Summer is a beach time in Rovaniemi

Going to river and lake beaches, sunbathing and swimming are very popular among the city dwellers of Rovaniemi in the summer.

On sunny days, the beaches become jam-packed with people sunbathing and frolicking in the warm sun and then take a long swim or just a dip before heading home.

There are more than two dozen beaches in Rovaniemi by the Kemijoki, Ounasjoki and Sinettä rivers and some lakes named Ylinampa, Vikajärvi, Sinettä, Ounaspavillion, Ounaskoski, Oikarainen, Salmijärvi, Tammanlaakso, Paavaniemi, Alakorkalo, and Hirvas.

Some of the beaches, such as Ounaspavillion and Ounaskoski, are well-equipped with changing rooms, toilets, kiosks, cafés and adequate parking facilities and they turn into crowdie places in summer.

The Daily Finland talked to a few beach-goers to know why and what they love so much about it. "It depends on the day," said Tiia Alatossava, an entrepreneur. "When I visit the beach with my babies, I do not like too crowdie or shadowy areas. Most of the time we visit the Otvopolun, Saarenkylä and Alakorkalo beaches, because these places are calm and quiet."

"I mostly go there with my family and friends and we usually travel by car," she added.

Niklas Ilari Oinas, a vocational school student, said he frequents the Valdemar beach or the beaches nearby in the summer. “I like Valdemar, because it has a nice sandy bottom, and the water is not very deep. It makes it nice to swim there," he said.

Oinas said the journey to the beaches depends on which one I am heading for and its distance. "For example," he explained, "my own apartment is a short walking distance to the beach. Usually, I go to the beach with my friends and sometimes with my family. But if I go there jogging or walking, I go alone."

Terming the summer time swimming with friends a very good pastime for him, Oinas described one such day: “I was walking a little further along the beach in Norvajärvi. There is a German cemetery in the same place and it was a great experience to see it on the same trip."

Nelly Korteniemi, also an entrepreneur, said, “I spend most of my leisure time in summer at different beaches. Artikum and Ounaskoski beaches are my favourite."

Korteniemi said if the weather is warm and comfortable, she goes to the beach every day. “It is a nice place for reading books, enjoying swimming, and there I meet my friends, too. Sometimes I go alone, sometimes with my child Kalle, and sometimes my husband Jorma join with me after his work."

Another city dweller, Paula, however, said that although she does not like to go to the beaches, her two children, Teea and Rasmus, like to go there very much. "Usually they go to Ounaspaviljon and Ylikylänsärkät. My 15-year-old daughter Teea and 11-year-old son Rasmus like to swim for a long time, like two to three hours. They enjoy the swimming at least twice a week. They like to go there with their friends, sometimes with the family," she said, adding that the children normally ride bicycles to the beach.