Holiday cottages Tervalepikon Torpat in Sysmä are surrounded by a peaceful scenery of lakes and forests. The hosts have an organic farm with sheep to manage heritage biotope pastures, and fields under hay, grassland and oats.
Tervalepikon Torpat is located on a woodland called Perämetsä (Backwoods). Taina’s father made a forest track through Perämetsä when he was clearing the fields at the end of 1960s. The track helped feeding the livestock, heifers, grazing in the area. They used to drink from the brook running in the area, or from the banks of the lake and they also used to eat the reeds on the banks of the lake. Cattle was grazing in the area around Tervalepikon Torpat already in the 1930s. Grazing has changed the vegetation there and brought unique characteristics such as wild strawberries.
In the 1990s Taina and Vesa started going on holiday to Lapland. While staying overnight in the cottages there, they got many good ideas for building a cottage of their own some day. The ideas became reality in the 2000s when Vesa and Taina decided to build two rental cottages on the grounds of Perämetsä. The most important thing were proper stairs between the two storeys as the cabins in Lapland often had very steep stairs. Tervalepikon Torpat were designed by architect Hilja Moilanen.
The timber for Tainan Tupa and Vesan Villa came from the surrounding forest. Vesa built the cottages and carved the surfaces of the logs himself with an axe. The beautifully carved surfaces can also be seen on the inside walls of the cottages. Tainan Tupa has been in rental use since December 2004 and Vesan Villa since May 2006.
The brook bringing water to the pond next to Vesan Villa begins from a spring that was used as a drinking spot for the cattle. Now the spring is dry and cannot be seen anymore. However, the water still runs into the pond. The water in the pond is extremely fresh and pure as it also partly flows from the springs at the bottom of the pond. Large black alders grew in the wetlands on the banks of the brook. The alders were left to grow in the proximity to remind us of the history of the area. So it is no coincidence that the cottages are called Tervalepikon Torpat (Black alder crofts). From the pond the water continues to run as a brook to Lake Suojärvi.
Tervalepikon Torpat is a member of ECEAT Finland. ECEAT Finland develops and promotes tourism that supports organic agriculture, sustainable land use, the protection of nature and the environment, and the protection of cultural heritage and traditional rural landscapes, also encourage environmental education. All its destinations must meet the quality criteria of the network. As ECEAT promotes sustainable tourism, particular attention is payed to the ecological and cultural sustainability of tourism services. Read more https://luomumatkailu.fi/en/etusivu-english/
Sustainable Travel Finland (STF) label we have gotten in August 2023 . It is developed by Visit Finland and it helps travel professionals to make more sustainable choices. Visit Finland tells, that the label is a definitive symbol of commitment towards sustainable practices and principles.
Read about sustainability:
https://travel-trade.visitfinland.com/en/sustainability/
https://www.visitfinland.com/en/practical-tips/sustainability/