PULLINKI Pullinki and PERRA-VAARA Perävaara

Waypoint introductions and full write-ups

1. 1. PULLINKI Pullinki

   Just north of the Arctic Circle, in the valley of the Torne river that forms the border between Finland and Sweden, stand some of the stations of the Struve Geodetic Arc. Between 1816 and 1855, the astronomer Friedrich Georg Wilhelm Struve and his teams measured a chain of triangles from the Arctic coast of Norway to the Black Sea, more than two thousand eight hundred kilometres, to determine the exact shape of the Earth. The arc is now a World Heritage Site spread over ten countries, and the points in the Torne valley, with names like Pullinki, Perävaara and Jupukka, are marked by drill holes and cairns on the hilltops.

   Read the complete PULLINKI Pullinki write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   PULLINKI Pullinki is where the day begins. Next is AVASAKSA Aavasaksa.

2. 2. AVASAKSA Aavasaksa

   Aavasaksa is a wooded hill rising above the Torne river on the Finnish side of the border with Sweden, near the town of Ylitornio, just south of the Arctic Circle. It is a modest height, around 240 metres, but it has a remarkable history. In 1736 and 1737, a French expedition led by Pierre Louis Moreau de Maupertuis came to the Torne valley to measure the length of a degree of latitude near the pole, and their observations helped prove that the earth is flattened at the poles, as Newton had predicted. Over a century later, Aavasaksa became one of the points of the Struve Geodetic Arc, the chain of survey stations running from Norway to the Black Sea, inscribed by UNESCO in 2005.

   Read the complete AVASAKSA Aavasaksa write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   AVASAKSA Aavasaksa comes up about 46 km into the recorded legs. Next is PERRA-VAARA Perävaara.

3. 3. PERRA-VAARA Perävaara

   Perävaara is a modest hill in the Swedish Tornedalen, a little north of Haparanda, and it is one of the points of the Struve Geodetic Arc. Between 1816 and 1855, the astronomer Friedrich Georg Wilhelm von Struve and his teams measured a chain of triangles stretching from Hammerfest on the Arctic Ocean to the Black Sea, over two and a half thousand kilometres, to determine the exact size and shape of the Earth. The survey points were marked on hilltops, church towers and rocks, and the surviving ones in ten countries were listed by UNESCO in 2005. At Perävaara, the station is a small marker on the summit, with a sign explaining its place in the chain. Struve's neighbours on the arc nearby include Jupukka and Pullinki, both a short ride away.

   Read the complete PERRA-VAARA Perävaara write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   about 105 km into the recorded legs you reach PERRA-VAARA Perävaara. Next is back through AVASAKSA Aavasaksa.

4. 4. back through AVASAKSA Aavasaksa

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete AVASAKSA Aavasaksa write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   back through AVASAKSA Aavasaksa, late in the day. Next is PULLINKI Pullinki.

5. 5. PULLINKI Pullinki

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete PULLINKI Pullinki write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Back at PULLINKI Pullinki. That is the ride.