Uutela - the largest and most diverse outdoor recreational area in eastern Helsinki

Ihmisiä Vuosaaren rantakalliolla
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Uutela features sea shores, forests, swamps and meadows, all of which are ideal for hiking. The area also houses an allotment garden, Skata Farm and several old villas.
Ruohokanukka Uutelassa
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Nature

The Uutela waterfront boasts impressive landscapes and is considered a geologically valuable area. The protected nature reserve Särkkäniemi features coastal meadows and distinctive lagoon bays, which split off from the sea as a result of post-glacial rebound. The area’s reed beds and protected inlets provide excellent nesting sites for a variety of water birds. In addition to birds, the area is also home to moor frogs, common toads, smooth newts and a wide range of dragonflies.

Skatanniemi can be accessed by a road that runs through the villa area. The tip of the cape offers a spectacular view of the sea, and the extensive rocks are sure to impress. In the middle of Skatanniemi there is also an artillery bunker dating back to the First World War.

Rudträsk is a wetland area formed by a dried-up lake, located north-west of Skata Farm. The forests of Rudträsk are home to a variety of rare polypores, several species of bats and grey-headed woodpeckers. Uutelanneva is an impressive open swamp in its natural state.

Uutelan luontomaisemaa
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Routes

The diverse, semi-natural forest in the south-western part of Uutela is circled by a nature trail that consists of two walking tours of differing lengths, forming a figure-of-8 pattern. 

Forests and Pastures tour is approximately 2.5 km in length and easy to navigate. The route is signposted and marked with green and white ribbons. 

Gloe Lakes and Coastal Meadows tour is approximately 1.5 km in length. The route is generally easy to navigate, but includes short duckboard sections. The route is signposted and marked with green and white ribbons. Parts of the tour are located within the nature reserve. Movement in the nature reserve is restricted in the spring and summer between 1 April and 1 August, during which time visitors must stay on the designated paths and duckboards. Fishing is prohibited in the nature reserve.

Skatanniemen kärki Uutelassa
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History

Uutela has been inhabited since the 17th century. In the late 19th century several high-value villas were built along the shores, including Villa Meriharju, designed by Selim A. Lindqvist, and Villa Vuosanta, designed by the architecture firm Gesellius-Lindgren-Saarinen. The gardens of Villa Meriharju and Villa Vuosanta are highly valued garden heritage sites.

Skata Farm, located in the middle of Uutela, is a Swedish crown farm from the 18th century. Though the farm was owned by the Swedish state, it was handed down from one generation to the next, with the user only paying the taxes for the farm. The ancestral farm was joined with Vuosaari Manor at the end of the 19th century. The current main building dates to the 19th century. Of the other old buildings, only a stone barn, a wooden granary and two sheds remain. Finland’s oldest horse riding school, Keskustalli, operated out of Skata Farm from the mid-1950s until the 1970s. In those days herds of horses galloped in the pastures and many young people from Helsinki learned how to ride at the school’s summer camps. Another popular activity was taking the horses to paddle in the sea.

n the 1860s, nearly all of the large islands off the coast of Helsinki were put to military use in order to strengthen the Viapori sea fortress. During the First World War, the islands were fortified further. The artillery bunker located in the middle of Skatanniemi, built by the Russians in 1917, is from this period. The bunker is the only seafront base located on the mainland in Finland.

Learn more about the nature of Uutela at citynature.eu

How to get there

The journey from Helsinki Railway Station takes around 30 minutes by metro and bus. Get directions.

 

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Uutela features sea shores, forests, swamps and meadows, all of which are ideal for hiking. The area also houses an allotment garden, Skata Farm and several old villas.