or August would be the best time to go simply for the fact that berries will be ripe by then. This for me is one of the best apsects of summer in Finland, wild berries!
Buying the bikes and finding the right sizes etc. might be a hassle though, doing long distances would be a pain on a bike that didn't fit properly. However there are always plenty of secondhand bikes floating around, especially here seeing as people like to update quite regularly.
Getting in touch with a shop such as Velosport might be a good idea, you can reach them via their website:
http://www.velosport.fi/index.php?main_ ... anguage=en
Best of luck!
July or August would be the best time to go simply for the fact that berries will be ripe by then. This for me is one of the best apsects of summer in Finland, wild berries!
Buying the bikes and finding the right sizes etc. might be a hassle though, doing long distances would be a pain on a bike that didn't fit properly. However there are always plenty of secondhand bikes floating around, especially here seeing as people like to update quite regularly.
Getting in touch with a shop such as Velosport might be a good idea, you can reach them via their website:
http://www.velosport.fi/index.php?main_ ... anguage=en
Best of luck!
Howdy!
I for my part have been riding through Oz in 2000, from Darwin through the Red Centre to Melbourne
see the website about our journey here (Not made by me, but by my travel mate)
If it is ok to buy the bikes here depends on your knowledge about bicycles. You need to know what you are about to buy. You need to be able to estimate the quality and the shape of the bike yourselves in order to avoid nasty surprises on the road. Personally, I take my own bike wherever I go to cycle!
One more thing that plays a role when choosing the bike is how you plan to transport the luggage along. If you buy a second hand bike, you might need a second rack and so you lose time on finding a good rack that fits the bike. And I also recommend that you buy the bike bags at home at a store you trust. And make sure the bags will fit the bike. If you plan to buy your transporting equipment (ar a part of it) in Finland, then you really risk that either you end up using products of bad quality or the different pieces of your equipment do not fit together well.
It has been said that Finland is flat. Personally, I (as a bike enthusiast) do not find Finland flat. Sure, there are no mountains, but you have hills after hills. Some parts in the west or south are truely flat, but in the most part of the country you will ride uphill for 100 meters and then downhill 100m and the same all over again. This is not particularly bad, but just to make sure you will not be disappointed about the flatness of Finland. (And I am a native Swiss, and even I consider Finland as not flat)
When your plan is to start as much in the north as possible, you can get further north by bus. It's not as convenient as the train. The national bus company is Matkahuolto.
You can buy a map here. On my bike tours in Finland I use a normal road map from GT, probably the most common and trusted known brand in Finland. If you want to go out in the bush, a detailed map with terrain information might be more suitable. But if you plan to stick on "normal" roads (paved or unpaved), then a GT roadmap is good enough and they are available almost everywhere.
The best form of accomodation depeneds mostly on what you prefer. I use to pull off the street, walk into the forest and put up a tent. We did the same in Australia (omitting the part of "walk into the forest" during most time of our journey). If you prefer hostels, here is one link to start with: *click*
Plan to always have food with you for a couple of days. Generally, you can buy food at many places or gas stations, but when you manage to do your shoppings in the larger places with large markets (as Citymarket or Prisma) you will spend MUCH less money there. (Finland is not known for being a particular cheap place, you know...) I can not say how the density of stores in the far north is as I have not been cycling up there (yet), but you will not be so far off from civilisation as I was in the Australian Outback.
Alcohol stoves are common in Finland, so if you intend to use one, you will find fuel for it at many places. Personally I use a fuel stove, the Whisperlite International. It's the only real thing!
Concerning the route, it's up to you what you want to see. Generally I would say the more you ride in the east, the more beautiful the landscape will be. Many hills and lakes. Along the west coast it's much less spectacular. When you will be approaching the south, traffic density will increase and you might want to choose secondary roads. Um, and no, in Finland it's not allowed to cycle on Freeways.
Hooroo,
donald
I for my part have been riding through Oz in 2000, from Darwin through the Red Centre to Melbourne
see the website about our journey here (Not made by me, but by my travel mate)If it is ok to buy the bikes here depends on your knowledge about bicycles. You need to know what you are about to buy. You need to be able to estimate the quality and the shape of the bike yourselves in order to avoid nasty surprises on the road. Personally, I take my own bike wherever I go to cycle!
One more thing that plays a role when choosing the bike is how you plan to transport the luggage along. If you buy a second hand bike, you might need a second rack and so you lose time on finding a good rack that fits the bike. And I also recommend that you buy the bike bags at home at a store you trust. And make sure the bags will fit the bike. If you plan to buy your transporting equipment (ar a part of it) in Finland, then you really risk that either you end up using products of bad quality or the different pieces of your equipment do not fit together well.
It has been said that Finland is flat. Personally, I (as a bike enthusiast) do not find Finland flat. Sure, there are no mountains, but you have hills after hills. Some parts in the west or south are truely flat, but in the most part of the country you will ride uphill for 100 meters and then downhill 100m and the same all over again. This is not particularly bad, but just to make sure you will not be disappointed about the flatness of Finland. (And I am a native Swiss, and even I consider Finland as not flat)
When your plan is to start as much in the north as possible, you can get further north by bus. It's not as convenient as the train. The national bus company is Matkahuolto.
You can buy a map here. On my bike tours in Finland I use a normal road map from GT, probably the most common and trusted known brand in Finland. If you want to go out in the bush, a detailed map with terrain information might be more suitable. But if you plan to stick on "normal" roads (paved or unpaved), then a GT roadmap is good enough and they are available almost everywhere.
The best form of accomodation depeneds mostly on what you prefer. I use to pull off the street, walk into the forest and put up a tent. We did the same in Australia (omitting the part of "walk into the forest" during most time of our journey). If you prefer hostels, here is one link to start with: *click*
Plan to always have food with you for a couple of days. Generally, you can buy food at many places or gas stations, but when you manage to do your shoppings in the larger places with large markets (as Citymarket or Prisma) you will spend MUCH less money there. (Finland is not known for being a particular cheap place, you know...) I can not say how the density of stores in the far north is as I have not been cycling up there (yet), but you will not be so far off from civilisation as I was in the Australian Outback.
Alcohol stoves are common in Finland, so if you intend to use one, you will find fuel for it at many places. Personally I use a fuel stove, the Whisperlite International. It's the only real thing!
Concerning the route, it's up to you what you want to see. Generally I would say the more you ride in the east, the more beautiful the landscape will be. Many hills and lakes. Along the west coast it's much less spectacular. When you will be approaching the south, traffic density will increase and you might want to choose secondary roads. Um, and no, in Finland it's not allowed to cycle on Freeways.
Hooroo,
donald
And use smaller roads where scenery is way more varied than big roads that go just through forest and granite is blown away so that nobody has to go uphill/downhill.maybe people should get out of their cars occasionally.
I don´t see how Sweden would be better. It is practically empty north of Stockholm. In Finland there are at least towns and inhabited villages also further north.