Author: emmiandjoelsebiketrail

Muonio is very close to our hearts in many ways – both of us moved there from southern Finland to become nature and wilderness guides and on top of that, both of Emmi’s parents grew up there. It is a perfect place for a school about wildlife since the area is mostly uninhabitated: there are many lakes and rivers for canoeing and fishing, big swamps, old beautiful forests and fells reaching over 800 meters above the sea level. Being part of Lapland, there’s a proper winter in the area, at least for a while still. The thing to be really proud of is that there you’ll breath the cleanest air in the populated earth. Muonio is also the place where we met and fell in love.

We hopped on a bus with our bikes in Kilpisjärvi to get to our former home village. It felt so good to be back there – to meet friends and Emmi’s relatives we had been missing, bike around without trailers for a while, rest a bit and enjoy some proper Finnish food. After moving everyday for two weeks it was so nice to have a basecamp for a few days.

Guess it’s true what the locals say about wintertime in Muonio: “There is nothing else to do in winter than make love”. We moved from Muonio only a year ago and quite many of our friends there had a new born baby or were just about to have one. The autumn in the village will be all about anticipation and baby showers. Soon there will be as many toddlers as there are reindeer in Muonio (maybe a bit of exaggeration).

After a few days in Muonio we hopped on our bikes again and headed towards Äkäslompolo, a village next to Muonio. We cycled around 60 kilometres to our friend’s cabin in the center of the village. This was going to be our last stop before returning back home to Helsinki from our awesome adventure.

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Our first destination sightseeing in Äkäslompolo was a fell called Kuertunturi. Some of us hadn’t been there before, so we decided to head up to see the views from the top. First we followed a path but decided at some point to take the shortest way up which was straight through the forest. The views from the top are so beautiful and calming towards the fell Ylläs and the lake Äkäslompolo (yes, the village has gotten it’s name from the lake). We took some group photos and had some snacks while enjoying the fresh air in the heights.

Äkäslompolo is a good choice if you like cycling. There are routes from short and rather easy to quite long and more challenging, going around lakes and on top of fells. There’s something for everyone’s needs and likes, and the environment is so beautiful and close to nature. There are many places in the village that rent bikes, including fat bikes. Our friends wanted to join us on a bike day tour so they decided to rent mountain bikes, and the five of us headed to Kesänkijärvi. We had so much fun on the narrow paths going through swamps and forests!

Since we wanted to make the most of the time we had in precious Lapland, we went on a small escapade before our departure on the last day. Our first stop was at the Kirkkopahta Seida Rock, which has been a place of worship, a church of sorts for Sámi people. There you could make offerings, such as meat or fish, in the hopes of getting prosperity in return.

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The next place was Pakasaivo, a Saivo Lake, which is also called the “Hell of Lapland”. The lake is an ancient gathering and sacrifical place for the Lappish people. It is 60 meters at its deepest and measured from the surface of the water the sides rise up to 60 meters in height. Since the waters on the bottom and on the surface never mix, the bottom is almost oxygen-free and very high in sulphur. This is why everything that’s sunk to the bottom is preserved for hundreds of thousands of years.

After some delicious pizza in Eväskori it was time to say goodbye to our friends and Lapland, and jump on a night train to Helsinki. Luckily our home welcomed us with a stunning misty morning which made it feel okay to be back in the south.

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We’ll be back one more time with the route maps and stats from our trip – with some highlights from the most exciting cycling summer. Stay tuned and see you soon!

– Emmi & Joel

The last few days we’ve cycled through sunshine and rain, experienced Norway’s versatility and returned to the basics of camping outdoors. When you’re well-equipped, there’s no bad weather for spending time outside, only different kinds of circumstances.

The road from Olsborg to Finnish boarder consists of many up and downhills – from Skibotn to Kilpisjärvi, around 50 kilometres, it’s only uphill. That’s why it’s really important to take care of oneself, to eat and sleep well and to stay hydrated. Also to keep your cycling smooth and comfortable, it’s good to warm up your muscles before starting the days journey and stretch a little after when travelling this long time by bike.

