Safe Return Doubtful

I had two nights at the marina at Alaranka, which is a suburb of the small town of Ii, pronounced simply as a long ‘eee..’. It was a river marina, on the Iijoki river, and it was a relatively warm, humid and wet couple of days. Though mosquitoes flew about, easy to spot, they were slow and ponderous, and rarely focused enough to bite. But it was the Mäkärät, the black fly, and the Polttiaiset, the gnat we may refer to as a midge, that were prolific. 

The owner of a motorhome just across from me insisted they didn’t bother him, but he was clearly covered in bites. His wife stayed inside, slamming the door each time he went out for his fishing. They were returning a rental motorhome the next morning, having had a month in Norway and the north. They lived in Espoo, and had driven their car up to Oulu, as it was cheaper to rent up here. Despite the bothersome flies, Alaranka was a good place to stop. 

On Saturday morning I headed for the sauna and steam room in Haukipudas. A steam room is rare here in Finland, though very common where I was last year in Iceland. At €2:50 it is a good way to spend an hour, and they seem always to be busy, which is perhaps why they can charge what seems so little. 

A large area of low pressure came across on Saturday afternoon, which could be referred to as a storm, but it held on for 36 hours or so of strong winds and heavy rain. I headed for Virpiniemi, which is the golf and sports resort for Oulu. The golf is a links course with lots of dry heath. The Finnish Open was here in 2013, and will be again in 2028. Disc Golf, or Frisbee Golf, is very popular in Sweden and Finland, and there are a 36 baskets, rather than holes, course here spread into the forest. There is also a vast area of walking, biking and cross country ski trails, and plenty of parking. One other campervan spent the night, a young couple from Helsinki, travelling about in an old VW T4, working online and renting their apartment in the city out for a few months. 

The rain was on  and off for a while, until it set in at about 5 pm. It enabled Rua to get some exercise in, as he has so much energy that to be in the van for very long is not a good idea. We watched a game of football also, and that timed well with the Glasgow Bath rugby preseason friendly. It seems to have been a long offseason, though it actually hasn’t; so it is with some delight I will welcome to Prem season next weekend. The French started two weeks ago. 

From Virpiniemi I drove in heavy rain though Oulu and out west to the island of Hailuoto. Hailuoto is interesting for a few reasons.. it’s permanent population remains low, at just over 900, though the new 8.4 kilometre causeway, which was opened in July, is built with the idea of increasing that.

Previously, a free 45 minute ferry was the way to cross. Hailuoto attracts a lot of visitors in the summer months, the sandy beaches at Marjaniemi are very popular.

Land in the region is constantly rising due to the phenomena of post-glacial rebound, though it is very low-lying, the highest point just 26 metres above sea level. It is estimated that the first parts of Hailuoto appeared from the Baltic Sea about 1700 years ago. The current island of Hailuoto was formed from many smaller islands. Two large sections, Santonen and Hanhinen merged into the main island (Luoto) only about two centuries ago. The island is continuously expanding and eventually it will join with the mainland.

In November 2019 a rare phenomenon was observed on the shores of Marjaniemi where I am currently. Thousands of “egg-shaped” bits of sea ice accumulated on the shore. After some days of mystery, it was the BBC who offered a solution, their weather  expert George Goodfellow explained,

The general picture is that they form from pieces of larger ice sheet which then get jostled around by waves, making them rounder. They can grow when sea water freezes on to their surfaces and this also helps to make them smoother. So the result is a ball of smooth ice which can then get deposited on to a beach, either blown there or getting left there when the tide goes out.

I arrived at in Marjaniemi with 70 mph winds and driving rain, conditions Rua had not yet experienced, and he was most amused to tear around the sand in circles for a while. During the evening conditions eased, and this Monday morning was ideal for an on foot exploration of the area. We will stay two nights, then head back inland to Rokua National Park tomorrow. 

A strange statistic also, 74 days away and I have still not yet seen any other British vehicle, or come across any British people.. not that I’m complaining..