Cycling at the Arctic Circle (Finland)

You are used to a new post and video every first and third Wednesday of the month on this blog and YouTube. Which means there is something new every other week. Today, however, is the fifth Wednesday of the month, and that would mean you’d have to wait a week longer if I didn’t post anything today. I could not let that happen! That is why I have an extra post and video for you. It may be a bit out of the ordinary and also not about cycling in the Netherlands, but I hope you like it anyway.

To be sure we really were inside the Arctic Circle we cycled a bit farther north, but these signs near the airport made us turn around. We had no idea what they said at the time, but they did seem to inform that we were not allowed to continue.

Only 5.8km to the Arctic Circle from Rovaniemi, but up quite a hill in the eyes of two Dutchies!

For my summer holidays, I went back to Finland. Six months after attending the winter cycling master class in Oulu, I decided to go there again to see what summer cycling was like. That is for another post, but before I got to Oulu, I went to Rovaniemi at the Arctic Circle first. Obviously, I wanted to cycle there too. My partner and I rented electric mountain bikes (after the free hotel bikes proved not to be adequate), and we happily cycled around Rovaniemi, also known as the residence of Santa Claus. I made a short video report about it.

We really could not complain about the weather this far north!

Quite a long way from home: Amsterdam (1,970km), Rome (2,985km), but the North Cape is only 680km away!

The arctic circle is here marked at 66° 33′ 07″ N. In reality the Arctic Circle is not at a fixed location. For 2023 it is at 66° 33′ 41″ N, but this was close enough!

We took the night train from Helsinki to Rovaniemi, also known as the Santa Claus Express. It was a very relaxing 11-hour trip in a private cabin with a toilet and shower. We had breakfast in the restaurant car.

At midsummer the sun does not set in Rovaniemi, but also in August it only gets dark for about two or three hours. At 23:05 (11:05pm) it was still almost light.

Rovaniemi has an impressive, extensive cycle network for a town of only 64,500 people.

An extra video this week; are you ready for my holiday images?