The Carrot Tops Allotment Blog!

I’m lucky enough to have a job where I get to do a decent bit of travelling and last week I was in Helsinki, Finland.

It’s a great place and I was fortunate enough to view a good part of the city, as well as get out for a day to explore the wildlife and nature that Finland has to offer.

I and few colleagues ventured out to explore Nuuksio National Park which is one of 40 national parks in Finland and is located a mere 30km north from Helsinki.

We parked at a spot called not far from a place called Kattila and we were greeted by the most amazing meadow and the sounds that come with it at this time of year.

The meadow was alive with crickets, dragon flies and bees each hard at work doing whatever it is they do. The meadow seemed to stretch as far as the eye could see. The weather was fantastic for such a walk and after the meadow it was into the forrest, to see what we could find.

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The forrest was actually fantastic to visit and walk through. I’m not one for camping but I did find myself saying that if I were to go camping, I’d go to the effort of visiting the forests of Finland. If that’s you’re thing, I would Google this to see what’s involved.

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We followed the path down to a place Kattila and were greeted with the most gorgeous lake situated in the middle of the forrest. The air cooled and other than the breeze and the lapping of the waves, there was silence – it was so peaceful and it was so great to enjoy a different kind of calm that’s on offer outside of Helsinki.

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The last stop on the journey was Haltia Raavintola which is a giant visitor centre that you can’t miss before you head into the woods. Haltia Raavintola overlooks the Lake Pitkäjärvi, a giant lake that’s nearly 5km long and nearly 900m wide.

The views below speak for themselves, and when you look out – it’s hard to believe that all of this is just a mere 30km away from Helsinki city centre.

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The views above are from the restaurant, which were perfect with a coffee and a slice of cake.

I was super impressed with Finland, Helsinki and the acres of woods and forrest waiting to be explored. I’d love to go back one day and really take in the wild outdoors – something I haven’t done in quite some time. Who knows, if I get the chance I might even need to do a follow up post.

I’ll end this post with a wildflower from the meadows – and it’s the only one I applied a filter to.

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If you’ve been to Helsinki and explored it’s parks, I would love to read your experiences in the comments below.