Torronsuo National Park

Torronsuo is a raised bog in southern Finland whose peat layer reaches around twelve metres, the deepest measured in the country, built up over thousands of years since the ice retreated. The surface is open, wet and almost treeless, a landscape of sphagnum, cotton grass, cloudberry and small pools stretching to a forest edge, and the way across is a boardwalk of several kilometres with an observation tower part way. It is one of the best sites in Finland for butterflies and moths, with a long list of species restricted to bogs, and it draws birdwatchers for cranes, waders and raptors. The bog is at its best in early morning mist and in autumn colour.

What you actually see

• Twelve metres of peat - the deepest bog in the country.
• Boardwalks across the open bog - the only way over the surface.
• Bog butterflies and moths - species found in few other habitats.
• Cranes and waders - the birds using the open ground.

When to go

May to September; late summer for cloudberries and September for colour. Half a day. Early morning is best for wildlife and mist. Biting insects in June and July are a genuine problem here.

Honest expectations

Mosquitoes and horseflies in midsummer are genuinely punishing here. There is no shade and no shelter on the bog. Boardwalks are slippery when wet and unfenced. Leaving them damages the bog and is not allowed.

Nearby

Forssa is north-west; Hameenlinna lies north-east.