The Farm and Your host family

Vääntäjän Tila is located in the south-east Finland in Valkeala rural community, in Kymenlaakso county. The farm consists of 80 hectars forestland and 20 hectars cultivated land. Basic sources of income are fieldcrops and timber. In addition, the increasing tourism is has become an important factor during the nineties.

The farm has been property of the Vääntäjä family about 300 years, and today the owners in the tenth generation are Matti and Sovi Vääntäjä. They have two children, Arttu (-86) and Hanna-Mari (-89).



Valkealan reitti (The Valkeala Route)
The estate is divided into two parts by the Valkealan reitti water-route, at this point called the Vääntäjänvirta (-river). Valkealan reitti, also called the Väliväylä, (The middle route) has it's origin in the Lemi district, near the lake Saimaa. From there it flows west 113 kilometers as a chain of lakes combined together by rivers, (called locally this and that -virta) joining with the great river Kymi.

Valkealan reitti is one of the greatest and cleanest waterways in southern Finland. There are no water-consuming industry or populated cities on these lakes or rivers. In several lab-tests the water has shown out to be so pure that it can be used as drinking- and householdwater without any chemical treatment.

The scenes along the route vary from old rough forests to smooth fields and rural villages. About ten rapids will speed the course of the river along the way, but those are pretty easy, even for a beiginner to ride with a canoe. On the riverbanks has been set sites for refreshment with facilities and fireplaces.

Westwards of the Vääntäjän Tila's cottages the river opens as the lake Immanen, and behind the lake run the beutiful rapids of Tirva with a small power plant and two dams.
When heading upwards, one will come first to the Kyykoski fishing area with three separate rapids. A couple of kilometers there on, is the small Kannuskoski power plant, at where we often start our six-hour Canoe Safari.

Sport fishing on the Valkealan Reitti
Anyone knowing the art of fly- and castfishing will find an excellent sites at the rapids.
All these rapids have been re-costructed to their natural state in 1997 after being cleared from rocks and opened for floating lumber a hundred years ago.

For trout and other fish of the salmon family, there has been made gravel spots on the bottom of the rapids to lay eggs and breed naturally. In addition, thousands of 2- or 3-year-old fish of the salmon family are released into the rapids every year.

To obtain the necessary fishing-licences, please turn to Your host at Vääntäjän Tila.



Native inhabitants
A number of various ducks nest on the shores. Swans, geese and goosanders may be resting some time here in spring and autum, when they are on the move.

Of the mammals that live along the water, one might see the otter, the beaver, the muskrat or the wild mink, swimming or diving from the bank, if he or she is lucky. Aspens, gnawed by beavers and their huge woodpile nests are easily found. The footprints of the otter or the wild mink are often discovered in the fresh snow.

There has been set a speed limit, 10 kph, to let all animals and humans live undisturbed.
Higher speed is allowed on the larger lakes.


Running loud outboard motors makes nobody popular. In recent years there has been a delightful movement from gasoline powered and pollutung outboards to little and silent elecric outboards.
Most of the steady as well as the summer inhabitants do use the old-fashioned musclepowered rowboats or canoes when moving on the waterways.



Forest as a source of refreshment

The forests in the surrounding area, as in the whole country, are well taken care of, producing timber and rawmaterial for the large paper-production in our country.

The most important thing a foreigner should know, are the rights of common man
It consists of a set of rules from behind centuries, unique to the Scandinavian countries.

The most important rights are these
Everyone is declared the right to move on foot in the forest, despite of who owns the property.
Everyone is declared the right to pick berries, mushrooms and natural flowers in the forest.
Everyone is declared the right to set up a camp for one night, but no open campfire.
Everyone has also the permission to swim in or move on water with a vessel and step ashore on unoccupied places.

Since there are rights, there has to be duties and restrictions, too.
Setting an open fire is always forbidden. Portable cookers are not concidered as an open fire, though.
All animals must be left alone. There are no "lost babies" in the wild nature to be taken home as pets.
No trees, alive or dead, or any other plants are permitted to fall, cut, harm or take in possession.
Trespassing private yards and gardens, unharvested fields and such property is not permitted anytime.
Do not litter. Anything You bring in, You take with You when leaving. Fair enough ?

Honor the nature - and your fellow people who for centuries have followed these rules
Obeying this will ensure that everyone is able to enjoy the nature in the future also


Sporty catch
Various edible species of wild berries and mushrooms grow in vast quantities from July to late October.
This gives You the chance to combine recreational and sporty aspects when You go filling Your basket with them.
And You don't need to be afraid of getting lost since the roadnetwork for timber transportation covers all forest areas end exact maps are available.

Meet the cattle of Tapio
Inhabitants of the forest leave their footprints on the ground every night for You to discover. If You are lucky, You might meet a squirrel, a hare, a fox or even a moose face to face. Even footprints of a brown bear have been detected a couple of times in recent few years, but unfortunately though, he has not exposed himself to any human, since he loves the silence of the wilderness and steps aside if he hears a human coming too close.

Large game birds You will see often. A capercaillie, extinct in Central-Europe, isn't rare here. A black grouse, a hazel grouse or a ring-dove are not unusual to meet daily.
Many great birds of prey, like chickenhawk or the great horned owl are known to live in this region. Small birds of uncounted species can be heard tweeting and chirping all over.

(Tapio, by the way, is the god of forests in Kalevala, the national epic of Finland, if You missed the name.)