Photos from the trip and the activations: https://pixabilly.1g.fi/kuvat/My+vacations/Lapland+2026/

My partner and I had been planning a trip up north for a long time. At first, we were thinking of heading somewhere in Finland’s northwestern Lapland, or at least to western Lapland. Eventually, we chose Pallas as our main destination and booked a hotel room from there. The rest of the route began to take shape around two hobbies we both enjoy: geocaching and amateur radio activations.

The Route We Ended Up Taking

We refined the route, looked for places to stay and marked interesting destinations on the map. Naturally, the plan changed even before we left, and few more times during the trip. Fortunately, we were on holiday and in no hurry. We even set off earlier than planned, leaving on 1 September—two or three days ahead of our original schedule.

Before leaving, we kept a closer eye on the weather than usual. Wrestling with a tent in the rain did not appeal to us, and very cold nights did not sound particularly inviting either. Our dog was coming along too, so biting midges were a particular concern. A few years earlier, we had literally dogs ended up with bloodied bellies after an encounter with them on Särkitunturi, and we had no desire to repeat the experience.

Bought a few things for the trip, including some nice, firm Exped sleeping mats. We had already bought the tent earlier in the summer. Since our car is small, we also bought a roof box from Biltema. It easily held the bulkier items, mainly things we would not need while on the road. The car was pretty full!

Our first day’s goal was to reach Vaala. Along the way, we found geocaches in Viitasaari, Pihtipudas, Haapavesi and Kestilä, among other places. That also turned a few more municipalities green on our geocaching map. We are getting close to finishing that project now, with fewer than thirty municipalities left to visit.

In Vaala, we stayed for two nights at Happy Beach Camping. It turned out to be a great place with good facilities. Because our tent is quite large, we set up on a caravan pitch. That actually worked out well, as it also gave us access to electricity with an extension cord.

Our Robens Cima Versa 4 tent.

The first night was hardly a perfect night’s camping, though. First it was too hot, then cold, and then too hot again. When you naturally have a heat generating body, a sleeping bag can easily feel like overkill—and restless feets certainly did not make sleeping any easier.

Despite what the photo might suggest, Jessi was eating a lot of blueberries.

In the morning, the tent was damp, although fortunately the sleeping compartment had stayed dry. The porch, on the other hand, was home to an entire army of mosquitoes, and they did not seem particularly friendly. After breakfast, we left the mosquitoes in charge of the camp and headed out for the first radio activation of the trip, in Rokua National Park.

OHFF-0027 Rokua National Park (POTA FI-0582/0202)

Finding a suitable operating spot took a little while. I had planned to park near the hotel and walk a short distance into the activation area. Eventually, though, we found a small parking-like area just inside the boundary where I could operate straight from the car. This suited my partner too: knitting in the passenger seat while I called CQ on the air.

The boundaries shown on Protected Planet were rather fragmented in this area, so I had to check our location carefully.

With the help of the mast and some trees, I set up the end-fed antenna in an inverted-V configuration and got the Yaesu FT-891 working. Power came from a 50 Ah LiFePO4 battery, which had plenty of capacity.

I started on 40m band, and the band was excellent straight away. I had nearly forty QSOs in the log when the SWR began behaving strangely, jumping between 1:1 and 3.5:1. Reducing the power settled things down, but the cause remained a mystery: was it the tuner or the antenna? The tuner later turned out to be the culprit, although whether it is actually faulty remains to be investigated.

80m band was poor this time and gave only a few contacts. On 20 metres, things were completely different. The band was in great shape, I had a couple of small pileups, and stations from as far away as Portugal and the Azores made it into the log.

The total was 89 QSOs, so the activation was complete. The operation also counted for two POTA references, including the geopark, but only one WWFF reference: the national park.

After the activation, we had time to explore the national park itself. There are plenty of wide, pleasant trails through Rokua’s pine forests, and my partner spotted lots of pine boletes along the way. We visited a geocache on Pookivaara and admired the tall observation tower. Admiring it from below was enough this time—I did not climb it.

The next morning, the tent was damp again, but luckily we had brought a heater. We picked blueberries and lingonberries nearby for our breakfast porridge; there were plenty of both. Eventually, we got the tent dry and finished our other morning chores—and that was exactly when it started to rain a lot.

That was frustrating, especially as the rain radar had shown no rain heading our way. We had to pack the freshly dried tent soaking wet.

Seitenjärvi.

