We had a small picnic lunch on the banks of the Vantaa river at the specially protected Pitkäkoski area (pitkä = long, koski = river rapid). The area is conserved for its unusual plant diversity, and was looking really lush and green even after the hot summer southern Finland has had (4th warmest in last century – see here).
The last stop on our walk was the “artifical” Paloheinä hill – it was originally a rubbish dump, but has now been revegetated and restored. It’s used for tobogganing and skiing – and is particularly favoured in Helsinki due to the city’s flatness. By that stage we were feeling a bit hot and bothered (hence the lack of photos), so headed back to the Paloheinä hiking lodge (i.e. cafe and bathrooms), bought a Geisha ice cream (yummy!) and caught our bus back home. All in all, a really good afternoon in Helsinki’s premier park.
We travelled from Kallio to Paloheinä on the 66A bus with the trip taking about 35 minutes (one-way).
The park looks a little different in winter, judging from some photos on Panoramio – see for example here and here!
Comments by Pete
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