On the Archipelago Trail to Kustavi Island

Zagan the motorhome’s never seen so many islands. We lost count of the ferries we’ve been on today after five, as the route switched back and forth, between land and sea. A pleasant day’s travelling but a tad frustrating on the wild camping front, this is the first nice place we’ve managed to find in seven hours on the road. We’re at a pleasure boat marina on the island of Kustavi (60.49556,21.43949), and steadily families are arriving and loading their yachts, ready for a summer solstice weekend in the sun.

Zagan free camping at the Kustavi Marina

Summer solstice weekend at Kustavi Marina

Most of the yachts here are alive with people, a wonderful sight

As I write this millions of Brits vote on whether we want, as a nation, to remain part of the EU or to go it alone. Unexpectedly today a Finnish chap asked us “what’s this about the Brexit thing?” “it’ll make me poorer if you leave, my shares will go down”. Hmmm, pretty much the last thing we’d expected to be questioned about on an island in the middle of nowhere. The chap was, as it happens, a bit worse for wear, and the arrival of yet another ferry signalled our politically-correct escape from this particularly friendly, inquisitive, and pissed-up Finn.

Theme of the day: ferries

I’d love to wax lyrical about the archipelago, but I can’t really, we’ve gone about visiting the place in entirely the wrong way. Let me explain: we’re free-baggin’, wild-camping, tight-fisted over-users of hyphens and, we don’t like paying €30 a night to park if we can help it. Before we hit these Baltic Isles, out came our books and databases of places to stay: not much came back. Next up Google Maps, and we scanned the route for kipping spots. Not looking good. Each island looked like an upturned leaf: a single road ran through the middle with off-shoots out to the sea. Zooming in on these likely-looking side roads, each ended in a single private residence, in an idyllic location, usually with a private boat mooring. Private: as in no space for a free-loading white wagon, unless we fancied really testing the reserve of an island-dwelling Finn by just parking up next to his house.

A tourist brochure given to us indicated you could free-camp on the islands. Sadly, it didn’t say where…

The way to see this place is the way the guys opposite me are doing it. Get a boat. Load it up with food, booze, funky tunes, games and your family. Head out to your summer cabin. Chill the hell out eating, drinking, sitting in the sauna and not being bothered by English motorhomers or Brexits. The archipelago looks a summer dream to those with a boat. Next best thing: book a cabin and use the freebie ferries (mostly free – if you do the big loop there is one ferry which costs €70) to get to it, then repeat other aspects of the ideal archipelago trip. Next again: drive your motorhome to a campsite and don’t wince at the cost, after all, these spots are pretty incredible and half the price of a pitch in the UK.

Finns awaiting their boat transport in the archipelago

A cabin on one of thousands of islands

Free-baggin’ in a boat here must be like shooting fish in a barrel

Our way: drive across each island looking for a cheeky spot next to the sea. Find nothing before satnav chirps up again: In 500 metres, take the ferry. The towns are tiny and away from the coast, but do have the odd small car park we could have used to be fair, but they weren’t inspiring spots so we just kept hopping to here, which we found on park4night.com. The roads across the islands are easy enough to navigate by van, and the ferries are all large enough to take our motorhome. Most ferries run all day and night in the summer, but the paid ones only run a few times a day, so it pays to get a timetable, or be prepared to wait a few hours. The whole large archipelago loop could be done in a day without too much hassle, if you fancied.

The archipelago trail loop – finger points to the single ferry your have to pay for – and of course they take credit cards, this is Finland!

To me, by far the best part of this detour into the sea were the ferries. We’d get out on all but the shortest ones and look around, watching the sea sweep past islands of smooth rock sprouting trees and haired with green reeds. Photos of this place in winter show that sometimes the sea freezes solid, a concept which is just too weird to contemplate on a day like today.

So, next up is the north. We’ve been tracking the Ourbumble.com guys as they slingshot up through Norway and are currently on the Lofoten Islands. For them the midnight sun is already a reality, they’ve passed the Arctic Circle. Even in Zagan World, time ticks on, and we need to get ourselves up there…

Today’s first: a handicapped portaloo. Never seen one of ’em before

Cheers, Jay

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