Our journey continued via Vaala towards Hyrynsalmi. We stopped at a couple of geocaches in Paltamo and took a break at the Seitenjärvi rest area in Hyrynsalmi. We logged a couple more caches there, and when we noticed a burger stand, we decided to get something to eat. The burgers were excellent, and it was good to continue with full stomachs.

In Puolanka, we made a quick shopping stop and found a couple of caches. From there towards Pudasjärvi, however, progress was slower than expected. Extensive roadworks added about half an hour to the drive. We kept alternating between stretches of asphalt and gravel, over and over again. Every transition seemed to have a dip in it, which my partner’s back did not appreciate.

A mobile-home cabin we had booked was waiting for us at Syöte Camping, and it turned out to be a very comfortable base. It had a microwave, a cooker, beds and a sofa, with showers and other washing facilities right next door. After the wet tent, the dry cabin felt particularly good. It was also quite affordable at €65 per night, plus a pet fee.

OHFF-0031 Syöte National Park (POTA FI-0151, Maaselkä Natura 2000 FI-1552)

Syöte National Park had not been part of our original plan. Shortly before we left, however, my partner suggested visiting for the day or staying overnight. I am glad we did, because it became one of our activation stops—although the first attempt was short-lived.

On the day we arrived, I had already reached a spot near the visitor centre and set up my table when a loud rumble came from the sky. The lightning radar showed a couple of strikes in the area and nearby, so there was not much to think about. I packed the table away and retreated to our accommodation with my tail between my legs. It began raining just as I arrived, so withdrawing had been the right decision.

The next day, we put a load of laundry on and headed to the Vattukuru car park. Kari, OH2HT, had warned me that there would be no mobile reception, and he was right.

That did not stop us from setting up the station, though. The familiar FT-891 and EFHW combination went up beside the car park, and a conveniently placed log provided support for the mast. More rain was forecast, so I set up the radio inside the car. My partner knitted beside me while the dog watched from the back seat—probably already rather tired of amateur radio.

The tablet occasionally showed a hint of signal, but the connection barely worked. In the WhatsApp spotting group, I could see that OH3LB was activating on 7062 kHz. We completed a park-to-park QSO, and I asked someone to spot me on 7072 kHz because I could not get online myself. During the contact, another station appeared on 7070 and was splattering a little onto 7072, so I moved up another kilohertz.

After that, 40m started producing contacts nicely. Eventually, with the tablet left in just the right position, it found one bar of 4G reception, and I was able to post my own spots to the cluster and WhatsApp.

Apparently, the tablet’s larger size allows for a bigger, more sensitive antenna, because it often gets a connection when the phone has no signal. In Seitseminen, for example, the phone could not find a signal at all, while the tablet showed full bars. Quite interesting.

After working 80m , I already had more than sixty QSOs in the log, so the activation was comfortably complete. I hunted other activators for a while and waited for Ari, OH8XU, to come on the air. His park was an ATNO—an All Time New One—and eventually my last QSO became his first. A park-to-park contact was a nice way to finish a successful activation.

We had intended to walk the Vattukuru trail afterwards, but my partner was running low on energy and needed something to eat. We walked a little way along the trail before returning to the car. We talked about coming back later but ended up going somewhere else.

Drove to Hotel Iso-Syöte, which had a Skywalk terrace. Unfortunately, dogs were not allowed there or in the indoor viewing area, so I went first to admire the scenery. Because I was quick, my partner was then able to use the same €5 access card. We would have eaten there, but dogs were not allowed in the restaurant either. Instead, my partner bought pastries from the café, which we ate later at a hut along a nature trail.

A bear statue at the edge of the forest. A small sign “warned” visitors about it so nobody would get an unnecessary fright.

Parked at the visitor centre and walked the Naavaparta nature trail, a little over three kilometres long. We enjoyed our pastries at Annintupa. The trail was pleasant, and although we met a few people along the way, we fortunately had the hut area to ourselves.

The visitor centre was closed because Metsähallitus was selling the property. It is a shame that there is less support for nature recreation these days and that even trails have to close. Siikaneva National Park, for example, is effectively closed because there is no money to replace the duckboards.

It started raining again afterwards, so we spent the rest of the evening relaxing and dealing with laundry. I went to the bistro next door for a drink that evening. It was karaoke night, but I made my escape.

The following morning, we cleaned up, packed and headed towards Levi, where we had booked an apartment at Levilehto. It was right in the centre of Sirkka, with a grocery shop just across the road.

Found a few geocaches along the way and considered visiting the Särestöniemi Museum. Unfortunately, it would have been closing just as we arrived.

