Kumlinge

Kumlinge is a small island municipality in archipelago Åland. Despite their seemingly central location between Finland and Åland these islands are off the beaten track!

Like all other municipalities in Åland, Kumlinge is unilingually Swedish speaking. English is understood, Finnish not quite so.

Understand


First settlers arrived to Kumlinge during the Middle Age from mainland Åland. The first document mentioning Kumlinge church is was written in 1484 but the current stone church was built around 1510. Probably there has been one or two wooden chapels before it. A land register from 1537 mention all the current villages and their 107 homesteads. According to scientists this correspond to perhaps 600 or even 800 residents.

During the Finnish War between Sweden and Russia in 1808 a group of local peasants managed to surround over 400 Russian soldiers and shot at them with two small cannons from Fälberget hill until the Russians surrendered. The Russians attacked here again in 1809 but this time the Swedish army decided to stop them by burning villages into ashes. Therefore few buildings are older than from the 19th century.

Having just 315 permanent residents, Kumlinge is one of the smallest municipalities in Åland. There are four permanently inhabited islands (Kumlinge, Enklinge, Seglinge and Björkö) and about 800 uninhabited islands, some of which have summer cottages. The islands are fairly flat as the highest hill hardly reaches 20 meters above sea level. The municipality is actively recruiting new inhabitants but the small community has few jobs available. Kumlinge has a school (grades 1–9), a kindergarten, a retirement home, mail and bank offices, grocery stores, and a library. The islands are connected to the outside world by a optic-fibre network.

The Tick-Borne Encephalitis (TBE) is also known as the Kumlinge disease because the first epidemic in Finland occurred in Kumlinge during the 1940s. Ticks are abundant and carry both TBE and borreliosis. For nature enthusiasts vaccination against TBE is recommended, and anybody should check the advice on ticks and tick-borne diseases.

By connecting vessel
Kumlinge is on the Northern Line and on the Cross Line of Ålandstrafiken ferry routing. The ship-like ferries are quite large and carry both cars and bikes, but there is a fare for any vehicles (pedestrians travel for free). For the cars you need to make a reservation. For bikers and pedestrians it is enough to just step onboard. For the vehicles cheaper archipelago fares are applied if you stay overnight in the archipelago (as defined in Åland) and by making the reservation online you'll get 20% off. Once you have paid the fare, keep the ticket as the archipelago-fare ticket is valid for any continued journey! If you do not sleep in the archipelago the much more expensive transit-fare ticket is valid only for a single journey.

There are cafés on board but they may or may not be open. If closed, there is a coffee machine, snack machine and microwave oven. Keep some coins with you.

When arriving from mainland Finland you need to get to Vuosnainen harbour in Kustavi and continue by ferry to Åva in Brändö. Then travel through Brändö to Torsholma harbour (about 11 kilometres, paved road) and continue with the Northern Line ferry to Kumlinge. During the summer season there might be some kind of coach connection from Turku all the way to Torsholma.

When arriving from mainland Åland you may use the Northern Line ferry from Hummelvik in Vårdö or the Cross Line from Långnäs in Lumparland. There are good bus connections from Mariehamn to Långnäs and Hummelvik.

The Northern Line (Norra linjen) between Torsholma and Hummelvik calls at about 4 kilometres north from the main village. They usually call at as well. The ship-like ferries m/s Alfågeln and m/s Ejdern (summer) or m/s Knipan (winter) sail the route a few times daily all year. The crossing to Kumlinge takes 1 hr 10 min from Torsholma, and 1 hr 20 min from Hummelvik.

The Cross Line (Tvärgående linjen) between Långnäs and Snäckö calls at some 7 km south-west from the main village, and at Överö jetty in Föglö if necessary. There are a few departures also for Sottunga. The ship-like vessel m/s Odin runs the route once to thrice times a day around the year. The journey Långnäs–Överö–Snäckö takes about 1 hr 40 min. If the ferry calls at Sottunga, it takes 40 min more.

By own yacht




By plane
Small (ICAO: EFKG) has a paved runway and is open for small aeroplanes around the year. There are no commercial flights to Kumlinge. The airfield is operated by the Government of Åland.

The nearest airport is in Mariehamn.

Get around


The distance between Kumlinge harbour and Snäckö harbour is 11 km. The traffic is very low and the landscape extremely flat so biking is perfect way to get around. Accommodations have bikes for rent. Walking is also easy but due to sparse housing you might find the distances frustrating. Kumlinge and Snäckö islands are connected to each other by a causeway. Road signs are in Swedish.

Shared taxis operates on Kumlinge and Seglinge islands in weekdays from and to ferry harbours according to the time tables of the ferries. They must be invoked the preceding day before 20:00. The shared taxi is free of charge on the main road. Departing the main road will cost €1–3.


 * Taxi Kumlinge-Seglinge:
 * Taxi Enklinge:

There is also a boat taxi, useful in case you need to reach minor islands. Boat taxi Satu Numminen: or e-mail: satu.numminen@gmail.com.

is on the Northern Line and the ferry calls there on its way between Kumlinge and Hummelvik (Vårdö). The trip takes about 20 minutes from Kumlinge. Check the timetables from Ålandstrafiken. Notice that some departures call Enklinge only if booked in advance. Call the vessels: m/s Alfågeln, m/s Ejdern or m/s Knipan.

is connected to Snäckö harbour by a cable ferry. The trip takes less than 10 minutes. The cable ferry is free of charge and during the summer season it sails about every 30 minutes, except when there is scheduled break. During the winter season the ferry runs when someone needs it.

is a bit tricky. You need to get off the Northern Line ferry at Lappo (in Brändö) and somehow get yourself to another ferry jetty across the island, 2.7 km from the harbour. The cable ferry between Lappo and Björkö sails when necessary, except during the night.

See


The views on these islands consists of villages surrounded by fields and meadows, pine forests, and of course the sea.

Do


Accommodations have some activities available. Check their webpages or ask. Some arrange even seal safaris. As elsewhere in the archipelago, the Midsummer in late June is the main event.

Buy




Sleep
There are a few alternatives for accommodation. Many visitors sleep in their own yacht.



Stay safe
Check the advice on ticks, which are abundant and carry both TBE and borreliosis.

Go next
Unless you have your own yacht or aeroplane your only options are:
 * mainland Åland or Föglö (or Sottunga) via Cross Line, and
 * Vårdö, Brändö or mainland Finland via the Northern Line