Åland 2026, The Land of a Thousand Islands.

From Estonia to Åland – travelling the luxurious way.
The typical overland tour does not involve a great deal of luxury. As is well known, we travel in a compact four-wheel drive, with the aim of gaining access to places that may not be obviously attractive to the general public.

Here at the end of our Baltic summer tour, it is time to change style. We have lived on basic tour spaghetti, tap water and heaps of mosquito bites. Now we are shifting gear, to a rather more comfortable form of transport.
Some of the ferries that sail in the Baltic Sea are designed for mini-cruises with numerous restaurants. Ooh..to be able to sit comfortably at a nice table and have talented chefs practice their art – yes please. An 11-hour ferry crossing from Estonia to Åland flies by.

For over 20 years ago, Johnny visited Åland several times. Back then, the purpose was spectacular wreck diving, and Åland is the place that delivers precisely that type of world-class experience. Now the time has come to say hello to old friends and discover what else the islands have to offer above water.

The Åland islands themselves consist of about 6,500 islands and skerries, but despite that, it is easy to get around by car. We find a campsite in Mariehamn and start our trip from there.

In the northern part of Åland, we go for a hike on Boxö. In the old days, Russia had military interests in several places on Åland, including Boxö. Today, the fortification is reduced to large piles of loose stones, so the island is to be enjoyed for the hike around the hilly terrain. There is beautiful scenery, viewpoints and a natural stone cave. The stone cave is especially welcome, as it is noticeably cooler than out on the hiking trail.

Elsewhere in northern Åland is Kastelholm Castle, which is a well-preserved medieval castle ruin.

And of course a few Russian fortifications from the old days. The Russians are very helpful in that way – if you have a bit of spare land – Russia is more than happy to help occupy it.

The Mariehamn waterfront itself is really lovely with the maritime museum and the large four-masted sailing ship Pommern, the last remaining one in the world.

In the period before the First World War, the large sailing merchant ships were replaced by the new, faster steamships. Enterprising merchants in the Åland Islands bought up the now obsolete sailing ships cheaply and hired crews with the old skills.
Thus, sailing ships continued to be used for longer than otherwise would have been the case. This means that Åland had several true Cape Horner sailors who had rounded South America's horn on a large tall ship and sailed through the Drake Passage. A supreme test of manhood.

The days are spent with good food, a bit of vintage car rallying, and finally saying hello to Ville Lundqvist, the man who still runs the dive centre DiveAland.

www.divealand.com

20 years have passed and one has to wonder where the time went. We have both grown (a little) older, but the joy of adventure and discovery remains intact.

As a simple observation, it appears that where the diving community thrives the best is now more over from the Baltic and former Eastern bloc countries where people are hungry for world-class experiences.

The memories from the “good old” days are still second to none.