We stopped for a bite to eat at a lean-to shelter along the way.

Also planned to activate Unari, OHFF-0416. It was an ATNO dating back to 2023, so there would certainly have been interest. I already had a possible operating spot in mind, although I was slightly concerned that it might be someone’s yard. It did not look that way on the map imagery, though.

Stopped for a cache in Meltaus, but as I got out of the car, I was hit by a strange stomach pain. My partner’s back was also protesting loudly. I felt nauseous too, although fortunately that passed quickly. When we realised that reaching the site would mean another thirty kilometres on a bumpy gravel road, the decision was easy: this park could wait for another time. The feng shui was clearly off on this outing.

Visited at the Molkoköngäs rapids along the way. Interestingly, there also seemed to be an abandoned campsite next to them.

Continued straight to our accommodation in Levi and took it easy for the rest of the evening. We did drive up to the summit to watch the sunset, but the wind was so strong and cold that we did not linger indefinitely. The sunset was magnificent, and we walked the plateau trail at the top.

The next day, we set off on a geocaching trail. Getting started proved difficult because the beginning of the route was a construction site, and it felt as though every trail was on the other side of the works.

Eventually, we found our way and got properly moving. By the time we returned to the car, with more than ten caches found, we had covered nine kilometres. I had also developed a blister on my little toe. Damn it. It would keep reminding me of that walk for the rest of the trip, growing bigger along the way.

After a quick stop back at the apartment to freshen up, we headed towards Tepasto and a lean-to shelter. The scenery at Akanrimpi shelter was lovely. We did not see a single bird from the birdwatching tower, though. Nor did we hear any.

I boiled some water and prepared a camping meal. The pasta bolognese was good. We were just about to leave when a local family arrived to enjoy a fire. They happened to be originally from Tampere but had lived in Sirkka for five years.

I had considered doing my first SOTA—Summits on the Air—activation from the summit of Levi, OH/KI-033. In the end, the strong wind and tiredness put me off. We also had more activities and driving ahead the next day, so I left it for some future visit. I think the summit was last activated in 2017.

That evening, we cooked and did more laundry. The dog got some rest too, as all the travelling and walking had left Jessi quite worn out. Our little yapper is nine years old now.

After breakfast, a quick clean-up and packing the car, I drove my partner and the dog to the top of Levi. I then drove the car back down, parked and rode the gondola up to join them. The plan was to walk down together along a route with geocaches.

Roughly the first half of the descent was very steep. Walking downhill was much harder on the ankles and soles of our feet than a level path, but at least the caches were easy to find. We also met some very fit people running up the same slope. That certainly put our own pace into perspective.

Along the way, we spotted a bluethroat, Lapland’s regional bird. Fortunately, the final section followed a relatively flat, wide trail. I find that going down is much easier than coming up. Of course, fleets are taking a toll when going down but coming up…I would have to take breaks. Many of them.

We had something to eat in the centre before leaving. A restaurant called Kafet welcomed dogs indoors too. Jessi enjoyed every last microscopic crumb on the floor. After that, we headed towards Hotel Pallas.

At the hotel, we carried our things into a room that had a distinctly 1970s feel. There was a particular smell that might have suggested some dampness. The room could also have used updated lighting and a floor lamp, for example. My partner sat in the armchair, but the only way to get any light there was to switch on every light in the room. In the end, the knitting continued by the light of our camping lamps.

Fortunately, the hotel had a wonderful restaurant and bar. We ate there a couple of evenings, and the food was good. Breakfast was varied and enjoyable too.

That evening, we walked the short Orava Avenue loop as far as the kota hut. Along the way, we also logged the Adventure Lab locations, which were small squirrel statues representing different religions.

It was quiet at the hut. There was also a large kota available for hire. It was a lovely place, with a little stream flowing behind it.

Tuesday was rainy, so we had a rest day. It had been very foggy since morning. We did at least take a short walk in the drizzle, as the dog still needed some fresh air and a toilet break. We followed the trail a little way towards Taivaskero.

We had climbed Taivaskero a few years earlier, but this time I was not fit enough, even though taking a QRP radio up there was tempting. Afterwards, I wondered whether low power would have been enough anyway, considering the difficulties I later had at Punaiset Hiekat even with more power.

Fog over the summit created a interesting veil.

The weather cleared towards evening, leaving a clear sky. I had checked the space weather forecast, and northern lights looked very likely that night. The Kp index was around five.

