Cycling Åland, 2nd leg: Eckerö to Geta

We had set the alarm to 7 AM, as we had to catch a bicycle ferry at 11 AM, which would take us across Snäcköfjärden from Skarpnåtö over to the tiny island of Hällö, where we could continue our journey to Geta, our destination for the second leg.

The ferry dock in Skarpnåtö is located just 17 km. away from Öra, where we had camped for the night, but we were taking no chances after yesterday’s disaster. After getting ready and packing up the tent, we set off at 8.10 AM with just under three hours to reach our destination. It was a beautiful ride through the gorgeous and idyllic countryside of Hammarland. Despite the sore butts from our journey the day before, we both really enjoyed the ride and I almost didn’t even want to get on the ferry, but just continue riding. It’s such a free way of travelling and despite my tendencies to always travel fast, I actually really enjoyed this slow-paced way of travelling, as you get to connect with the nature around you and the country itself so much more than if you were just rushing past in a bus or a train.

At 9.40 AM, and over an hour before the ferry would depart, we arrived at the small dock and had our lunch with a view of the nearby islands while waiting for the captain of the ferry to arrive.

The ticket price was slightly expensive at 12 euros each, especially considering how short the ride was, but it was a very scenic ride, and island hopping is something that everyone should do when travelling in Åland, since the country consists of over 6,700 islands.

Half an hour later, we arrived on Hällö and got on our bikes again for the last 6 km. to the village of Geta.

We wanted to visit Geta because of the many hikes that have their starting point in the village. After enjoying a well-deserved ice cream from the local shop, we went to the tourist information center to get information on a medieval walk that we wanted to do. The lady at the center was very helpful and offered to look after our bags while we walked the route.

The walk starts at Geta Church, which was built in 1460. The church was open for visitors, so we explored it for a bit before embarking on the walk, which only took 1,5 hours to complete.

Geta Church

Ancient mural paintings (frescos) on the walls inside Geta Church

The medieval walk took us through a beautiful forest area with great views of Geta and the nearby villages. Throughout the walk, there were signs telling different stories from the 11th century to 1868. We had quite a hard time following the storyline, as there really didn’t seem to be one, and all the stories were really random and didn’t seem relevant to the walk. Still, it was a beautiful area, and it was also lovely to finally use our bodies in a different way after all of that biking!

When we were done with the medieval walk, we biked up the tallest “mountain” in Åland, Geta Mountain at 107 m. You can’t really call it a mountains, it’s more like a high hill, but getting up there was as tough as anything! You wouldn’t think it, but the flatter than flat Åland Islands actually have some really steep hills. I was surprised by how tough biking there was sometimes!

Despite its lack of height, Geta Mountain offers stunning views of the entire archipelago; views that are even better from the 15 m. tall lookout tower, which we almost missed as its hidden behind trees and with limited signage.

We spent quite a while on the mountain eating really good fries, talking and enjoying the mild weather and the amazing views of the islands.

The village of Geta seen from above

It was still early evening, when we got back to Geta, so after a sink shower (very effective!) in the public toilet, we decided to get ahead of the next day’s schedule and get on the road once again – on the third leg. Stay tuned!