Lapland revisited

I have been to Lapland twice before, in June 2006 and September 2007. In both cases, the visits were in summer, with the winter's snow vanished. This time, in May, Lapland was still in the grip of winter, with ice and snow covering the taiga and tundra from latitudes north of the Arctic Circle. The main objective of my expedition was to reach Nordkapp (North Cape), the very northernmost point of mainland Europe, and the next post will reveal the outcome of that mission.

As usual my route was by Ryanair from London to Tampere in Finland, hire a car and aim for the north.

First stop, the Baltic Sea on the West Coast of Finland. Don't be deceived by the clear blue sky, it was freezing at night in my little tent!

Camp One, on the Baltic, just south of the Arctic Circle - no snow in sight yet! A case of my favourite Karjala (Karelia) Finnish beer sets me up for pre-Litha ritual celebrations.

North of the Arctic circle, the taiga forest is enveloped in snow

Camp Two under a tree by a frozen lake. It was coooooold! By the morning there was an inch (2 cm) of snow all around the tent

Further north still, a small Lapp tundra settlement is almost covered by horizon-to-horizon snow

Strange footprints appear in the snow that can be traced to...






....herds of roving reindeer







After a week in the far north, the southward journey showed signs of a thaw, and spring was evidently on the way.

The endless taiga, but gaps appear in the snow

Spruce saplings emerge from the snow to harvest the strengthening sunlight

Buds and catkins appear on the birch trees

Signs of migrant birds (Waxwing) returning from wintering grounds further south

Cotton grass blooming in the bogs and mires

Final camp in Karelia, almost the midnight sun and but one day away from my flight to warmer climes