By 10.30 pm, there were already some impressive flares in the sky, so we went outside to take photographs. We returned shortly before eleven, as we did not want to have to come back through the main entrance. The hotel doors were locked at that time.

I took the photos handheld on my phone, an iPhone 15 Pro Max, which works surprisingly well in low light.

There was a little more light at first, which brought out the silhouettes of the fjells beautifully. They added something special to the aurora, almost as if a light source were shining from behind them.

On Wednesday, we headed to Särkitunturi. We had visited twice in previous years, the first time probably in 2019. Särkitunturi is also a SOTA summit, but I did not bring a radio for an activation. Well, I did have my Kenwood D72 with me, because I wanted to test whether my APRS packets would reach the iGate in the car.

It would have worked if I had noticed that the TNC4 unit had come unplugged. I wondered why nothing was appearing on the map and assumed that the volume had been turned down, preventing the system from hearing anything.

It was about a fifteen-kilometre drive to the roadside car park that had been built since our previous visit. The original parking area was still in use too.

We got a bit of a shock when we arrived: there must have been five or six coaches, and the car park was full of cars. Luckily, the very first space was free, so we managed to park. On our previous visit, I think we had been the only people there.

Once my partner had recovered from the shock, we decided to head up anyway. The walk was just over three kilometres each way on a good, wide trail. Along the way, we learned that schools from Kittilä and Muonio were on their autumn outings. They had originally planned to come the day before, but the weather had been so bad that the trip had been postponed.

Helsingin Sanomat had also published an article about Särkitunturi a few days earlier, attracting even more visitors.

Our progress was slow and sweaty, but we eventually reached the top, where the familiar, magnificent views awaited us. Along with a couple of hundred other people…

We moved away from the crowds to a rocky edge overlooking Lake Jerisjärvi. There, we could eat our sandwiches in peace, and I took a few photos of my partner modelling knitwear.

I had already been thinking about proposing again on Särkitunturi, but I had not decided on the right moment. So, almost as an aside, I asked whether my partner would marry me this time. I had proposed on the same fell in 2019, but back then my partner had not been ready. This time, the answer was yes, so apparently total of ten years was enough time to think it over. That means we can have a wedding next year.

Returned to the car and drove to Muonio for a few caches and some shopping. We also fell for the advertising and visited Swiss Café, but unfortunately it did not leave a particularly good impression. The slices of cake were a little bland, although otherwise the place was quite nice.

After that, we visited Äijäkoski. There were lovely views and impressive rapids on the border between Finland and Sweden.

Also went to a nearby lean-to shelter where some people were fishing. From there, we found a cache and returned to the car. The path was quite wet in places, and my partner’s socks were soaked by the time we got back.

Returned to the hotel for a short rest, changed clothes and then went to try the restaurant.

The restaurant was cosy, with good views. Plenty of reindeer were wandering around outside, and they were fun to watch. There were even a couple of white ones.

The hotel’s signature burger was good, and my partner enjoyed the fish of the day, which was whitefish. The food was delicious. I had the house red wine, which was pleasantly smooth. For dessert, we ordered French toast and a cranberry dessert that included caramel sauce. It was not cheap, but holidays are a time to treat yourself.

Spent the rest of the evening relaxing because we were exhausted. Well, the dog and I were, at least. More northern lights were forecast for that night.

Our window faced almost due north, so we could see the aurora from inside too. It was beautiful and quite intense at times.

OHFF-0018 Pallas–Yllästunturi National Park (POTA FI-0035)

I have to admit once again that I was very tempted to climb Taivaskero, as it would allow a WWFF, POTA and SOTA activation all at once. However, the blister on my toe had grown larger and was painful. Hauling this big—and fat—body up there would also have taken so long that it did not make much sense to attempt it.

I already had another spot in mind: Punaiset Hiekat, on the shore of Lake Pallasjärvi. Lommoltunturi is nearby, and we would visit it first.

After breakfast, we packed our things and headed towards Lommoltunturi. The number of visitors during the autumn-colour season continued to surprise us—this was our first trip at this time of year—and the car park was full. We managed to find a space, though.

The Särkitunturi trail had been just over three kilometres each way, while this one was about two. However, the Lommoltunturi route was considerably more demanding, with wet, rocky and root-covered sections.

A path branched off the main trail towards the summit, and some parts were quite difficult. I was certainly puffing on the way up and had to stop for breaks.

I felt a little embarrassed about my fitness when we saw a couple in their eighties heading up as well. They had visited Lommoltunturi several times over the years. My own fitness might be quite reasonable if I just had less weight to carry.

