Outdoor Activities in Hartola, the Royal Parish of Finland

Once upon a time, there was a king. His name was King Gustav III of Sweden. Many moons ago, he declared Hartola, a small municipality in Päijänne Tavastia region, a sovereign parish. He named it after his son Gustav Adolf, and that’s why locals called it “Kustavus”. After many long years, Hartola became part of Finland and experienced its royal revival when they proclaimed it an official Royal Parish in 1987, the only one in the republic of Finland.

outdoor activities in Hartola
Canoeing on a peaceful lake in Hartola.

Nowadays, Hartola is a place where you can feel not only the royal history, but a place where you can experience a mystical atmosphere fueled by pagan legends among resplendent flora, perfect for outdoor activities.

Nature of Hartola

From what we experienced in Finland recently, Finns are extremely connected to nature from very early childhood and they continue hiking, picking berries and mushrooms and staying active even while introducing all these activities to their children and grandchildren.

outdoor activities in Hartola
A barley field in Hartola.

We guess a great concept of Everyman’s right pays a crucial role in the positive relation of Finns and the nature around them. It’s also one of the reasons why foreigners feel absolutely free, yet conscious and responsible about their actions, while hiking through tranquil Finnish nature.

This special law in Finland allows you to hike, swim, cycle, pick berries, fish with a rod or camp freely in nature and at the same time it encourages you not to damage anyone’s property.

outdoor activities in Hartola
Fishing as a way to relax in Finland.

On that note, many owners of private forests in Finland prefer to keep lands in their own property rather than sell them to the state, which would turn them into national parks and they wouldn’t be able to cut wood and make some profit out of it anymore. Sadly, the problem of the right using of natural resources is an issue also in the land of a peaceful, green oasis like Finland.

Quintessential Finnish outdoors

While walking in the woods of Hartola, you won’t bump into any wooden or iron fences or other officially marked borders that separate a private property from a state one, which makes a big difference compared to the woods and private lands in other European countries.

outdoor activities in Hartola
Canoes near Tainionvirta river.

A hike in the clean woods and a walk on the fluffy moss, or going fishing, picking berries, or even going for a traditional Finnish sauna near the lake and floating a river on a canoe or a kayak are quintessential outdoors activities you do in Finland. These are popular activities not because they are something exotic and made-up for tourists, but because this is the way how locals spend their free time.

Royal outdoor activities in Hartola

* Hiking for kings
Grab a good pair of shoes or maybe your Nordic walking poles too and go for a walk or a run in the forest. The trails are very well maintained and marked. In Hartola, you’ll be led through forest with orange, wooden pillars shaped of a king’s crown to remind you of the history of the area.

outdoor activities in Hartola
The road of the king in Hartola, Finland.

* Rituals in nature for queens
Touch a particularly crooked tree and whisper a prayer for better health, luck and beauty.

outdoor activities in Hartola
It’s easy to recognise them.

Or you can bring an offer to a kuppikivi (a stone with carved holes made with the purpose to offer grains, milk, or berries to the spirits to bring you luck and good harvest) is just an example of old legends and rituals locals used to do in Hartola and Finland in general. Nowadays, you can find about thirty of kuppikivi near Hartola.

outdoor activities in Hartola
Where magic happened: one of thirty kuppikivi near Hartola, Finland.

* Picking berries for princesses
You might get inspired by Finns and take a kuksa with you, a wooden cup to pick yummy blueberries or lingonberries. Remember the special Everyman’s right? That’s right, you can pick and eat as many berries you wish, all with respect to nature. Speaking of which, you might want to carry a plastic bag as many Finns do to pick up the rubbish while walking in the woods. But honestly, you won’t spot much litter in a Finnish forest.

outdoor activities in Hartola
Sweet, sour and bitter lingonberries.

