Walking (and sledging) in a winter wonderland
Finnish Lapland looks very familiar: ever since you knew what Christmas was, you’ve been absorbing images of the region. Huskies pulling sleighs; Santa in his workshop; candles, frosted window panes, log chalets. It looks like a Christmas card.
But knowing what to expect does not prepare you for the wonderful, startling experience of actually being there. Ninety minutes north of Helsinki, in the Arctic circle, Finnish Lapland is a snow-blanketed wilderness, in which reindeer outnumber people (200,000 to 180,000) and 70 per cent of the land is covered in pine and birch trees.
We visited in January, when there’s only five hours of dim daylight and the sun sets at 2.30 in the afternoon. Hearing Finnish being spoken – part-guttural, part sing-song – only adds to the feeling of other-worldliness.
We checked into the ski village of Yllas and then went even further north to the small town of Samin Porotila. Our hosts greeted us with a teapot of hot, sweetened blueberry juice and told us about their lives as reindeer farmers.
You can get around the area on skis (there’s 230km of cross-country ski trails to suit every level of skier) or on a sleigh pulled by reindeer (magical if not comfortable) but the only real way to travel is by husky. We visited champion husky racer Ole Wingren, his huskies yelping desperately to win selection to pull our sleigh. Once our six dogs had been chosen and harnessed, they fell silent, contented to race across the snow, as they were born to.
Our hour-long journey was incredible, a silent, spellbinding ride across a frozen lake with snow as far as the eye could see.
The air here is officially the cleanest in Europe, which helps sharpen your appetite. Finnish fare includes reindeer ribs, gherkins, cream cheese and cloudberry wine, made from the berries that grown all over the country.
We didn’t see the Northern Lights, despite spending a night in special glass igloos to maximize our chances. But in a way it really didn’t matter: Finnish Lapland had already served up a roster of magical experiences.
[Photography: Deirdre Rooney]
