Day 8 – Lumparland & Lemland

Kökar to Lemböte, 23km

The owner of the campsite gave me a lift to the ferry at 6am so I just caught the boat which left early as usual. They don’t bother to log foot passengers. Anyone can hop on and off.

The weather was murky at first as we weaved between the islands, nearly all of which are uninhabited. Sometimes we called at an island where someone was waiting and you look around, wondering where they live and what life is like on such a place. It looked more cheerful when the sun appeared.

We arrived at Lamparland and I hopped off, picked up the St Olav trail and disappeared into the woods. The oldest surviving wooden church in Åland appeared, St Andrea’s Kyrka. I think that translates as St Andrew’s Church because there never was a St Andrea. It didn’t have a pilgrim stamp which was disappointing but like all the churches it had a model ship.

The trail led me back to the road and to the bridge connecting Lumparland to Lemland. I stopped here to eat my delicious campsite cheese roll and then the trail continued far enough along the road to reach Mercedes Chocolaterie, an incongruous business in the wilds of Åland. The cafe had the first coffee machine I’ve seen since Heathrow so I settled down with a cappuccino and a couple of pralines.

After that, there was a choice of routes. I could continue along a good cycle path all the way to Lemböte or follow the official trail into the wilds. I was in good spirits, the trail was an easy road and I couldn’t think of a reasonable excuse to stay on the cycle path. So I took the official trail. It was an adventure surpassing anything that St Olav had previously offered.

After a couple of kilometers, a St Olav sign unexpectedly appeared, pointing off the road and into the undergrowth. I didn’t like the look of it but it was too late to backtrack so I went in. The area was clearly insect infested and also snake infested. I used my Shikoku training to make enough disturbance to clear the path ahead which worked better than it did on Shikoku. Conditions deteriorated quickly. The signs disappeared and the path grew faint. I was walking in a glacial moraine field of rocks, clambering over them and squeezing between them. The plants were spectacular if you like your lichens. Someone had recently built a lookout tower which had collapsed. I was concerned and shouted out in case anyone was trapped in the wreckage.

Progress was slow and tiring. A notice said the rock fields were now protected by law and not to hike across them. But St Olav pointed straight across them. I’m faithful in these matters and set off over the rocks.

All good things must come to a happy ending and I reached Lemböte. It’s just a church, a shop and an Italian villa where I’m staying tonight. The church had a model ship but no pilgrim stamp. Somebody from Trondheim really needs to get a grip on this pilgrimage if they want to attract genuine pilgrims who only do it for the stamps. What’s the point in selling a Pilgrim Passport for five euros if none of the churches have a stamp?

Anyway it was a fabulous day and tonight I have a WC next to my bedroom rather than across a field which, in the driving rain, poses the question whether to get drenched standing by the nearest bush at 1am or to get drenched sprinting through the night and possibly waiting outside until somebody has finished.