Pentala by boat – an archipelago museum on an old fishing homestead

Pentala is an island of about 130 hectares in Suvisaaristo, Espoo, and the highest island in southern Finland. Just under half of the island is a nature reserve. In summer 2018, the Espoo City Museum opened the Pentala Archipelago Museum on the island's old fishing homestead. Entry to the museum area is free, and in the summer season the island also has a café and the archipelago restaurant Paven.

People have lived on the island all year round since the 1750s at the latest, and the museum area is a well-preserved fishing and villa environment of national significance. The oldest building on the island is a fisherman's cottage whose earliest logs have been dated to trees felled in 1791. The reed-roofed shore storehouse was probably built in 1819 and was used to store nets and fishing gear. In the 1910s, the Nyholm family had the Art Nouveau-style Villa Rosengård built for summer residents, and today it houses the museum's information centre and museum shop.

The Nyholm family lived on Pentala from the 1850s onwards. Fishing alone was not enough to make a living in the archipelago, so the family also kept a cow, chickens and a garden, whose flowers and strawberries were sold as far away as the Market Square in Helsinki. Arvid Nyholm was one of the last professional fishermen in Espoo, and his widow Gurli Nyholm was the island's last year-round resident. Gurli's house has been preserved as it was during her last summer in 1986, and you can visit the house on a guided tour.

A nature trail of about 2.3 kilometres leads from the museum area to Lake Pentalanjärvi and Diksand beach on the island's south-eastern shore, where several rare plant species grow. Covering about four hectares, Lake Pentalanjärvi is the southernmost lake in Espoo, and the lake has a small island of its own.

The trip suits families, people interested in history and archipelago life, and anyone who wants to combine a boat trip, a museum visit, a nature trail and lunch in one day. The museum jetty is best suited to boats under seven metres, and boats may stay at the jetty for a maximum of four hours, so Pentala is best for a day visit.

The Archipelago Museum jetty has ten berths for private boats, and mooring is permitted for four hours. The jetty is best suited to boats under seven metres. The end of the jetty is reserved for the island ferry service.

The archipelago restaurant Paven is on the island's north-eastern shore, in the pavilion of Esbo Segelförening rf. The club's jetty is reserved for members of the sailing club and Paven's customers.

There are few berths, and the City of Espoo recommends that museum visitors travel by island ferry. We therefore recommend setting off in the morning and having a backup plan in case the jetty is full.

Most of Pentala's shores are privately owned, and there is free access to the seashore only from the museum area and Diksand beach. Landing on Diksand beach by motorboat is not allowed, as the beach is part of the nature reserve. Walk to the beach along the nature trail.

Pentala is a day destination, as boats may stay at the museum jetty for a maximum of four hours. Entry to the museum area is free, but Gurli's house can only be visited on a guided tour, which is subject to a charge for adults. Check the museum's opening hours, guided tours and ticket prices on the City of Espoo's website.

In the summer season, Café Pentala is open in the museum area and accepts card payments only, and the archipelago restaurant Paven is on the island's north-eastern shore. Check the café's and the restaurant's seasonal opening hours before you set off.

The toilets in the museum area are open only during the museum's opening hours, and there are no other public toilets on the island. There are no waste bins along the nature trail, so take your rubbish with you. The water from the island's wells is not drinkable. During the museum's opening hours, mains water is available from the summer water tap at Lill-Stugan in the museum area, but bring drinking water with you anyway. Overnight stays, camping, making fires and smoking are prohibited in the area owned by the city, and dogs must be kept on a lead. There are no supervised beaches on Pentala, but you can swim at Diksand beach and at the north-eastern end of Lake Pentalanjärvi.

Agree on refuelling with the boat owner before you set off.