Camping Silversand, Hanko - Sunday, 18 September

Geoff
A relaxing day today and the weather continues to be dry, clear and sunny - war is but definitely not hot. We hear of monsoon and flash floods in the UK and we haven't had a drop of rain for at least two weeks or more.

Before breakfast, I took a walk out of the campsite and into the adjoining forest, following a clear path which eventually led to a waymarked path to a rocky outcrop with clear sea views to the north of the Hanko peninsula. It was maybe a mile each way.

All that we had on the agenda today was a walk around Hanko. We had a delightful little booklet that provided a route taking in some of the more notable turn of the 20th century buildings, mainly large villas, the Regatta Hotel and what was a restaurant and dance hall (now a casino and sushi bar).

Hanko is a very popular summer resort and we have been very fortunate, helped by the good weather, to have been able to enjoy it when it is quiet. We shall be moving on tomorrow.

Amanda

As promised, a quiet day. The weather is still lovely, and much warmer than expected after yesterday evening's chill. We spent most of the day in Hanko, following the Architectural Walk trail - half before lunch and half after. We are so fortunate again to be seeing the place in lovely weather but with no crowds, when it is looking absolutely its best. Hanko is situated at the end of a peninsular, so there are little rocky coves and bays wherever you go, and wooded walks between the villas linking them. It is quite delightful.

The few families who were on the campsite seem to have gone now, leaving it very quiet indeed. We cooked and ate in the kitchen again, and again there was a beautiful sunset.

Tomorrow we head for Helsinki. We have been doing some reading up in advance, but are not very good at planning city visits. Hopefully things will fall into place when we get there.