The Salpalinja cycle route

The forest hides a lot of things you wouldn't expect to find there. On this route along a war-era defense line, you can let your inner explorer loose.

After the Winter War (11.30.1939 - 3.30.1940), the Finnish military command started to build a new main defence line. This defense line, called Salpa Station, covered almost all of Finland's eastern border from the Baltic Sea to Salla, Lapland. More than 700 reinforced-concrete forts and countless other fortifications were built. One of the most prominent structures was a 4-row line of armour-plated stone walls, which can still be seen to this day. The defense line was at its strongest in the Virolahti and Miehikkälä area, which was the enemy's expected main attack route.

The Salpalinja defence line cycling route runs through the Finnish countryside, alternating between forests, fields and waterways. There are many different types of tracks along the route, most of which are well-maintained dirt roads. There is also a tarmac surface in certain areas. The rest of the route is made up of old "artillery tracks" made for the construction of the Salpaline. Along the route, a number of points of interest are marked where you can learn about the construction of the Salpaline. In addition to these, the forest hides hundreds of unmarked caves and caverns. How many of them will you find?