* Canoeing for princes
If you are a water adventure junkie, than Hartola will definitely satisfy you. You can go canoeing and chose different lengths and levels of difficulty. Our first ever canoeing experience happened right in Hartola, where we did a short 4 km trip on Tainionvirta river. Taking our own pace, passing red-white wooden cottages all along the river, greeting fishermen with the sun on our faces and wind in our hair…now that’s the bliss you feel in a canoe.

outdoor activities in Hartola
Canoeing on Tainionvirta river.

On the way, you can have a break in Koskenniemi Guesthouse & Camping, where it’s possible either to camp, rent a cottage, have a sauna treatment or just sip a cup of tea. For renting a canoe in Hartola, contact Mrs. Helena and Mr. Matti, local operators who will help you to arrange everything and guide you on your canoe adventure.

* Picking herbs for a royal herbalist
As each forest in the world, the one in Hartola, Finland is not an exception: it’s a big pharmacy! You will recognise some plants and herbs that you know from your homeland (nettle, fern) but to get good tips with right suggestions how to use those you find only in Finland, it’s always better to pick the herbs with a local expert.

outdoor activities in Hartola
Our local guide introducing us new herbs.

* Peat foot bath for all
Marshlands in Hartlola brings you not only particular smell of herbs, moss and humidity, but you can use a small mud pool to relax your feet while hiking in the woods in Finland. We soaked our feet in a small pool in Hartola’s forest, near a small wooden bridge, which serves also as a bench for your peat feet bath. The water and the mud of the pool is quite refreshing and it takes only a few minutes to get used to the temperature.

outdoor activities in Hartola
Ivana having a refreshing peat foot bath.

Protip: the bottom of mud pools can reach a depth of two meters, so make sure you stay close to the bank or a bench in case peat starts sucking you down to the depths.

outdoor activities in Hartola
Magic and eerie forest in Finland.

As Mrs. Helena Kaartinen, our local guide for outdoors in Hartola said, “the space of woods is big, and we can imagine anything here”. Indeed, there is something magic and a bit eerie about Finnish forests, marshlands and calm lakes where the history left its footprints. The footprints found in captivating legends, hidden meanings and objects that are part of our present and might modify the future of those wetlands and trees that cannot speak loudly to tell us how it was, once upon a time.

Have you ever visited any interesting place that was breathing with its history? 

We visited royal Hartola thanks to OutdoorsFinland and Visit Finland. All opinions and eaten berries are our own.

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10 thoughts on “Outdoor Activities in Hartola, the Royal Parish of Finland”

  1. Very beautiful country! Its so refreshing to see even in pictures. I enjoyed this posts.

    1. Ivana Greslikova

      Thank you, Vanessa, Finland really is refreshing and awesome country to visit!

  2. I personally am a city lover but I have to admit that escaping from its chaos and embracing the refreshing environment of the nature no matter if it’s the forest, a deserted beach (one of my favourite places to be) or a lake in the mountains is incredibly good for my soul. I should be doing these kind of trips and activities more often because they make me feel good!

    1. Ivana Greslikova

      I guess many people feel the same, Franca, that they love cities, but appreciate quiet green places from time to time and vice versa: countryside lovers like to go to a bigger town to socialize a bit or just to feel different vibes 🙂

  3. Amazing nature in Finland, just like in Canada. The Everyman’s Right is an intriguing twist, as you don’t have to worry about walking on to somebody else’s land and landing in hot water as a result!

    1. Ivana Greslikova

      There must be something about this similarity between Finland and Canada as we’ve heard the same from more travellers 🙂
      Happy, safe and free moving travels, Jeff!

  4. Grace @ The Beauty of Everywhere

    Beautiful photos. Finland has been on my list for ages, I can’t wait to go! Such an array of outdoor activities to choose from.

    1. Ivana Greslikova

      Finland has it all when it comes to the outdoors activities 🙂 We’ll be happy to help with any suggestions, Grace.

  5. Sand In My Suitcase

    How interesting – no fences between private and state property. Nice… The countryside in Hartola looks perfect for hiking, canoeing and enjoying the outdoors…

    1. Ivana Greslikova

      We were astonished by their concept, too. Hartola, as all Finland, is just a magnificent place to do plenty of different outdoor activities!

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