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Cycling
The peaceful and sparsely trafficked roads of the Kolovesi region have, for long, ranked among the favourite routes of cyclists.
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This is particularly true of the road connecting Olavinlinna castle and Valamo monastery, perhaps the two best known sights of eastern Finland. The distance between the two by road is 126 kilometres. Many add this route to their cycling holiday, as cycling the distance usually takes less than three days.
One of the central reasons for the popularity of the Olavinlinna-Valamo route is the possibility to cycle it from both south to north and vice a versa. In the south the route is generally headed off on in Savonlinna, usually arrived at from Mikkeli or Lappeenranta. If the next main sight of the trip is the monastery of Valamo in the very northern parts of Heinävesi the sensible route to take is that of road 471 via Enonkoski. The Enonkoski road is low on traffic and it presents the cyclist with an excellent cross-section of the most beautiful of rural and forest scenery in the lake district of Finland. Planning a trip is simple, as accommodation and restaurant services are to be found at appropriate intervals and the entire length of the road is paved. On the way, you may familiarise yourself with the national park of Kolovesi and other nature reserves in the region. If you intend to visit Kolovesi or spend time in the nature reserves it is advisable to take with you a tent and camping equipment, as there are no services in these wild lake areas.
If you wish, you may also cycle the route from north to south, from Valamo to Olavinlinna castle. If you choose to do so the route is generally approached at from Kuopio or Joensuu. As a speciality there is the option of combining a cruise on the Heinävesi water route with a cycling trip or heading from Valamo to Kuopio by boat.
For maps and further information on the routes contact Heinävesi tourist information, tel. +358 (0)17 5781 273, email .
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