You never know what you are going to find

You plan your journey hoping that places are where they are supposed to be, especially when it comes to finding somewhere to stop for the night. This does not always work out. At a place called Hattuvaara the map, our guidebook and the road signs indicated accommodation at a place that is also a museum. We got there at 7pm with no sign of any accommodation , or anybody. We were just wondering what to do when the man running the museum arrived back to do some extra work. No, they no longer did accommodation. He looked worried. We said about camping  and he brightened, we could put the tent on some grass behind the museum. He let us in to use the toilet and we enjoyed our supper on the cafe verandah. 

Next night we came into a town with a campsite and museum and stopped to look at the map to find where they were. A man stopped his car to ask if he could help. This is most unusual for Finland. When we said we were camping he looked doubtful but agreed there was no where else and that we would probably be alright. Up a narrow path with little indication of exactly where it was and we finally arrived at what had one been 'reception' but was now a bit of a junk yard with two very yappy dogs. The owner arrived and looked doubtful about us staying. He hadn't turned the water on for showers and toilet. Eventually he thought he could do so, but then had the brighter idea that we could use the facilities in one of the huts. This included a sauna. The place must have once been lovely but was now rapidly returning to forest. A path had been mown to some of hey he bigger huts and for half the camping area, but smaller huts, the children's playground etc were just peeping above the undergrowth. The man told us that he had been in the secret service. We had all sorts of images about what now went on in those overgrown huts. A perfect setting for a spy thriller.

The next day there should have been shops at various places along the route, but they were no more. By the time we arrived at our destination, we feared that supper might be a tin of tuna, some sliced cheese and chocolate biscuits. Oh and a bar of chocolate. A pension 'with camping possibilities' was mentioned in our guide book, and there it was signposted a km ahead and with a restaurant. Someone going in to the building and who spoke some English, said he would go and ask but we should stay outside. Oh dear, here we go again. He came out and said there were difficulties, something to do with linen. We said bedding wasn't a problem we had sleeping bags. The man went in again and this time came out it was alright. We were shown a nice room, nothing fancy but definitely OK. We asked about the restaurant. No that wasn't there any more. We asked about a shop. No that wasn't there any more. We asked about food and yes he could give us something. We had a nice meaty soup and bread and cold meat and grapes, and coffee. There is always coffee. Next morning we had a good breakfast and all meals were in the very reasonable price. I think the owner was a little wary of these foreigners but by the time we left he was getting quite communicative.

That day we did alright for food. We were cycling through a pretty remote area when there was a sign at a building for something which looked to include the Finnish for coffee. It turned out to be a community project to provide work for young people and some income for community projects. It was in an old house and full of second hand goods for sale but also had a cafe with good homemade food and a girl working there who was dying to chat in English.

You just never know what you are going to find, which is one of the joys of this sort of travel.

Today we have had a day of doing nothing in a campsite by a lake in a place called Uukuniemi. Well not quite nothing, we had a sauna and a swim and tried to catch up on diary writing. Last night there was a big thunderstorm with great flashes of lightening and thunder that rocked the hut. We had fortunately decided to have a hut as it was very cheap, so were under a roof rather than the tent. 

If all goes to plan we have 4 more days of the cycle route.