You know how our family loves to hike (see our visits to Repovesi, Klassarinkierros or Hannusmetsä). We recently visited a natural area in Kirkkonummi (near Espoo) called Meiko. You will need a car to reach the place. Upon arrival we were pleased to find there were several parking spots. There are 3 nature trails available and we walked the Kotokierros one (4.4 km, green signposts). The other two are called Kuikankierros (3.2 km, red signposts) and Meikonkierros (8.3 km, yellow signposts). Small piece of advice: it’s not immediate to see where the Kotokierros path starts. The three paths start from the same place, so you can follow the signs for the other two for the first 20 m and then you’ll spot the green signposts. Another hint is to follow the sign towards Korsolampi, as the Kotokierros is the only trail going near that pond.

We really loved the path, as it wasn’t trivial at all. Actually, it has a lot of elevation and it took us longer than usual to reach the end. The path reaches few ponds – I really love to stop and watch the calm waters of a lake or a pond – and a couple of truly scenic panoramic views that will make you feel on top of the world.

Here you can find the map of the area. Kotokierros has a campfire if you feel like roasting a couple of sausages. We tried to light our (first) fire, but miserably failed as the wood was wet from the rain of a couple of days before. The official webpage mentioned a local association provides the wood, but we didn’t see any around. My advice is to bring your firewood and fire starters from home, unless you are MacGyver and can light a fire with two paper clips and a hair under the pouring rain. I should mention Meikonkierros has a campfire (the website says). There are some dry toilets in each of the nature trails.

We all loved the walk. The terrain was a hard one, filled with rocks and roots. Honestly, my favourite kind as it feels more raw. We stopped by the ponds to look at ducks quietly swimming or admiring fireflies dancing all around. The kids insisted on picking the first blueberries – definitely not ready, as a quick tasting revealed. They collected branches to build a small hut while we persisted in our attempts to light a fire – dear next hiker, if. you find 40 used matches in that campfire, it was us.

We had packed our home-baked bread with us. Even though the sausages had to wait for us to go back home to be roasted, we savoured our fresh bread with a spread of hummus, cherry tomatoes, and ate fresh strawberries while drinking up the view of Korsolampi.

We have saved this trail as one of our favourites and will definitely come back to try the Kuikankierros or maybe we’ll be cheeky enough to venture on the longer Meikonkierros. If you love the outdoors and want to enjoy a nice family outing, we cannot by recommend Meiko as a great choice!