Short breaks throughout December at cosy Hotel YlläsHumina.

For those wishing to visit Lapland but wanting greater independence we strongly recommend our Exclusive Arctic breaks to Finnish Lapland in December 2008. Direct flights from Gatwick throughout December 2008 including Christmas and New Year make visiting this winter paradise a breeze.

Hotel YlläsHumina is a friendly family run hotel in western Finnish Lapland at the foot of Ylläs Fell in the village of Äkäslompolo. It is the ideal base for winter activities. If it is skiing that you are looking for, downhill and cross country, the ski centre of Ylläs is just 5km away and cross country ski trails run through the village. Alternatively you can choose from an exhilarating range of husky, reindeer and snowmobile safaris from the village.

You are guaranteed a warm welcome to this hotel. At its heart is the reception building also home to a popular restaurant and the Humina pub where you can relax in front of an open fire. Its cosy accommodation is located in individual rustic log houses each of which has four comfortable hotel rooms.

Holiday dates: 12-15 Dec / 15-19 Dec / 19-23 Dec / 23-28 Dec / 28 Dec - 02 Jan 2009.

For full details of the holidays click here.

To download the information click here.

Snowmobiling Lappish summer style!

In the far north of Finnish Lapland in the small town of Ivalo the locals obviously just couldn’t survive a whole summer without their beloved snowmobiles so they came up with a unique and crazy annual event……The Water Cross Races.

As the snow has long melted the competitors decided to race their snowmobiles across the Ivalo

River that flows through the town. The event attracts competitors and spectators from all over Lapland.

For details of visiting the nearby resort of Saariselkä throughout the year click here. 

Turn back the clock to 1413………..

Over 4 days straight after Midsummer the heart of the town of Turku in southern Finland will turn back the clocks to the Middle Ages. The Medieval Fair will be made up of a market selling traditional crafts, activities such as jousting, knights showing their combat skills and demonstrations of traditional trades.

Jesters and musicians will be mingling with the crowds and each day in the market over a hundred actors will perform a play among the crowds.

To learn more about the event click here.

Under the Midnight Sun of Finnish Lapland.

This crazy and unique tournament takes place in Tornio, on the border between Finnish and Swedish Lapland from 25-28 June 2008. Making the most of the famous never ending summer days of Lapland the event is played around the clock.  Another anomaly of the unique setting is that during each round players will be crossing times zones and the border!

The teams are made up of six players, each of whom has to play 90 holes during the event. The tournament is not for the faint hearted but is starting to attract the attention of golfers across the world.

For further details contact Green Zone Golf Course

tuula.nyholm@telia.com

Image by Pekka Pura.

A hands on exhibition the science of speed and Formula One racing.

This is a fun and exciting exhibition for all age groups at the Heureka Science centre in Vantaa near Helsinki, Finland. It investigates all aspects of Formula One car racing: the physics, engineering, human endurance and biology in an entertaining and interactive way.

Visitors can race in simulators, explore the design of a full size replica Formula One car and practise wheel changes at a Pit stop. In the Fitness testing area visitors can test their reaction times, memory, heart’s performance and peripheral vision.  In the Workshop exhibits focus on areas such as: Build an Engine, Gear Change, Collisions and What’s the Diff?

Exhibition closes 15 March 2009.

To visit Helsinki click here.

For full details of the exhibition click here.

It could only happen in Finland!

During the summer the Finns just love their crazy events such as Wife carrying, Mobile Phone throwing, sauna competitions. This latest event, Old Geezer Carting, takes place in Ruokolahti in the beautiful region of Finnish Southern Karelia.

The emphasis is definitely on fun and good sportsmanship. The object of the event is to push a traditional milk kart over a 200m sand and gravel course in the fastest time.

The competing pairs must be made up of a pusher (a woman or affectionately known as the Old Lady) and carter / passenger (a man, referred to as the geezer). You Geezer can be your own or on loan for the event!

There are several events depending on age, individuals and teams taking place throughout the day. There is also an event this year to for Souped up carts (sadly that doesn’t involve adding an engine) so the crowd can vote for best dressed cart.

The event takes place on 26 July 2008 and you have until 20 June 2008 to get your entry form in.  

For further details click here.

Paddle through spectacular Finnish nature from Pieksämäki to Lahti.

This popular international canoe event takes place for the 24^th time this coming June. This unique event is the longest canoe / kayak relay event in the world and lasts for 6 continuous days.

100 teams and 1000 paddlers are expected to take part in the event. The teams are made up of club, company and family teams. The route is safe and well marshalled so the event is also ideal for beginners.

Each team is made up of between 6 and 12 paddlers. The 532 km route is broken down into 29 stages of between 6 and 30 km.

The paddler’s journey at an approximate speed of 6 km per hour through stunning Finnish countryside making the most of the long, long summer days.

Click here to go to the official event website.

An open invitation for teams to join the event on 06 June 2008.

Twitchers / birders, experienced and beginners are being encouraged to sign up now for the popular Kuusamo Bird Marathon taking place in eastern Finland.

This successful, Kuusamo Open event is taking place for the 25^th time. The aim of the event is for teams to see as many species as possible, while avoiding disturbing the birds and nature. It also allows the locals to compile a good record of the birds in their region.

There are two competitions, the 18 and 24 hour race. This is made possible by the midnight sun with the event starting at 00.00 on Friday 6 June. The teams are made up of 2-5 people of any age.

The event will be rounded of at the closing ceremony at the Congress centre during the afternoon of Saturday 7^th June 2008.

For entry details click here.