PETS

Pets are also welcome to all of our cabins. There is a multitude of nice small roads for taking your pets for a walk in the surrounding forests. Outside our primary beach, there are several nice and small bays where pets can also go swimming.

ANIMALS AT VONKALE FARM

In the summer, there is a rabbit house next to the service building with three French Lop rabbits. They spend the winter in the stables with the sheep where you can go to pet and feed them if you like. The sheep spend the summer in the woods and they are always happy to come and have a few treats.

Antti’s dog is called Viima, the wind. He is a Yakutian Laika who loves snow in all its forms. He is an attentive, alert and friendly dog. He never hesitates to jump into the boat with Antti, and in hot weather, he loves to lie at the water’s edge. When the ice is weak, he sometimes get almost too bold.

SERVICE BUILDING

The service building is equipped with a toilet, two showers, an electric sauna, washing machine and a waste collection point. There are books, films, games, toys, sledges, kick-sleds, a children’s bed, baby monitor and a high chair there that you can borrow for free.

CHILDREN’S PLAYGROUND

There are two swings and a sandbox as well as various rocks suitable for climbing on and near the playground. In the winter, you can play with the whip-sledge and a slide in the slope.

PLAYING FIELD

The playing field is located behind the playground, and equipment is available in the storage room in the service building.

COMMON BEACH IN THE AREA

There is a common sand beach in front of the lakeside sauna. You can freely borrow the water toys. If the toys are not on the beach, you can fetch what you need from the small storage room in the service building. You can also ask the personnel about renting deep water running gear, canoes, surfboards, etc.

LAKESIDE SAUNA

The lakeside sauna is a traditional Finnish continuously-heated sauna (built in the 1940s) for up to seven people. In the winter, water must be carried up from the lake. In the summer, you can use the pump in the sauna.

The guests staying in our cabins can reserve the lakeside sauna by calling us at +358 44 304 9458. Remember to make your reservation in good time: it takes four hours to heat the sauna in the winter! For guests staying in our cabins, the sauna costs €20 per hour in the summer and €30 per hour in the winter. For others, upon agreement.

HOT TUB

There is a hot tub at the tip of the point of land where the sauna is located. You can rent it and it will be heated for you for the whole evening (about 4 hours). The tub is for a maximum of seven people. In the winter, it takes five hours to heat up the tub, whereas in the summer, four hours are sufficient for the job. The prices for the hot tub are €150 per night in the winter and €100 per night in the summer.

BARBECUE HUT

The barbecue hut next to the beach is at your disposal, free of charge, when you are staying in one of our cabins. Just remember to agree upon it with the staff beforehand, and clean the hut afterwards! The barbecue hut is included in the hot tub rental price.

FISHING HUT

The fishing hut where you can clean your catch is there to make the work more pleasant as the hut provides shelter from mosquitoes and winds. Running water, salt, and bags for the fish guts are all part of the standard equipment of the hut.
You will also find life jackets in the fishing hut.

FISH POND

The fish pond is opposite the boathouse.
In the spring, rainbow trout are added to the pond.
The fish are fed twice a day, in the morning and in the evening.
Children are welcome to help feed the fish at these times.
However, feeding the fish at other times is forbidden.

If you want to catch a rainbow trout, please call +358443049458.
Each trout costs €20; the staff will clean the trout for you so that you can cook it.
If you want to smoke the fish, you can borrow a smoke oven for free,
or the staff can smoke the trout for you for €10.

NATURE TRAIL

There is a nature trail in the nearby woods with questions about nature and survival in Finnish, English and Russian along the trail.

LEAN-TO
There is a lean-to with a campfire site and equipment along the nature trail. The guests in our cabins can freely use the lean-to.

The guests in our cabins can also stay overnight in the lean-to, free of charge.

SKI TRACK AND SNOWSHOEING

There is a ski track of about five kilometres in the woods that passes by the lean-to. You can also access the ski tracks on the frozen lake directly from the Vonkale beach. Other ski tracks that are better suited for working out begin in front of the hotel Keitele (about 10km by car).

Snowshoeing is a fun way of walking in unbroken deep snow and accessing places where it is not possible to make a ski track. There are short trails for snowshoeing in our own woods nearby. We also rent out skis, ski boots, snowshoes and touring skates.

EXCURSIONS
The small islands nearby are nice destinations for independent excursions all year round.

The fishing raft (for 11 people) can take you to the town if you have errands to run or want to eat out in a restaurant, or you can take part in a canal, swimming or snorkelling tour. Call us at +358 44 304 9458 for a quote.

SPECIAL EVENTS

The opening of the ice road across the lake from the nearby Halmevalkama to the Kovala headland near the town of Äänekoski is a much anticipated event among car drivers. The ice road also presents excellent opportunities for outdoor activities.

Model aeroplane club meeting
Every year on a spring weekend, the frozen lake in front of the Vonkale grounds hosts some breathtaking flight performances when the model aeroplane club organises their spring event at our villa. You can admire these performances from the lake.

Ice-fishing competitions
When the sunshine becomes brighter in the spring, both individual ice-fishers and the organisers and participants of ice-fishing competitions appear on the frozen lake.

Midsummer
Every year, there is a midsummer bonfire on the nearby Halmevalkama beach. A mere half a kilometre away from the Vonkale grounds, it’s a nice walk to take on a midsummer evening.

The Keitelejazz festival takes place in Äänekoski town on the last weekend of July. Get in touch with the Vonkale staff to investigate the possibility of getting there by fishing raft for a small fee.

Sumiaisten rautalankafestivaali in July is a festival for electric guitar music that takes place some 15km away from the Vonkale grounds.

Thanks to Neste Rally Finland in the beginning of August, all our cabins tend to be reserved months ahead for the duration of the event.

The famous Finnish auctioneer “Huutokauppakeisari” holds an auction every Friday. Many of our guests book a cabin for their visit to the auction that takes place some 20km away from the Vonkale grounds.