Kukkolankoski Rapids

Kukkolankoski is a stretch of rapids several kilometres long on the Tornio river, which forms the border with Sweden, and it is one of the few places where an old fishing method has continued without interruption: whitefish running upstream are caught with a long-handled dip net worked from wooden platforms built out over the fast water, a technique that requires standing in the right place at the right moment and has been practised here for centuries. Villages on both banks fish the same rapids. A whitefish festival is held in late July with fish grilled on wooden boards beside the water, and small museums on each side cover the fishery.

What you actually see

• Dip net fishing from platforms - the long-handled nets worked over the rapids.
• Wooden fishing platforms - the structures built out over the fast water.
• The July whitefish festival - fish grilled on boards by the river.
• A border river fishery - villages on both banks working the same water.

When to go

July and August for the whitefish run and the festival. Half a day. The festival falls in late July and fills the village. Fishing is by right and permit and not open to visitors casually.

Honest expectations

The fishing is done by local rights holders, not by visitors, so this is watching rather than taking part. Outside the run there is little activity. The festival is crowded for a small village. Platforms are slippery and access to them is restricted.

Nearby

Tornio is south; Aavasaksa lies north up the river.