The views from the top were magnificent. We could see Taivaskero, Palkaskero and Sammaltunturi, among other fells, and Lake Pallasjärvi looked wonderful from above.

My partner logged the cache at the summit while we considered whether to return the same way. We chatted with the older couple mentioned earlier and then headed towards the lower summit. That route was probably twice as long, but gentler and easier.

Between the summits, we had to make our way a little off to the side to reach what you might call the main trail. The return route was still somewhat challenging, but we managed.

Then drove to the Punaiset Hiekat (Red Sands beach) car park, where there were still quite a few cars. For a moment, I wondered whether I really wanted to do an activation after the Lommoltunturi hike. In the end, though, I shouldered my pack and we walked the few hundred metres to the hut.

We ate first, as our stomachs were already rumbling. With some energy restored, I could think about radio again.

Not a bad place for an activation.

I chose a spot a little away from the hut, right at the edge of the sandy beach. Lake Pallasjärvi stretched out in front of me, with the fjells rising on the opposite shore. The antenna mast attached securely to a fence, and I found fixing points for the wire ends on the fence and a small tree. I set up the table and chair beside a tree on the beach. In terms of scenery, it was easily the most beautiful place I had ever activated.

The start looked very promising. Contacts came quickly on 40 m band, and I soon had 23 QSOs in the log. Then it was as if I had hit a wall: the stations almost completely disappeared.

Moved to 80m, but OH9FOXI was the only hunter there. At least I could hear OH2HT, who was activating nearby, and we managed a park-to-park QSO. He was having the same problem—there simply were no other stations to be heard.

20m did not save the day either. There was heavy QSB, and copying stations was difficult because their signals faded away halfway through. I spent some time calling CQ with no replies. After such a promising start, I began to feel that I might run out of time before reaching the required number of contacts.

During the activation, the beach quickly emptied. My partner also went back to wait in the car because the dog was getting restless. Jessi settled down in the car, and my partner could get back to knitting while I stayed on the beach battling for the remaining contacts.

I tried 40m and 80m again and eventually managed to get the rest. 80m finally opened enough for hunters in the OH8 area to hear me. After two and a half hours, I had 52 QSOs in the log, and my overriding feeling was relief. I had no desire to prolong the activation.

At the start, the temperature was around seven degrees Celsius and the air was fairly still. After about an hour and a half, however, a light wind picked up and gradually began to chill me to the bone. At least the sun provided a little warmth towards the end.

Several passers-by stopped to ask what I was doing, so I also gave a few little “lectures” between contacts.

In any case, the park was activated. Thanks again to everyone for the QSOs! It was time to pack up the station and return to the warmth of the car.

That evening, we ate at the restaurant again. I had an excellent reindeer steak, and my partner had reindeer calf liver—or “baby reindeer liver”, as my partner called it. We skipped dessert this time.

The northern lights appeared again that night, but we did not watch them for long.

Friday morning was difficult for my partner because it was time to start heading south. Staying longer would have been the preferred option, but there were no rooms left. The hotel had been filling up towards the end of the week.

Visited the old fishing huts at Lake Jerisjärvi to find some caches. Then we drove to Sirkka to refuel and make a quick shopping stop. The fishing huts were lovely and apparently still in active use.

Drove to the gondola lifts and set off on another geocaching trail. After a walk of about four kilometres, we returned to the car and later stopped in Kittilä to buy food for the journey.

We were a little wary of the road to the Särestöniemi Museum, but it was in relatively good condition. We arrived without too much damage. Our backs and the rest of us were already stiff, so the jolting did not help…

Recommend visiting the museum. It felt like travelling back in time to Reidar Särestöniemi’s childhood surroundings and the years when he worked in his studio. The buildings were beautiful and the artwork magnificent.

Wondered how the family had originally moved there, given that the road was not built until 1985, by which time the property was already owned by the museum. It turned out that they would have had to cross the river and then walk more than two kilometres to reach the road.

Early museum visitors also arrived on the opposite bank and were taken by boat to the studio and gallery. With thousands of visitors, ferrying people across all the time must have been quite a job during the 70s. Säreistöniemi passed away in 1981.

Drove via Sodankylä, keeping eye of the reindeers, to Pyhä–Luosto National Park, where we had booked an apartment. By the time we arrived, we were both stiff and sore, so some rest was very welcome.

