Why this ride
A 297 km round trip from Korpilahti - roughly 5 h 25 in the saddle. The stops in between: Säynätsalo Town Hall, Petäjävesi Old Church, Aalto Campus and back through Aalto Campus. It suits an unhurried touring pace.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
PUOLAKKA Oravivuori and Petäjävesi Old Church
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 297 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 5 h 25
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
Ordered leg totals agree within rounding. Stop distances are approximate sums of rounded legs. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. PUOLAKKA Oravivuori
Finland's lakeland is a country of water more than of land, and Päijänne, the second largest lake in the country, runs south from here for over a hundred kilometres in long, island-dotted fingers. Oravivuori, Squirrel Hill, is a forested rise near Puolakka in the Korpilahti district, now part of Jyväskylä, and the lookout on the hill gives a wide view over spruce, pine and the shining lake beyond. The label points to a hill rather than a monument, so think of it as a place to climb, look and breathe.
Read the complete PUOLAKKA Oravivuori write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
PUOLAKKA Oravivuori is where the day begins. Next is Säynätsalo Town Hall.
2. Säynätsalo Town Hall
Alvar Aalto won the competition for this building in 1949, and it was finished in 1952, a village council hall on a small island in Lake Päijänne that has become a pilgrimage for architects. Säynätsalo sits just across a short bridge from the town of Muurame, with Jyväskylä, the city where Aalto spent so much of his working life, a few kilometres north; the island is now part of Jyväskylä itself. The town hall is a cluster of red brick and timber around a raised courtyard of grass, and the council chamber stands over it with its high roof, fan-shaped wooden trusses and a hush of slanted light.
Read the complete Säynätsalo Town Hall write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Säynätsalo Town Hall comes up about 37 km into the recorded legs. Next is Petäjävesi Old Church.
3. Petäjävesi Old Church
The lakeland of Central Finland is a place of low wooded ridges, narrow lakes and small farms, and Petäjävesi, a village of three and a half thousand people, lies on the shore of Lake Päijänne's northern arm, about twenty-five kilometres from Keuruu. Its old church, built entirely of pine logs, is one of the best-known wooden buildings in Europe and was inscribed by UNESCO in 1994.
Read the complete Petäjävesi Old Church write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 82 km into the recorded legs you reach Petäjävesi Old Church. Next is Aalto Campus.
4. Aalto Campus
Alvar Aalto grew up in Jyväskylä, and the city wears his work like a signature. The university campus on the hill of Seminaarinmäki is one of his great achievements, designed in the 1950s around the older buildings of the teacher training college that had stood here since the nineteenth century. Red brick, timber, copper and glass, arranged around a sloping green with tall pines, it feels less like an institution than a village built for thinking. The main building, with its grand stair and lecture hall, the library and the sports hall all carry his particular mix of warmth and rigour. Walk around and you notice the details: the door handles, the light, the way the buildings follow the slope.
Read the complete Aalto Campus write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Aalto Campus, about halfway. Next is Petäjävesi Old Church.
5. Petäjävesi Old Church
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Petäjävesi Old Church write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Petäjävesi Old Church sits at 157 km, about halfway. Next is back through Aalto Campus.
6. back through Aalto Campus
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Aalto Campus write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Aalto Campus comes up about 181 km into the recorded legs. Next is back through Petäjävesi Old Church.
7. back through Petäjävesi Old Church
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Petäjävesi Old Church write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 214 km into the recorded legs you reach back through Petäjävesi Old Church. Next is back through Säynätsalo Town Hall.
8. back through Säynätsalo Town Hall
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Säynätsalo Town Hall write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Säynätsalo Town Hall, late in the day. Next is PUOLAKKA Oravivuori.
9. PUOLAKKA Oravivuori
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete PUOLAKKA Oravivuori write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
The route ends here after 297 km.
Leg by leg
PUOLAKKA Oravivuori to Säynätsalo Town Hall
PUOLAKKA Oravivuori → Säynätsalo Town Hall is 37 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Säynätsalo Town Hall to Petäjävesi Old Church
Säynätsalo Town Hall → Petäjävesi Old Church is 45 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Petäjävesi Old Church to Aalto Campus
Petäjävesi Old Church → Aalto Campus is 33 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Aalto Campus to Petäjävesi Old Church
Aalto Campus → Petäjävesi Old Church is 33 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Petäjävesi Old Church to back through Aalto Campus
Petäjävesi Old Church → back through Aalto Campus is 33 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Aalto Campus to back through Petäjävesi Old Church
back through Aalto Campus → back through Petäjävesi Old Church is 33 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Petäjävesi Old Church to back through Säynätsalo Town Hall
back through Petäjävesi Old Church → back through Säynätsalo Town Hall is 46 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Säynätsalo Town Hall to PUOLAKKA Oravivuori
back through Säynätsalo Town Hall → PUOLAKKA Oravivuori is 37 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.