Even Santa needs a summer holiday
shelter in with ready-made campfires and benches outside and the sweetest little cottage-style WCs, with a bucket of fragrant earth to put down afterwards.
Risotto, hero that he was, made us tea and coffee at these stops and produced cake for those of us who hadn't stuffed ourselves sick with the plump, piquant blueberries, cranberries and cloudberries en route.
Our pace was a leisurely dawdle, taking in termite mounds – if lost note the way a termite mound is facing, usually south – tips on kindling sap-drenched pine bark, and a whole world of animal droppings.
At Vaattunki Lodge we picked up the pace a little with bone-rattling quad-buggy driving. It also offered a wealth of watersports on the lake, such as kayaking, down-stream "swimming" – floating like a wetsuited log, in a crash-hat, great fun – and crayfishing.
About 70 miles north, an hour and a half in the car, is the national park of Pyha-Luosto, and here lies the spine of the country's 22-mile long fell range.
It is a mecca for skiers because it offers some of Finland's only downhill routes. Formed out of of a bedrock of quartzite it is home to Europe's only amethyst mine.
An other-worldly place, the mine stands on the top of a bald hill of scree, dotted with skeletal, stunted trees, one with a bleached skull on top of it. By contrast the mineshaft had that cosy Scandinavian feel – Ikea clearly gets to places other stores can't reach here in the North. Here we learned about amethysts by miner/part owner/part-time trapeze artist, Snoopy.
You're also allowed to dig for your own lucky amethyst, which was exciting, but after we had earlier passed through the private working area where we were literally crunching purple diamonds underfoot, a touch half-hearted.
In the afternoon, led by another gorgeous Finnish guide, brimming with Scandinavian good health and friendliness, we cycled round the Luosto stopping at another teepee for lunch. In keeping with the fairytale feel of it all, a fellow guide was already there, having magicked up some freshly cooked river trout, served with salad, and brewed coffee on the fire. And there was cake. I can honestly say it was the best meal I've ever had.
The Aurora Chalet lies at the heart of many ski and hiking routes in Luosto, though you could easily pass a week there without venturing out of doors. Each room comes with its own wood fire and sauna and contains a huge north-facing window to view the Northern Lights.
The universal method of winding down in Finland isn't a copious intake of Finlandia vodka, it is sauna. With the person to sauna ratio standing at an impressive 2:1 in Finland, Vaattunka Lodge had a good selection. We tried the traditional smoke sauna, where woodsmoke warms the cabin. On the deck outside, under a birch tree, was a huge wooden barrel filled with hot water. Sinking down, in the stillness of the evening, letting the water heat our bones while gazing out across the lake, was absolute heaven. Santa Claus was right, and I can't wait to go back to that magical country. I wonder if he's got my letter yet?
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For nature adventure tour information, including hotels, contact Wild North www.wildnorth.net
For all travel and tourism information contact the Finnish tourist board at www.visitfinland.com
Flight information:
Finnair: daily, non-stop from Heathrow to Helsinki, four flights a day, all in co-op with British Airways. Flight time 2hr 55min Finnair: also daily from Manchester, one stop (in Stockholm) or non-stop to Helsinki, up to two flights a day, all in co-op with British Airways. Flight time 2hr 45min / 4hr 15min (via Stockholm)
British Airways: daily, non-stop Heathrow to Helsinki, up to three flights a day, all in co-op with Finnair. Flight time 2hr 55min
Ryanair: daily, non-stop to Tampere. Flight time 2hr 40min.
Manchester Finnair: daily, one stop (in Stockholm) or non-stop to Helsinki, up to two flights a day, all in co-op with British Airways. Flight time 2hr 45min / 4hr 15min (via Stockholm)
