“Wow” moments in Finnish nature

For Taija, time alone in nature counterbalances her job as a hairdresser in central Helsinki and home life with her children.

“At work, I am very sociable and close to the customers, so I need to be alone for at least two or three hours a day,” she says. “Nature balances my mental health and gives me calmness and relaxation that I can’t get anywhere else.”

She runs every morning for an hour or two before work, accompanied by Camu, her young Labradoodle. The two head out again for an evening walk, totalling 10 to 20 kilometres (6 to 12 miles) a day.

“We usually go to a lovely old forest nature reserve in Kivikko, near home. If I want more light in the autumn or winter, I go to the old Malmi airport area, where there are flat meadows. That’s also good for cross-country skiing, but so is Kivikko, where there aren’t as many people,” she says with a grin. She also swims outdoors all year round in a local pond.

Magical moments

Aino prefers more leisurely strolls along forest trails and duckboards in the nearby Slåttmossen and Vaarala natural areas. In winter, she walks mainly on snow trails in Kivikko. A ceramicist and former art teacher, she moved from Lapland to Helsinki about a decade ago. Aino gets inspiration from nature for her art. She also enjoys identifying bird calls with the help of a mobile app, and taking pictures, especially of lizards.

“Slåttmossen has a bog area with beautiful blooming marsh rosemary and even cloudberries, which remind me of Lapland,” she says. “Vaarala has a tall spruce forest. I went walking there last spring when I was feeling down. A fox ran past me, then stopped a few metres away and looked me in the eye for a long time. It was somehow comforting and cheered me up.”

One of the best nature experiences in late summer and autumn is going mushroom picking.

Another “wow” moment was in Lapland, where she used to go on long hiking trips and still has a cabin. “One night, there was moonlight and Northern Lights. The snow was sparkling with this amazing green light, and just then two reindeer came along. It was miraculous.”

Koivuluoma also enjoys Lapland, especially summer camping trips in Urho Kekkonen National Park. “I love the mornings there when it’s completely quiet, still and misty,” she says. She and Eeronheimo both credit their parents for instilling a love of roughing it in nature when they were children.

“I’m completely dependent on nature; I have been since childhood,” says Eeronheimo.

Koivuluoma agrees, saying: “The best thing about Finnish nature is that it’s always nearby, no matter where you live. You can find real nature even in Helsinki.”