We’ve travelled 185 kilometres from Karjalohja through Salo, Turku and Kustavi to Brändö, a municipality of over 1200 different sized islands. This means that for every resident there are two islands – a dream come true! The islands consist of shoals, islets and cliffs with a sea view, but also of leafier areas in the middle parts of Brändö.
Brändö is truly a gold mine for nature lovers with its beautiful scenery and wildlife. While cruising around the islands we saw three mute swan families, grey herons and white-tailed eagles just to name a few of the species we spotted. It’s also a rewarding year for a butterfly watcher and this island is filled with these beauties as well.
Since the island is so astonishing it’s definitely a cyclist’s paradise. If you’re wondering whether to choose a bike or a car to travel Brändö, choose a bike – you’ll be able to inhale the sea air and enjoy the scenery a lot better that way. Especially with an e-bike it’s been super easy to explore the island with and without our luggage. While cycling around we found the perfect rock to recharge our batteries – and at the same time charge our bikes a bit as well.
There’s a lot of food grown locally in Brändö and some of them you can buy from a local shop in addition to other products from Åland. A fish farm is located in the island of Åva in the municipality, which we came across while riding our bikes from the north towards the southern parts. There are also activities like miniature golf in the islands if you feel like doing something special on your trip.
For dinner we found some delicious parasol mushrooms and some chanterelles and slippery jacks to put on top of our breakfast bread. Bilberries were a tasty snack on the more secluded trails. Also bog bilberries are really yummy if you can get your hands on them. Since we have everyman’s rights here in Finland, we’re allowed to amongst other things pick wild berries and mushrooms, camp and fish in the wilderness without a separate permission. This is a wonderful way to add something fresh to your camp dinners.
Though we could stay here for weeks still (or maybe for the rest of our lives), it’s time to move on to the next location. Our next stop in Åland will be in Kumlinge – stay tuned!
But before that, we haven’t just been cycling and sunbathing! Here’s a clip for you to actually see how beautiful Brändö is ♥ :
Emmi and Joel
Our green e-bike trip 