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It’s important to take a rest day as well here and there to let the body recover. From Olsborg we went on a day trip to Senja, an island in Troms county, with Emmi’s stepfather who showed us some of the most gorgeous sceneries there. He also took us to eat the most delicious strawberry milkshake we’ve ever had, so if you ever go to Norway, taste the shake – and the soft ice cream, try that one too. Our Senja exploration was the perfect rest day before our bike trip continued towards Kilpisjärvi. Soon we’d be in our home country again.

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We cycled around 30 kilometres before lunch, which is quite the usual before getting hungry. We didn’t have much time to prepare our food for this trip so we’ve had mostly pasta and rice for lunch and porridge for breakfast, but with a little extra effort you’ll be able to spice up the outdoor cookings to a whole new level – dry some veggies, mushrooms or even meat before the trip, have your favourite spices with you and add for example nutritional yeast, pea or soy protein, nuts and seaweed for more energy and nutrients. While cycling we’re passing grocery stores often, so we’ll get fresh veggies and other ingredients easily, but finding them from nature is the best: wild berries, mushrooms, fish and even flowers! We made this delicious fireweed tea by collecting half a litre flowers and added them to 0,75 litres of water.

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While traveling towards Finland, we started getting more and more rain. Luckily we have proper outerwear to match any weather, so even with pouring rain we’re able to stay fairly dry. It’s also good to have wool, we have merino wool, underneath, which keeps you warm even if you get a bit wet. Also we have a nice tent from Fjällräven which has gone through some serious weather conditions from fierce wind and rain to -35°C, and one of the best things about it is the spacious vestibule, where you can store your things and cook in a shelter.

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Without a proper night’s sleep the next day on a bike is super difficult – we’ve tried so you don’t have to. We try to get to sleep early enough or maybe then sleep a bit later the next morning because it helps your body to recover from the day’s cycling and keep your head clear and positive. We’ve chosen air sleeping pads since we find them rather comfortable and they insulate well from cold rising from the ground. We’re all individuals and when Joel sleeps in a light summer sleeping bag, Emmi chooses a heavier three season sleeping bag for the same temperature. The most important thing is to know yourself and what you need. A good tip is also to have dry clothes specifically for sleep and use a liner, we have silk blanket liners to keep us cooler when it’s warm and warmer when it’s cold, and also keep the sleeping bags cleaner.

Our last night in Norway was in the middle of the rise from Skibotn to Kilpisjärvi. The day before we’d had some help from Olderelv Camping where the nicest staff helped us to charge our bikes with mains electricity, because we’d had so rainy and cloudy days and weren’t able to charge from the sun. The road to Kilpisjärvi was quite tough with its 819 meters elevation but it felt such a victory when we got to the Finnish boarder. We took a cabin from Kilpisjärvi to dry our clothes and equipment before heading to Muonio.

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That’s where we’ll be next when you’ll hear from us – our former home, the place where we met and studied to become wilderness guides. See you in Muonio! ♥

– Emmi & Joel

Our travels continued from beautiful Reine towards Henningsvær. As we chatted about not encountering that many animals at close quarters this trip, we suddenly saw a group of greylag geese right next to us. They just calmly ate their grass lunch while we cycled past them. Also wherever you go here, you can hear a bell ringing, and the sound usually comes from sheep wearing the bells. They roam quite near the roads or even on the roads in northern Norway, so one must be careful while driving.

We passed through a cute village called Ramberg and cycled a bit on the beach. After around 43 kilometres we found a beautiful spot for our tent (with some cloudberries!) and a great place to charge the bikes. We’d had a great sunny morning the day before and that’s what we got this morning as well – our bikes were once again fully charged from the sun as we continued our journey. When nearing Henningsvær, we got some light rain for the first time on the trip and the smell of the wet asphalt was so refreshing. We went to sleep in a traditional Norwegian fisherman’s cabin in a town that we looked forward to exploring the next day.

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We had cycled 84 kilometres to Henningsvær the day before and decided to take the time in the town and not rush with continuing the journey. Boys went to fish in the hopes of catching a nice cod for lunch while Emmi stayed in the town center enjoying the cute houses, galleries and cafés. While roaming around the town, Emmi spotted a boutique called Engelskmannsbrygga, which sold such beautiful glass and ceramic pieces and photographs. There you could also watch the artisans working with their creations. Luckily an affordable fish soup in Klatrekaféen caught her eye as well, since the boys unfortunately didn’t catch any fish this time.

