Mini archipelago bike ride

My new favorite bike ride this summer is a sort of mini archipelago ride. If you’re lucky enough to catch a lift to the countryside and start from there, then you begin by winding through farms and fields in various stages of harvest. Then you take a rest stop at Louhisaari Manor in Askainen before continuing on a dirt road that follows along the coastline. At this point, you will already have passed several old village churches, and there are more to come.

You cross the first big bridge over the sea, and you’re on the island of Otava.

You cross the second big bridge over the sea and you’re on the island of Luonnonmaa.

You cross the last big bridge over the sea and you’re back on the mainland, in Naantali, after a shortcut through Kultaranta. Kultaranta is drop-dead gorgeous and also the beginning of the end of a long ride, which makes it extra inviting.

Once you’re in Naantali on the mainland, it’s Choose Your Own Adventure to get back to Turku: up and over through Raisio so you can check another old church off your list? Or down and over past the Meyer shipyards to check on the cruise ship construction progress? Then what: downtown through any riverfront crowds and congestion, or skirting the city center through the old Juhannuskukkula neighborhood?

I’ve done this ride on each of the last three Saturdays. Depending on where I started, it’s been anywhere from 70-88km long. I love spending a few hours passing through other people’s late summer Saturday afternoons. Last Saturday on this route, I saw:

people visiting the WW2 memorial park in Askainen

a flea market in a parking lot

a cucumber festival in a field

a youth track meet

a bride and groom taking pictures on the rocks near the sea

people fishing

people riding bikes to get places

people riding bikes for exercise/fun

seriously, a TON of old churches

Spending hours on a bike can make you contemplative, and I confess that these rides have been extra bittersweet because it feels like we’re bracing for a second coronavirus wave. In May, I remember riding my bike through these smaller towns and villages and wondering how they all managed through lockdown. Now as fall approaches I see people out and about and wonder how much longer we’ll be able to enjoy these relatively relaxed days with cucumber festivals and track meets. We’re glad to have these things while we can.