For starters, the snow had almost completely melted, with the spectacular lakes beginning to thaw the rivers were full of rapids thanks to the melting ice. Another thing about the Arctic Circle between May and August is that the sun does not set at all, a phenomenon referred to as the ‘Midnight Sun’. It took a little while for my brain to get used to these hours of extended daylight and for the first three nights, I was up very late making the most the spectacular evening glow.
In fact, after sitting outside one evening, I got a great shock when I checked the time and saw it was 1:30 am. It had still been so light outside and felt more like early evening than the middle of the night! Although I was surprised by the time on my watch, I was totally inspired by the possibilities that this daylight brought. As someone who always longs for more time, it would be great to live here and not worry about the time getting away from you and enjoy relaxing under the incredible glow of the ‘Midnight Sun’.
One of the most spectacular things about being so far north in May is the wonderful change in the colour of the light that the ‘Midnight Sun’ brings. The colour is simply amazing as the landscape takes on a beautiful reddish-yellow glow during the evenings. It was incredible to see everything around you covered in a beautiful warm, bright light and made being in Lapland at this time a very special experience.
As well as the ‘Midnight Sun’, Finland is known for having hundreds of thousands of lakes. During the winter months, these become frozen adding a huge network of snowmobile and cross-country trails to be explored. Of course, during May they had started to thaw, however, what I was not prepared for was the beautiful mist that formed over them as the temperature changed. It was so great driving between the network of lakes with the stunning scenery taking your breath away over and over again. It was a simply stunning experience and made for a truly special journey. It was also wonderful to be able to see the lakes thaw during our time there and witness the landscape come to life with wildlife taking advantage of the water again.
With the fantastic endless days, there is a whole multitude of things to do in Lapland at this time of year. When we were there, we experienced a hike through the spectacular wilderness before stopping to light a fire to cook our sausages and coffee. We also enjoyed a scenic drive along the coast near Utsjoki in Finland.
Finland really is a beautiful place to visit during spring or summer. The landscape, scenery and the ‘Midnight Sun’ combine to create some incredible highlights. I would very much like to go back slightly later in June/ July to spend more time in the outdoors and on the lakes once they have fully thawed.
Overall it has to be said that whether it is during the winter or summer months, Finland is a fantastic destination for a unique and memorable break.
Click here to find out more about our holidays to Finland.
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