FINLAND


NORTHERN SIGHTS


Wilderness, wildlife and winter pursuits await in Finnish Lapland, but it’s the aurora borealis that draws the crowds – and now is the time to visit


Erica Rich N


o one tells you that seeing the northern lights voÀ Ìhi wÀÃÌ Ìimi V>n Li > liÌÌli >nÌiVlim>VÌiV° /hi >liÀÌ h>` Vomi `ÕÀin} `inniÀ] h>lvÜ>Þ ÌhÀoÕ}h «l>Ìià ov Àiin`iiÀ >n` liVhin\ Ìhi >ÕÀoÀ> LoÀi>lià h>` Liin Ãiin oÛiÀhi>`° 7i ÀÕÃhi` oÕÌ Ão µÕiVklÞ Üi voÀ}oÌ oÕÀ Vo>Ìà >n`] >à Üi ÃÌoo` oÕÌÃi`i in Ìhi LiÌin} Vol`] VÀ>nin} oÕÀ niVkà ÌoÜ>À` Ìhi `>Àk ni}hÌ ÃkÞ] Üi Üon`iÀi` ÜhiÌhiÀ Üi m>Þ h>Ûi Liin Ìoo h>ÃÌÞ° The fact that other diners, days deep into their Lapland


>`ÛinÌÕÀià >n` LÕoÞi` LÞ > µÕiiÌ Vonw`inVi Ìh>Ì onlÞ comes from previous northern lights sightings, hadn’t left their candle-lit meals should’ve been a sign. But we’d been in Finland for a mere few hours – and were desperate for our wÀÃÌ }lim«Ãi ov Ìhià v>moÕà n>ÌÕÀ>l «hinominon° Except this wasn’t how I’d seen it in the pictures. The smudgy streak of turquoise above us was so faint you had to squint hard to see it. Within a couple of minutes, it had receded into the stars entirely. I didn’t utter it out loud for fear of seeming ungrateful, but inside my thoughts were loud. “Is that it?!” I needn’t have worried. Just as we began the icy trudge back toward the restaurant, someone squealed. Above us, sparkling ribbons of aquamarine and cyan danced across the dark; a medley of swirls billowing from the icy, rushing river on our right to the frost-tipped forest to our left. It’s one of those natural miracles that m>kià ÞoÕ `ii«lÞ imoÌion>l q >n` inwniÌilÞ }À>ÌivÕl for the precious experiences travel can afford.


-Ì>À >««i>l


Luck was on our side during our visit to northern Finland in mid-October. Not only had we picked a prime time of year to visit (the northern lights are most active during the autumn and spring when the nights are darkest and the skies are clear), our stay coincided with the solar maximum, the period of greatest activity during the sun’s 11-year solar cycle. Taking place between 2024 and 2025, the solar maximum explains how the northern lights were visible in the UK towards the end of last year and means displays in their common natural habitats have the potential to be even more frequent and vibrant. Essentially, now is the time to book that northern lights holiday: it might not be this good again for another 11 years. Sightings were helped too by the fact that we were deep in northern Finland, in a tiny village perched on the edge of the wilderness, encircled by towering cedar forests and some of Finland’s largest lakes. In Inari, there is little light pollution, which boosts the chances of northern lights shows, and a focus on cultural preservation promises an entirely richer Lapland experience. Known as the centre of Sámi culture, Inari celebrates the Indigenous inhabitants of Finnish Lapland who descended from nomadic people living in northern Scandinavia and Finland thousands of years ago. The culture is deeply tied to traditional practices such as Àiin`iiÀ hiÀ`in}] wÃhin}] hÕnÌin} >n` h>n`iVÀ>vÌ ÃkillÃ] >n` guided by an innate connection to the Arctic environment. Finland’s Sámi population – thought to be about 9,000 strong – has its own parliament, which operates out of ª


68 ASPIRE MARCH 2025


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