Exhausted by the pressure of office work and clutter of city life? Then don’t head south for the crowded beaches of the Mediterranean, but follow the geese north to Finland and the land of the midnight sun. Our destination is Arola farm which lies just south of the Arctic Circle within sight of the watchtowers of the Russian Federation.
The farm sits on the edge of Martinselkonen National Park, a Tolkien-like wilderness of vast open forests of spruce, pine and birch and carpeted by mosses and lichens. There are breathtaking expanses of grassy bog, and dark lakes. This is a pristine wilderness which is so beautiful and quiet you can hear your heart beating. A hundred miles away from the nearest town, you can wander through the forest all day long without meeting a soul, but your every step is noted by the tree top conversations of ravens, the laughter of woodpeckers, the mocking calls of the cuckoo and the long drawn out trills of summer bramblings, as smart as guardsmen in their coal black heads and red chests.
The Sappinen family have farmed at Arola for generations. During the second world war when this region was occupied first by the Russians and then by the Nazis, Eero Sappinen’s mother, Lempi, bundled her children in a blanket, put them on a sledge and escaped across the thawing river to warn the people of nearby Juntusranta that war had broken out.
Helena & Eero Sappenin
international enthusiasm for eco-tourism. Visitors can stay here at any time of the year. There is much to see and do. All that is needed is a love of the wilderness and a sense of adventure. It is a wonderful place to bring children.
In the summer, there is trekking or cycling in the forest, bear or beaver watching and canoeing or swimming in the broad, shallow river, but in the long winter, the forest is transformed into a wonderland, which can be explored on skis, skidoos, or even on sledges pulled by eager teams of huskies. Arola is on the route of the long distance cross country ski trails and visitors can even use the trail that runs along the border and is kept clear by Finnish soldiers.
Martinselkonen national park, is a refuge for the few remaining large European mammals; in fact you have to remind yourself that you are not in Canada. There are Brown Bear, Elk, Wolves, Lynx and Beaver in the forest, but you do have to know where and how to see them. Arola has its own bear hide, at the side of a clearing a few miles into the forest.
Eero, our host at Arola farm, leaves 100 kilos of fish and elk meat out for the bears every evening. With their own five-star restaurant, the bears, normally shy, venture cautiously out of the forest in the long light nights often bringing their cubs with them to feed, play and even make love. European Brown Bears are enormous creatures. The male weighs in at over 200 kilos and stands over ten feet tall. The female is not quite that size, but when they make love, the earth really moves! But this is not a zoo; these are wild animals. In the hide we speak in whispers and cover our skin to disguise the smell. Bears have a very good sense of smell. If they detect the slightest whiff of human presence, they will gallop off into the forest. Bears are not the only creatures to come to Eero’s restaurant. Occasionally a Wolverine, a kind of large polecat, will venture out for a snack if he thinks the coast is clear. And around the clearing, a pair of White Tailed Sea Eagles wait from their unlikely perch of the top of the spruce, fending off attacks from the gulls. Suomussalmi, the name for this region of northern Finland, is on the migration route and many of the species of bird that winter in England, such as Whooper Swans, White fronted and Brent Geese and then pass through in late spring en route to Siberia while others such as Fieldfares, Redwings, Brambling, Waxwing and Golden Plover breed here and can be watched from the window of the farmhouse. A few Siberian species, such as the Bluethroat, Siberian Jay, Common Crane and Lapland Bunting, are resident here. Other common residents include the Ruff, Green and Wood Sandpipers, which are on the British list, but are rare. One morning while canoeing slowly up river, we came upon a Red Throated Diver, late for the wedding in his light grey morning suit, black and white striped shirt and crimson cravat. Accommodation
Helena once worked as a nurse in Plymouth and speaks English fluently. She can accommodate up to 15 people in three houses; the old farmhouse, a converted mill house and Hevonkuusa, a lovely log cabin, 500 metres down the track by the lake. The latter comes with its own traditional smoke sauna, fired by fragrant spruce logs and its own diving platform which adds a finishing touch to a wonderful day of exploring the forest and watching wildlife.
Eat and drink
Self catering is an option, but it would be a mistake not to enjoy Helena’s wonderful traditional Finnish cuisine. Locked in by snow for half the year and with the nearest store 5 miles away, self sufficiency is the by-word. So berries picked late in the season are pasteurized and bottled; the delicious dark crimson blue berries swollen with sweetness, the creamy cloudberries with their subtle hints of butterscotch, cranberries from the bog and my favourite, the wonderful combination of sweet, sour and bitter flavours of the lingonberries. Mushrooms are also stored over winter. Some need to be boiled twice to remove the toxins and then dried. Others are pickled in brine. Made up into a sauce, the rich earthy flavours are a delicious complement for the tender sweetness of fresh pike or the meatiness of Elk. Fish is caught locally all the year round. In the summer, swarms of roach can be caught by net, cleaned and cooked slowly in salt, onion, olive oil and lemon and bottled with tomato. In the winter, pike can be caught by rod and line through a hole drilled through the thick ice of the lake. Elk is shot during the brief hunting period in October and kept frozen overwinter. It tastes like beef, but does not have the fat content. Reindeer is smoked and salted and is lovely as midday snack in the forest between two slices of freshly baked rye bread. Beetroot, cabbage and potatoes grow quickly during the light nights of the Finnish summer and can be pickled and stored through the winter.
Pulla
Pulla is a traditional Finnish coffee bread. Helena makes this in her own bread oven and it is delicious. When freshly cooked it is sweet and warm and its most striking feature is the unusual flavour of cardamom which is used to flavour this fabulous bread to great effect. The cardamom complements the berry topping which was how it was served to us.
- 570ml semi skimmed milk
- 170g unsalted butter
- 225g caster sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1kg plain flour
- 3 egg yolks
- 1½ tablespoons ground cardamom seeds
- 28g fresh yeast creamed with 1 teaspoon sugar and a little warm water
Topping
- 250g fruit puree e.g. bilberry, raspberry, apple
Dissolve yeast in warm water and leave to activate for 5 minutes in a warm place. Meanwhile, bring milk to the boil and add the butter, sugar and salt. Stir in half of the flour and mix to make medium batter. Add egg yolks and cardamom and mix well. Add the yeast mixture to the batter. Let the dough rise until it has doubled in size, then punch down. Add remaining flour and knead. Let the dough rise a second time until double and then cut into four parts. Shape into loaves or braid. Spread with egg whites for glaze, if desired. Bake at 220 for 40-45 minutes.
The dough can also be shaped into flat rounds and cooked rather like little pizza. In which case they will only take about 10 minutes to cook. When cooked they can be topped with a puree of berries such as blueberry or cranberry and apple.