We will be spending tomorrow at Pyhä–Luosto too, and the plan includes activating the national park if the weather and our condition allow it. On Sunday, we will turn the car towards Tampere. There are so many kilometres ahead, though, that we do not yet know whether we will drive straight home or stop somewhere overnight. So the trip is not quite over—let’s see what the final days and one more activation bring.

OHFF-0024 Pyhä–Luosto National Park (POTA FI-0065)

After breakfast, we headed towards Isokuru Gorge, about two kilometres away. I also wanted to check the beginning of the trail, where I had been thinking of doing the activation.

As soon as we reached the trailhead, I could see that there was no good spot there. There were also lots of people passing through, which would mean frequent interruptions from curious walkers. The lean-to shelter was busy too, with people grilling sausages.

Fairly steep stairs led down into the gorge, with a separate route for dogs alongside them—a nice touch. We did wonder, though, why the boards had not been fitted closely together. Small paws could slip into the gaps.

The route through the gorge was about two kilometres long, with magnificent scenery along the way. There were small pools with exceptionally clear water, although they were a little silty. There probably is not much water flow in those spots.

The route followed an easy boardwalk throughout. It climbed a little in a couple of places, where we had to carry the dog because there were sharp metal anti-slip strips between the boards.

We did not walk quite to the far end. Instead, we stopped for a while on a platform beside a pool and a small waterfall. I imagine the waterfall would be impressive after heavy rain.

Returned to the foot of the stairs and decided to visit the nearby Tiainen lean-to shelter. The route was easy all the way, which was nice. A young couple were sitting by the fire at the shelter. My partner found the geocache and then wandered a little farther off while the dog and I waited at the table.

Siberian jays appeared around us, with the boldest coming within a metre and a half! Unfortunately, Jessi was a little restless, and I did not get the camera ready in time. I did at least manage a couple of photos from farther away. These birds have got used to the people, and there are lots of photos and videos where jays landing to eat from the hand.

The young couple left the shelter, and to my astonishment, they left the fire burning! You should NEVER do that anywhere.

Fortunately, some other people arrived shortly afterwards and took over the fire. The same couple also had a tent pitched a short distance away in an area where camping was not permitted. Shame on them!

Returned to the apartment and then visited a nearby café. After a bite to eat, I took my partner and Jessi back to the apartment and drove to the Keropirtti car park for the activation.

I quickly found a spot, and setting up the antenna was straightforward. This time, I left out the tuner because it seemed to be causing problems. The radio worked normally, and the SWR was fine.

It was the same story as at Pallas: 40m started well, then the contacts dried up. 80m was almost completely dead.

Fortunately, 20m was working reasonably well, and I managed to reach the required number of QSOs there. I also tried FT8, but qTF8app would not cooperate with the radio this time. Some setting must have been wrong. Luckily, FT8TW worked, and I called on 40 metres. It took a little adjustment because the filter bandwidth was too narrow.

I posted a spot, but… no contacts. OH5RM answered, but completing the QSO took several minutes! I will have to investigate what was going wrong.

A final park-to-park contact with OH6CTD brought the total to 49 QSOs. Another difficult activation. There was some auroral activity, so perhaps propagation was still disturbed. The main thing was that I reached the required total and completed my tenth national park activation.

I returned to the apartment, where we rounded off the day with a meal. The Kultakero apartment was a little odd. Perhaps it was too modern for our taste; the layout did not feel particularly logical.

There was a separate island with the sink, dishwasher and bins. Beside it, the cupboards and hob were against the wall. Cutlery and plates were stored in different units. There were a few other unusual details too, but overall it was comfortable.

There was a bed on the mezzanine, but we did not use it. Fortunately, there was another double bed downstairs in the living area, so we did not have to clamber up with the dog. Jessi can be a bit daft at times and would probably have managed to fall off.

We packed the car early the next morning. A long journey home lay ahead. We had considered staying somewhere along the way, but decided to try driving the whole distance in one go. Of course, we stopped to stretch our legs and had lunch too.

A place called Paussi in Olhava was really good! I had a couple of platefuls, with coffee included to keep the food coma at bay. We will have to stop there again when we drive past next year. Yes, another Lapland trip is already being planned.

After just a couple more stops, we arrived home stiff and sore following 850 kilometres and thirteen hours on the road. Then it was time to unload and rest. My partner will be back at work soon, while I still have the rest of this week off.

Have a lovely autumn, everyone, and thank you if you made it to read all the way to the end! Feel free to leave a comment and rate the photos if you have the time and inclination.

73/44,
Marko and Johanna