A different mode of transport today! We have stayed here at the campsite on Vardö and rented some sea kayaks to allow us to explore the smaller islands and coastline. (And maybe give our legs a rest and remind our arms that they have muscles too!).
All rather conveniently, we managed to rent two decent quality kayaks from the campsite owner. All we had to do (after handing over €40.00), was walk down to the waters edge from the tent. No roof racks, trailers or car shuttles to deal with here!
The buoyancy aids however, were some of the oldest bits of kit I’ve ever seen. The chances of them floating (or even holding together for the rest of the day), looked unlikely. I chose the one with a zip that actually did up and went for XXL size; going with the theory that there should be more floatation buoyancy in it?! The material had practically rotted away.
So it was, with minimal safety kit, but some very nice kayaks, we set off from camp, keeping close to the shore line at first.
As is the way with sea kayaking, it doesn’t take long to leave the world behind and find yourself along a deserted coast that is only accessible by the sea. It felt great.
At 13:00, we pulled up on some rocks, as Clare had some work to attend to. I’m sure they wouldn’t have believed them if she’d told them where she was, but while sitting on a rock, on the coast of a deserted Åland Island, near Finland, Clare joined a conference call with a team in Bristol to finalise some details of some work she has lined up in September. Talk about mixing business with pleasure!
It had been warm, but overcast all morning, but when we got back on the water after the conference call, the clouds broke up and the sun blazed through.
After passing a small fish farm, we made a short crossing to an unnamed island for some lunch. An enormous bird (a fish eagle perhaps?), was circling overhead and getting a bit of hassle from the sea gulls. We guessed they were after the easy pickings from the fish farm?
The water around the lunch island was deep and turquoise, so swimming was therefore obligatory. We found a shelf of granite that protruded into the deeper water and dived in. The water was warm enough to be really enjoyable and back on the hot rocks, we dried off in minutes.
We carried on around the island, so that we could make a complete circumnavigation. The wind made the water on the open crossing back to the mainland a little choppy, but nothing too concerning.
Nearer the camp, there was a small inlet that we explored next, hoping to find some wildlife. Apart from a few terns diving for fish and a family of greebs, we didn’t see much though.
It was great to be out on our own...
At 5pm, we arrived back at camp, put the kit away and went directly up to the camp bar to get a celebratory drink. There’s not much industry on the Åland Islands, but they do seem to make their own beer, so we bought a couple of bottles, along with a bowl of chips to compliment them. A great finish.
Shortly after dinner a sudden torrential downpour soaked the camp. Luckily we remembered that lots of our gear was lying outside our tent, so rushed to get it inside. Plenty of other campers weren’t so quick and when we went to bed, there were a lot of folk trying to dry sleeping mats with the shower room hairdryer!
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