The surroundings of Sipoo are the best area for off-road motorcycling that I have found around Helsinki (Update: Ylimmäinen is much better). I have been there before I started this blog and I went again to take note of the good roads. Keep in mind that it’s also an area where locals use the same unpaved roads to ride their horses.
I finally learnt that it’s best to take a main road to leave the city far and fast before looking for good ones, so I took the E18 east, then Eriksnäsinte and Söderkullantie north, and then Gesterbyntie east to find the first unpaved road in Gästerby.
I took Storträskintie, Källängintie and Tarpolantie to reach Boxintie. The two first form the best off-road track that I have found around Helsinki so far. A lonely curly narrow track between trees and some parts paved with stones. It also had muddy parts as it had been raining the previous days, and it was in one of those parts that I felt off my bike.
You can see in the tire marks how I lost control before falling on the grass where the bike is standing. I’m an unexperienced off-road rider, but I blame most of my difficulties over mud to the worn inadecuate tires that my bike has. Something I plan to fix in the next season.
Without more consecuences than a bended fairing, I lifted the bike and continued to the stones parts of Källängintie.
Stones like those make the bike shake and slide, quite tricky and fun. They will also hit the bottom of your bike, better have protectors.
Back on asphalt, I took Boxintie and Brobölentie north to Sipoo. Sipoo is a small town with an old church worth seeing. I crossed Sipoo through Iso Kylätie and Humalistontie, and took Paippistentie north until the former Moottorikahvila.
It seems the Moottorikahvila was a bikers cafe, but unfortunatelly it’s closed. Next to it there is an old gas station where I took this picture.
I left the asphalt taking Snickarbackantie east and Impaksentie north to cross Impaändan.
I missed the north-west turn near Fransas and I countinued north-east. This put me in a forest track that got worse and worse, first with mud and ponds, then tall grass, rocks and deep holes. I realized my mistake but in such situations I have a voice in my head challenging me to go further. I felt two more times and, since I have another voice reminding me that if I get stuck the rescue truck isn’t going to tow me out of there, I decided to turn around. Such maneuver is always difficult in my big heavy motorbike.
But, before leaving, I took a picture of the worst part I reached. The grass hides how irregular the terrain is.
I followed Koivuniityntie north-west and Brusaksentie south-west. I couldn’t find the beginning of Sivenojantie until a local came to me and we overcame the language barrier making gestures.
I took Sivenojantie and Jungfrustenintie north, finding more loose gravel than usual in similar roads.
On asphalt again, I took road 146/Järvenpääntie east and Brusaksentie south to get back to business in Hommanäsintie. It’s worth to make a stop on the bridge over the river.
It’s precisely in Sivenojantie, Jungfrustenintie and Hommanäsintie where I usually find horses, so be careful and avoid scaring them.
My return started taking Paippistentie south, crossing Sipoo again, and Brobölentie south. But instead of continuing straight to the E18, I took Hindsbyntie south and Martiksentie west to Mosabacka. It paid off because most of Martiksentie is a dirt road and part of it a nice forest track crossing Sipoonkorpi National Park. I took my last picture there.
Finally I took Vanha Porvoontie and the E75 motorway south to Helsinki.
So yes, the best off-road area around Helsinki. I try to avoid annoying locals by not repeating the same area in a short period of time, otherwise I would go there again. I think I should explore further north-east, it looks similar in Google Maps.