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Then we were on the road once again. We didn’t get too far from the last destination since we stumbled upon the Lofoten Aquarium which we wanted to visit. There we got to learn a little about the aquatic species in northern Norway and also about the fishing culture here, what it was like before and how it is today. We took a rather light cycling day and stayed in Kabelvåg for the night, quite near the aquarium.

The next morning it was time for Max to leave and drive back home to Finland. We said our goodbyes and took a little time to do some bike maintenance. We had had some difficulties with our trailers, or actually with the attachments of the trailers to the bikes, and we managed to fix them before hopping back on the saddle. We hadn’t been that good with just getting ahead with our journey since we’d stopped to photograph all things at every corner (for example this pretty bay under a kilometre away from our sleeping spot) but now we decided to move along a bit further in the upcoming days. Our goal was to get to Olsborg, where Emmi’s stepfather lives, which would take us around four days with 230 kilometres and a few boat trips.

Our first ferry took us to Melbu and we found a sweet camping spot quite near there. We got some good sun and our batteries full, but the weather forecast looked more gloomy from now on, so we were a bit nervous if we’d be able to charge our bikes after this before Olsborg.

We made some changes to our plans to fit Emmi’s stepfather’s schedule to ours, so instead of Andenes we headed to a more southern route. Then we learned a valuable lesson on the next part of our trip: don’t trust Google Maps when it tells you that a secluded sand road makes your trip shorter and make sure in advance that the ferry connection Google tells you to take still exists. Oh boy what an adventure we had because of our trust in Google. This sand road, which actually turned into a more of a forest path at some point, took us about 3 hours though it was only 25 kilometres long with it’s crazy steep uphills and rocky paths (which were not that suited for cycling, especially not with trailers). We did get to see a gorgeous valley and a beautiful moose a couple of meters from us though, if one wants to see the bright side of our energy consuming wander. On top of this, on the next morning we realised that the ferry we were supposed to take didn’t exist anymore, so we had to make yet another plan.

After some brainstorming everything went better than expected – actually, our new plan turned out to be a quite fun one. We cycled to Harstad from where we hopped on board the Hurtigbåt, a ship that sails the famous ferry route Hurtigruten. The route goes from the south of Norway, from Bergen, to the north, to Kirkenes, which is on the Russian boarder, and it is said to be the most beautiful ferry route on the whole world. Because we finally got the real Norwegian weather – lower temperatures with rain – we didn’t get to see the sights on their full glory, but the cloudy and misty weather made everything feel rather peaceful and a bit mystical.

We got ashore in Finnsnes and after a lunch break we cycled the last 36 kilometres to Olsborg. All in all, from Reine to Olsborg we had cycled 347 kilometres and taken three different ferries. The last 146 kilometres we cycled with a single charge, although it meant that at the second half of those kilometres we could use electricity only on the steepest uphills and we really drained the batteries to as empty as they can get.

Now we’ll enjoy the hospitality of Emmi’s stepfather for a couple of nights and rest our legs a bit. On the next post we’ll visit Senja and return to the basics and what we think is important while camping. See you soon!

– Emmi and Joel

The boys weren’t kidding. The place is amazing. Seriously, all of us could move here.

We hopped on our bikes in Å, a small fishing village in Lofoten, which is a part of Moskenes municipality. We were going to spend the night in Reine, which is only a little under ten kilometres away from Å, so we were there in just a blink of an eye.

You may have seen pictures of the place, it’s a famous one while visiting Lofoten, but it’s nothing compared to what it’s like in real life. The fishing boats and huts, the mountains surrounding the village – it truly is from a Norwegian fairytale.

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After settling down to our adorable little cabin, we decided to leave our bikes to charge in the sun and hike up a mountain called Reinebringen by foot this time. The climb is so steep that you’d need one exceptional bike to get up there (read: you can’t, please don’t try). Reinebringen’s top is at 448 metres and there’s a brand new stone path leading up to it. The path consists of 1560 stone steps, which were built by the Nepali Sherpas, so the looks and the quality of the staircase are truly excellent. Our timing couldn’t have been more perfect since the opening of the path was at July, just a month before our visit.

