The gateway to the Kvarken Archipelago is the Replot Bridge which, at just over a kilometre, is Finland’s longest bridge. The scenery crossing the bridge looked beautiful on this glorious sunny day, with lots of small islands dotted around the deep blue sea.
The whole archipelago, comprising 5,600 islands spread over some 200,000 hectares, is a UNESCO World Heritage site thanks to the way the ice age shaped the landscape two billion years ago, leaving lines of rock protruding from the sea.
We parked the van in the car park by the harbour at Svedjehamn (€4 for 24 hrs) and followed the path to the 20 metre high observation tower. The views from the top were just superb – the photos really don’t do it justice. The only disappointment is that we didn’t spot a white-tailed eagle. This place is one of Finland’s hidden gems as it isn’t on the tourist trail, and there’s hardly anybody here.
Tomorrow we will be heading another 200 KM up the coast towards the Arctic Circle.
Mike
Starting a long overdue catch up of your travels in 2018 , going backwards in time. I hope that you are both well and still living your travels together.
Hi Heather, lovely to hear from you! Yes we’re having a great time travelling around. I hope we don’t make you too jealous, now that we’re in Scandinavia!