Camping in Kökar – Sandvik Marina & Camping

Kökar has wonderful opprtunities for camping, there is a nice big camping area, which is close to some of the main sights in Kökar.

Sandvik Marina & Camping is located by a beautiful bay with smooth cliffs. The slogan of the place is “Where sooth cliffs meet the sea”, and it is spot on said.

Sandvik has a laid-back atmosphere, with excellent service and friendly staff willing to help with any issues you may have.

Sandvik is located 3.5 km from Harparnäs ferry harbour. After traveling about two kilometres, make a right turn at the crossroads (look for a small “Sandvik” sign at the junction). A big blue sign says Hamnö.

Proceed for another 1.5 kilometres and turn to the right again. At the Sandvik junction, you will see an old boat serving as a signpost, making it easy to spot.

After the Welcome sign, the camping areas spread on both sides of the narrow road lined with rose and juniper bushes.

After the camper van spaces, you can see a red service building, where the road turns to the left. 

Check-in takes place in a small shed by the sea with information sign on the roof. Outside the peak season go to the café building.

Sjöbjörn – the landmark of Sandvik

The most outstanding feature of the area are the breathtaking smooth cliffs by the sea. You can relax on the cliffs, enjoy the view of the sea, and watch the hustle and bustle of the area.

During the off-season, the area is tranquil. You can almost have the cliffs and the beautiful scenery all to yourself. The café’s terrace provides excellent views of the bay.

In front of the café is the landmark of the area: an old fish sump situated on cliff. It is an attraction in itself (both the boat and the cliffs)! The story of the Sjöbjörn is at the end of this post.

Accommodation

Sandvik makes camping in Kökar easy. There are plenty of spaces for tents in the area, and there are a few suitable spots for hammocks. If you can’t find them, ask in the café.

I fell in love with Kökar so that I ended up living in Sandvik for two summers. I slept in a hammock and had a tent to store my stuff. Read more below.

Additionally, there are 10 designated electric spaces for camper vans. If these are full, camper vans can utilize the grass areas where tents are pitched.

In addition to camping, Sandvik has simple overnight cabins. They are for 2-4 people, have a refrigerator and a radiator for the cold nights of spring and autumn.

Bed linen and towels can be rented on site.

Services

Guests have access to a service building with toilets, showers, a laundry room and a large communal kitchen that also serves as a lounge area. 

In the kitchen, you can find a refrigerator and freezer, two stoves, a microwave, dishes, pots and pans and a washing point. 

During peak season, the kitchen is often busy, with boaters also visiting to wash dishes. 

The only luxury you will find here is the beautiful view to the bay in front of the are.

Below you can see pictures from the service building.

Next to the service building, there is a children’s play area and a barbecue shelter. Barbecue charcoal can be purchased at the shop or café.

Additionally, there are rental saunas and a small beach. If you want to explore Kökar, you can rent bicycles. For sea exploration, there are kayaks and SUPs available for rent.

The marina can host up to 50 boats and is often nearly full during peak season, creating a bustling atmosphere in the area!

Bistro Sjöbjörn

The café/restaurant serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, as well as coffee and pastries, and of course ice cream. The food is bistro-level, simple, but very tasty, and the portion sizes are large.

The restaurant specializes in fish dishes, so you can’t get hamburgers from there. You can get “laughing wieners” for children on request, and fish&chips will serve your taste buds, even if you are not a fish lover. The restaurant’s homemade potato salad is famous on both sides of the Kihti.

Furthermore, during the peak season, there is a small shop where you can purchase basic groceries and supplements.

The Åland archipelago has few campsites, making Sandvik a great choice for a camping holiday in the archipelago.

While camping in Kökar, you can enjoy the natural beauty of the archipelago while still having access to services and other attractions. Read more below.

The story of Sjöbjörn

 There’s a sign on the side of the boat, which tells the story of Sjöbjörn. It is in Swedish, but I have translated it into English:

In the late 1940s, a group of Kökar residents who worked together to buy and sell fish needed a new boat. The fish storage boat, the sump, they used was old and no longer reliable.

During their last trip, the rudder shaft, which held the steering wheel, broke in the middle of the open water in the Kihti sea area.

The cooperative needed to purchase a new boat. They conducted a search and found a nearly new sump.

The seller, a fish buyer from Uusikaupunki, was looking to sell the boat, which he had ordered from the shipyard in Uusikaupunki a few years ago. The boat was built in 1947.

The newly purchased boat, Sjöbjörn, was bought for a significant amount of money. It featured large fish cabinets, a cabin, and a toilet, making it a modern sump.

The loan taken to buy the boat was substantial and needed to be repaid within ten years, so there was no time to be lazy now.

Buying And Selling Fish

Captain Alf Westerberg drove around the Kökar archipelago, and the fishermen came up alongside Sjöbjörn with their fishing boats. They showed their catch, which included whitefish, pike, and other fish.

The fish were quality assessed, weighed, and then the fishermen were paid over the railing for their catch.

The fish were then placed alive in the fish sump, which had holes in the bottom of the boat so that the fish could be transported alive to Turku and delivered fresh to the people in the city.

There were two weekly tours between Kökar and Turku. Residents of Kökar would accompany these trips if they had any errands in town.

On the return trip, goods were transported to Kökar’s store, which allowed the store to maintain a large assortment and offer the goods at a much cheaper price compared to shipping them via the larger boats passing outside Kökar at that time.

The fishing co-op found the loan to be a heavy burden, so they decided to come up with a new plan.

In the past, meat buyers would visit the island and purchase beef from the residents, In those days, there was a cow in almost every household. However, the buyers would typically offer low prices for the animals. 

To improve their situation, the co-op established a slaughterhouse in Kökar where the animals could be processed. The meat was then transported to Turku and sold directly to meat shops.

This way, the residents of Kökar received higher payment for their meat, and the fishing co-op earned more for transporting the meat to Turku. This new scheme benefited everyone involved.

Continuation

Later on, however, the amount of fish decreased, and the Åland County Administrative Board began to run daily car ferry tours in the 1960s.

Sjöbjörn’s function changed and Per Sundberg from Karlby now purchased Sjöbjörn. The boat was then used to transport herring, traveling west to Föglö and the fish farms in that area. The Sjöbjörn was extensively used as a freighter boat.

In 1974, after 27 years of service, Sjöbjörn was due for some rest. It was laid up here on the cliffs of Sandvik and remains here today as an important memory of what life in the archipelago was like in the past.

Facts:

Year of construction: 1947, Sjöbjörn had 6 sister boats
Length: 12 meters
Width: 4 meters
Engine: single cylinder Wikström, 25 Hp
Loadability: all that it held.
Sjöbjörn’s first motor is in Kökar museum’s boat hall. Visit the Museum and learn more about Kökar’s unique history.

Sjöbjörn “1” was split in half and sold. The stern was turned into firewood and the bow was laid up on an islet in the archipelago and used as a fishing hut.