Record 65 Take Part in English Mushroom Walk at Hervantajärvi

Sixty-five people took part in the English-language mushroom-picking walk at Lake Hervantajärvi in 2026, a record turnout for the event, the City of Tampere said.

The walk formed part of the city's free nature programme that ran through spring and summer, following the spring nature series and linked to the 'Nature, Climate and Tampere' public evenings.

It was the most popular of 22 excursions organised across Tampere this year, drawing 415 participants in total. Destinations ranged from lakeshores, groves and meadows to city-centre stretches of the Tammerkoski rapids. Children's outings visited the banks of the Vuohenoja stream and the woods of the Peltolammi-Pärrinkoski nature reserve.

The programme aims to give residents easy, safe access to nature while keeping accessibility and public-transport connections in mind. Most participants arrived by bus, bike or on foot. Jenna Pihlajamäki, the city’s environmental planner responsible for the walks, said she has been pleased to see residents exploring new trails.

Guides this year included wild herb guide Minna Aarnipuro, nature expert Lasse Kosonen, environmental biologist Tuomas Lilleberg, nature guide Meri Pikkarainen, Martti Rajamäki (MSc in Environmental Sciences) and forest guide Liina Tuominen.

Organisers invite suggestions for next year’s destinations by emailing [email protected] or by attending the public evening event "Nature, Climate and Tampere: Nature and Wellbeing" at Tampere City Hall on Thursday 29 November 2026 from 5:30 to 19:00. The city also maintains year-round nature trails with information boards across different districts.