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The climb probably burned three days worth of calories but one definitely forgot about the muscle aches when looking at the view. There’s no way we can describe it in words so it’s better just to show you why we were so astonished by the view.

While watching the sunset on the top of the mountain, the temperature started slowly dropping and we decided to head back down. The village was beautiful, a warm light glowing from people’s homes at the brink of night. We went to sleep with the hope of getting back up Reinebringen in our dreams.

In the morning we were super pleased to notice that our e-bikes had been fully charged in the evening and morning sun. Though we could’ve stayed in Reine forever, it was time to move on to the next location. We quickly visited the village center to buy some groceries and to try out local fish and veggie burgers. After lunch we cycled through the cutest islands and bridges of Reine towards new adventures in Lofoten Islands. The only goal was to see the islands and explore new places, and we surely found something worth sharing – but more on that on the next post.

Lastly, for the most daring of you we have a time lapse of us getting down the 1560 stone steps. Come on and join us on the path of burning thighs and calves!

– Emmi & Joel with Max

We both have always loved Norway, all of its fjords and mountains, fishing boats and villages with tiny red homes of happy and healthy people. We know it sounds way too perfect to be true but seriously, this is how Norway has appeared to us time and time again. For outdoorsy people such as ourselves this is the perfect place – there’s endless amount of places to explore and things to do!

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To get to Norway we took a ferry from Vaasa in Finland to Umeå, the largest locality in Norrland. From there we had to travel around 600 kilometres to Norway’s Bodø to get to a ferry to our actual destination, but luckily we got a ride from our friend Max, who’s joining us for the first half of our adventure. After some 13 hours in a car and 10 hours in a ferry we finally arrived to Værøy.

None of us had been in Værøy before and we were totally blown away right from the first seconds – by its beauty, not by the wind, which could be the case since the island is rather far from the mainland surrounded by the sea, and the weather can change quite rapidly. Værøy is a part of Lofoten Islands, which will be our main attraction on this trip.

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After having some lunch we finally got to hop on our bikes. We explored a bit and found out that it is the largest fishing village in the region and that the Norwegian Lundehund, also known as the puffin dog, is from a place called Måstad on this island. The island has large seabird colonies and the Lundehund was originally used for hunting the birds since they were an important food resource back in the day. After marvelling at the puffins, only in the village signs this time unfortunately, we started our climb to the mountain Håen – and the climb was done with our e-bikes, obviously.

The ride up was a bit sweaty, have to admit, but it was definitely worth it! The mountain top is 438 meters above the sea level so one can imagine that the views of the unique island and its surroundings were quite breathtaking. Actually, you don’t need to imagine, since we took some photos for you:

We also have another treat for you! Since it was quite a lot of fun cycling uphill with the help of our L7Drive tech and then rolling down, we decided to make a vlog of our venture:

After our mountain trip we went to find a sleeping spot and what a place we found! The beach and the sunset were so beautiful, and who wouldn’t dream of going to sleep with a view to the mountains and the sea. There was also a perfect fishing spot for the boys while Emmi enjoyed some me time with crossword puzzles.

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We slept like babies and woke up fresh to a sunny morning. Our ferry to Moskenes left at 8:45 am and we got to inhale the last of Værøy’s air while watching it fade into the distance from the deck. Next we’ll be continuing our Lofoten escapade in the village called Reine, which Joel and Max already know to be insanely beautiful. We can’t wait to share one of the boys favourite places in the whole world – see you there!

– Emmi and Joel with Max

Ps. If you’re interested in some updates in between our blog posts, just follow Emmi’s Instagram stories @emmisilventoinen – there you’ll find some moments along the way in real time.

On this cycling trip our last destination was the capital of Åland islands, Mariehamn. It is a small seaside town with good food, lots of activities, beautiful nature and maritime culture. It’s a perfect destination for both a day trip or a longer stay, and was very pleasant to navigate with a bike.

