An invitation to discover a unique lifestyle in Kökar
Clean air is the trademark of Skinnars. In stormy silence, you can fill your lungs with ocean breeze and watch how birds nest in the holes of the rugged stables, rock plants bend in the wind and a pike splashes in a bed of reeds.
Life in the cycles of the seasons
In the spring the migratory birds arrive. They fly on top of each other in many layers. The sea is cool and in the earth you have the smell of life’s beginning. The winds blow over the melted sea back and the rock plants send off their first shoots.
On the hill of Skinnars you have the midsummer maypole of Österbygge. You are invited to weave the wreaths to be tied onto the pole along with other locals, summer guests and tourists. As the pole rises and the flag rises into the pole, we sing the Province song.
Åland is famous for its numerous plants. Delicate, small rock plants and wild flowers are tied into a wreath to wear on your forehead in the midsummer night and later to be tied and bundled under your pillow.
The area of Skinnars comprises four hectares. The houses have been built behind the hills to protect them from the wind. The distance to the beach is half a kilometer.
In old days the nets, the net markers, herring tubs and mortars were marked with signs carved into the wood. Here they have all been collected in one picture, where you can also find the Skinnars’ sign.
In the archipelago as well as in Skinnars everything old has been recycled. This hut on the beach has been repaired with old boards from a boat which sunk into the sea.
Autumn brings a deep blue velvet color to the sky. Astronomers and other amateurs of the stars appear on the island. The sky opens up in large quantities because of the island’s flat form and lack of forest cover.
Because of climate change, nature grows to be very plump and attempts to preserve its features. In the summer the dry hey fires up very easily, so dry twigs have to be burned during the winter.
Winter fishing, ice fishing, tour skating and country cross skiing on the ice are winter hobbies in Kökar.
When the sun melts the snow from the roofs, the birds return and so do the birdwatchers into their towers.
Spring frees the sea from ice, brings back the migratory birds and their nesting activities, and begins the spawning of the pike.
We cut the grass short around the cottages to keep the ticks away. When walking in long grass you should wear long sleeves and long pants.
