Our second day in Rauma started with a short drive to Poroholma camping as that is where the boat to Kylmäpihlaja lighthouse leaves. Poroholma is located on the bay of Otanlahti and offers a camping ground, caravan pitches and cabins. There are several restaurants, one of which is housed in a lovely old lace villa from the 19th century, on the camping ground and a tall ship harbor. As we wanted to make sure we got there on time we were actually quite early so we walked around the grounds for a while and I snapped some pictures.
The boat to Kylmäpihlaja is operated by Rauman Saaristokuljetus and depending on the day there are two to eight trips made per day. The connection is offered from early June to late August. The trip to Kylmäpihlaja takes around 50 minutes and the boat makes a stop at Kuuskajaskari on the way. Kuuskajaskari is a former military fortress island that now serves as a tourist attraction. The boat ride offers nice views and at least for someone like me who loves the sea it was very relaxing.
The Kylmäpihlaja lighthouse was completed in 1953 and it was the last manned lighthouse built in Finland, it also acted as a pilot station. These days the lighthouse is a tourist attraction and houses a hotel with 13 rooms and a 30-seat restaurant. The island also has a beach café, a souvenir shop, two saunas, an outdoor hot tub and a guest boat dock. The lighthouse is built of concrete and bricks. The tower of the lighthouse is 36 meters above the sea level and there and 12 storeys and 104 steps to the top of the lighthouse. The tower and two-storey wing offered housing for 12 pilots, eight cutter attendants and two lighthouse keepers. The light and radio equipment of the lighthouse, as well as the nautofono were powered with large diesel generators. The nautofono’s sound would carry 50 kilometers and the 1.26 million million cd light would carry 27 nautical miles but the range of the light was dropped to 15 nautical miles in connection with a renovation in 1988 and the nautofono has not been used in years. The observation deck near the top of the lighthouse offered magnificent views.
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| The island is quite rugged. |
Labels: Finland, minibreak, travel