To get to Mariehamn we first took a ferry to Långnäs. As we cycled towards the town, we came across the most adorable lemonade factory Amalias Limonadfabrik. There you could visit the actual factory, taste the treats in a café and shop in a tiny flea market. The staff was super nice and they let us even fill up our water tanks in their kitchen! And don’t get us started with the goods from the café – the lemonades were so refreshing on a hot day and the chocolates very yummy. After drinking warm water for a couple of days the place felt like heaven.

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Finland’s been influenced by Swedish culture a lot in the past since we’ve been part of Sweden once. This can be seen for example in Åland and other Swedish-speaking parts of Finland when in Midsummer people put up maypoles for celebration, and some of them were still up. Even the flowers in Åland are yellow and blue like the Swedish flag! (Just kidding, obviously.)

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Along the way we also had the sweetest encounter, when a Swiss couple we’d met a day before stopped their car on the side of the road just to give us some chocolate from their home country. We couldn’t have been more grateful and baffled by this kindness of strangers. ♥

We were surprised how much nature there was in Mariehamn anywhere you go. Amongst the wooded parks there were many sheep pastures and even conservation areas right next to the town centre. We also met these lovely lady cows posing for us in the evening sun.

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There’s loads for museum freaks, such as ourselves, to see, for example Åland Art Museum, The Cultural History Museum of Åland and Åland Maritime Museum with the four-masted barque Pommern. Pommern is in fact the only four-masted merchant sailing ship still in its original state in the whole world! For an afternoon activity we decided to go miniature golfing in Adventure Golf which gave us some grey hairs but mostly a lot of laughs.

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In Mariehamn there’s so much to see, that the one day and a half we spent there wasn’t enough at all. This just means we’ll have to come back again – and very soon, we hope. We took a ferry back to Turku where we stayed at our friends’ house for the night.

The last day cycling back home was the longest of the whole trip, 92 kilometres. This whole adventure was so unique and a lot of fun! Neither of us had done this type of e-bike trip before and it was so nice to be able to use solar panels for charging the bikes. It gave us the freedom to move off-grid and we were able to ride longer distances than we could’ve with regular bikes.

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Here’s a rough map of our total route:

All in all the trip was so successful and enjoyable it left us wanting more – more of cycling, spending time outdoors and exploring new places. We’re taking a week’s break now, but then we’ll be taking you to northern Norway and Finland with us. It’ll be interesting to see how the solar charging works further north and if we’ll be as lucky with the weather as we were on this trip. Now we’re back to where it all started to begin the next adventure fresh and clean. See you soon!

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Emmi and Joel

Although nature has always had intrinsic value in our eyes, every outdoor experience makes it even more true. Mother nature provides us food, water and other resources if we know where to look for them. This is why it’s so important for us to look after her as well – without it human kind wouldn’t exist.

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Today, the 29th of July, is the Earth Overshoot Day which means that on this day we humans have exceeded Earth’s capacity to regenerate natural resources this year. In Finland the day was a lot sooner, in the 5th of April. We as Finns are a rather privileged people, which makes you think about how you could use your position for good. Though it’s said that a single individual doesn’t matter, if 7,7 billion individuals decide to make a change for better, it’s a huge effect.

You’ve probably heard the basic tips for greener lifestyle, such as recycling, eating more plant-based and travelling less by airplane, but sometimes you forget these things on a vacation. Reminding yourself, that tourism is one of the biggest polluters, is super important while choosing your travel destination, how you’ll get there and what are the activities you’re going to do.

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There are many gorgeous places right next to you, you really don’t have to go that far to find something new and exciting – and even a little exotic! For us, Åland feels like cycling abroad, even though it is a part of Finland. Riding a bike is a really great way of travelling: you’ll be able to sense the nature in a whole new way and your condition gets better. With an e-bike you’ll be able to ride a bit longer distances easier, which makes it a considerable option for a motorcycle or even for a car. Charging the bikes with solar energy is what makes us really happy since it’s a perfect way of reducing our carbon footprint on this journey.

While more plant-based eating is definitely the future for humans, locally produced food and all that you can collect from the wilderness shouldn’t be forgotten – and of course these don’t exclude each other. For us collecting food and fishing are important part of our meals on the road. It’s also fun to roam around and get thrilled when you find an amazing blueberry spot or catch a pretty perch.

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When we ordinary people demand for more sustainable and eco-friendly products, big companies are forced to change their harmful ways. There’s so much we can do to move the date of the Earth Overshoot Day forward, and hopefully one day the Overshoot Day is just a part of history.

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Next time a little sneak peek of our Åland trip’s last destination, Mariehamn, the capital of Åland islands. Stay tuned!

Emmi and Joel

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From beautiful Brändö we came to Kumlinge by ferry. We were excited to explore new surroundings and in the first few kilometres we already met some locals – a roe deer and a Caspian tern. We wanted to visit some cultural locations of Kumlinge but first we needed a freshly baked cinnamon bun with coffee and lemonade in a local café.

After coffee break we saw a signpost pointing to a church and thought why not to visit. When we arrived there we were totally blown away how stunning it was. The church of Saint Anne is first mentioned in a testament in 1484 and the paintings in the ceiling are original, from the beginning of the 16th century. The graveyard surrounding the church is very charming as well with its tiny pond and meadow flowers.

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When we left the church we noticed we hadn’t had much to eat that day and decided to enjoy by eating out for lunch. Restaurang Kastören offers tasty local dishes which aren’t that pricy. At the end of our meal we had our tummies full and a smile on our faces. We took a light walk to the Kumlinge Marina harbour where the restaurant is located and noticed that a nature trail starts there. It goes to the church we visited and is said to be an excellent path to spot many animals such as cranes and moose.

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Our camping spot was on the top of a rocky hill which had the best views and berry picking spots. It was also a perfect place to charge our e-bikes.

As we’ve been cycling more than 300 kilometres we also have some data about the bikes, which you’ve been eagerly waiting for. The battery capacity in our bikes is 550Wh and on our tour we’ve been using around 4-6Wh electricity for one kilometre. This means that with full battery we can go around 110 kilometres even if we have a heavy load with us.

Here’s a little nature piece for you to make these technicalities a little less heavy:

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Our solar panels were ordered from elsewhere in the last minute and were a bit of a cheap version of what we actually wanted to have. These solar panels should have had a charge power of 100W but the actual charge power is around 50W. Better quality solar panels which are the same size should easily give at least 100W. What it really means is that with better quality panels 30 minutes of charging equals one hour cycling, while now with our panels one hour ride needs one hour of charging. So from empty to full battery it takes now around eleven hours when with better panels it’d take five.

Hey you made it through the information jungle! Here’s how easy it is to put up the solar panels:

If you got super interested in the technology of our bikes, you’ll find more info about it from L7Drive. Anyway, we’ve only been charging our bikes in the morning and evening sun, and when we’ve stopped to cook food. That’s been enough to let us cycle as much as we’ve wanted everyday. We are happy to say that riding the solar powered bikes is our new favourite way of travelling!

Emmi and Joel

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.

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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.

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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

The day we’d been waiting for was finally here: we’d get to start our super exciting trip to Åland and back on our solar powered electric bikes. Our starting point was at Karjalohja from where we headed to Vuosnainen to catch a ferry to an island called Brändö. From there we’ll start the Archipelago Trail in Åland which is known for it’s breathtaking scenery surrounded by Baltic Sea.

We were so eager to just start cycling and head towards our destination, but first we had some preparations to do on our departure day. Obviously gearing the bikes, packing up food and all of those things are important, but sauna before an escapade, that’s what’s really important.

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On the first day, or night actually, we eventually rode only 21 kilometres to our camping spot. We put up solar panels and went to sleep, and when we woke up, the bikes had been charged in the morning sun.

Our e-bikes are regular mountain bikes which are geared with L7Drive solar powered technology. While driving it’s easy to follow the battery level from our phones which are attached to the handlebars. To increase our packing capasity we added a trailer for each of our bikes.

Though cycling is naturally a big part of this trip, we also want to enjoy the nature and what it has to offer us. Camping outdoors is truly invigorating for both of us, it balances the everyday working life. Spending time in nature brings us back to what’s really important and essential. Observing the environment is a lot of fun as well! When you open your eyes, you’ll be surprised how much life you can find everywhere.

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