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Norrfjärden–Tegelbruksbacken Nature Trail

—•Hiking Trails

6 km

Route

P 1

Description

City of Kristinestad – Hiking trails+

Description

Norrfjärden–Tegelbruksbacken nature trail is about 6 km on the map as one line through the bilingual coastal town of Kristinestad, tying Pohjoislahti and the Tiilitehtaanmäki brickworks hill beside Norrfjärden. Ostrobothnia is the wider region. For printable maps and the municipal trail list, start with the City of Kristinestad’s hiking routes page; Visit Kristinestad’s Outdoor Active hub is useful for on-screen routing. Kristinestads historia hosts a long illustrated article on the same shore that mixes ecology and trail engineering—bridges, grazing, land uplift, and how Metsähallitus (Finnish Forest Centre) markings and the Natura 2000 meadows on Tegelbruksbacken fit together. Retkipaikka’s report by Jorma Murto stresses how easy the tread is for families: shore woods, pastures, duckboards, and the suspension bridge over Tiukanjoki as a clear highlight. From the northern end you can start from Pohjoislahti pysäköintialue 1; within the first kilometre the path brushes the Köydenpunojankatu sports block—Keskustan jääkiekkokaukalo Kristiinankaupunki, Keskustan tekonurmikenttä, Kristiinankaupungin tenniskenttäalue, and Keskustan luistelukenttä Kristiinankaupunki sit just off the line. Pohjoislahden pysäköintialue is another practical access point a little farther along, with wider shore views toward Norrfjärden. Mid-route, Tiilitehtaanmäki pysäköintialue and the Itäpuolen urheilukeskuksen frisbeegolfrata and Itäpuolen urheilukeskuksen pallokenttä mark the eastern sports campus. The forested Tiilitehtaanmäki end focuses on Tiukanjoki: Tiilitehtaanmäki Tiukanjoki tulentekopaikka and Tiilitehtaanmäki Tiukanjoki polttopuusuoja - kuivakäymälä cluster at the resting place near the suspension bridge, with dry toilet and firewood shelter as described for visitors making coffee stops. Terrain alternates between gravel-topped tread and wooden duckboards on wet ground; occasional broader sections allow several hikers abreast. Blue marks on tree trunks are the main guidance, with some red-marked optional spurs that Retkipaikka notes as slightly more demanding. Boardwalk renewal and service-structure upgrades were in the news when Svenska Yle covered planned gravel surfacing instead of some wooden walkways and future bird-tower work—check the city’s pages for what is live today. Winter travellers should expect icy boardwalks and ordinary coastal weather. Kristiinankaupunki is a good base for a half-day outing: cafés and the wooden town are a short walk from several access points when you combine town streets with the nature tread.

Length & route

The trail is about 6 km as one through-route on our map. Municipal brochure figures have sometimes described a slightly longer shore circuit that also uses town streets; rounding and which shortcuts you include explain small differences. Expect gravel surfacing on long dry sections, wooden duckboards in wet hollows, short bridges over ditches, and the 55 m suspension bridge (“Vandrarnas bro”) over Tiukanjoki linking the Pohjoislahti and Tiilitehtaanmäki strands—opened in June 2014 with Metsähallitus as building client per Kristinestads historia. Optional red-marked side loops add distance and a bit more challenge.

Getting there

On our map the line begins beside Pohjoislahti pysäköintialue 1 (coordinates about 62.281N, 21.379E) and can also be joined at Pohjoislahden pysäköintialue or Tiilitehtaanmäki pysäköintialue. The City of Kristinestad links a Finnish/English PDF brochure titled Tiilitehtaanmäki for parking notes and an overview sketch. Visit Kristinestad’s Outdoor Active entry helps if you need a digital trace before arriving. Kristinestads historia also describes an alternate start from the old cemetery on Tjöckvägen on the eastern shore or from Sjögatan across Norrfjärden when you want to stitch in town streets and Stadsbron.

Good to know

Swedish-language Yle Österbotten reported a planned facelift: renewed signage, adjusted service structures, replacing some boardwalks with compacted gravel, an additional bird tower, and studies for future footbridges—validate what is finished before relying on those details for a winter trip. Sheep and cattle may graze the open meadows; give animals space. Retkipaikka mentions a bird tower associated with the Pohjoislahti parking edge; confirm boardwalks after renovations.

History

Tegelbruksbacken—literally the brickworks hill—takes its name from an 18th-century brickyard whose brick was used in Kristinestad’s stone town hall in local history narration. For more than a century townspeople grazed cattle on the common meadows around Norrfjärden until scrub encroached; grazing returned with sheep and Scottish Highland cattle to keep the Natura 2000 grasslands open. In June 1998 the municipality transferred roughly 150 hectares east of the bay to the state in an exchange involving the railway station area, after which Metsähallitus became the steward of the protected shore belt. The 55 m steel suspension bridge over Tiukanjoki opened in June 2014, built with Ilomantsi contractor Kari Lyytikäinen and local help, with Metsähallitus as client and most funding from the ELY Centre plus a city share—before that, the two shore trails could not meet dry-shod.

Managed by

Kristiinankaupunki

Official Maintenance

GPX data from: © Metsähallitus, 2024

Trail info

Walkable in either direction; seasonal wind off Norrfjärden may favour choosing the more sheltered woodland segments first.

Route direction

blue paint on trees; optional red-marked side routes

Route Signs

Open / Good Condition

Activities allowed

Hike / Walk

Activity

Terrain & conditions

6 km

Distance

Roughly two hours of walking for the 6 km line plus breaks at the river resting place or bird watching.

Est. Time

Dirt / Gravel

Surface

Point-to-Point, Single Track, Wide Track

Route Type

Partial Shade

Shade

Light Traffic

Traffic

Location

62.28107°N, 21.37915°E

Parking coordinates

FinlandCountry

OstrobothniaRegion

KristiinankaupunkiCity

Hiking TrailsCategory

Explore nearby

Keskustan jääkiekkokaukalo Kristiinankaupunki

315 m

Free

Keskustan tekonurmikenttä

257 m

Free

Kristiinankaupungin tenniskenttäalue

366 m

Keskustan luistelukenttä Kristiinankaupunki

259 m

Free

Itäpuolen urheilukeskuksen frisbeegolfrata

195 m

Free

Itäpuolen urheilukeskuksen pallokenttä

206 m

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Answers to your questions

Our data was researched from Kristiinankaupunki, and other trusted sources, in March 2026. Our route / place GPX data comes from Metsähallitus / Lipas, last updated March 2026. Always check their official website for safety-critical updates.

Finland Ostrobothnia Kristiinankaupunki Hiking TrailsNorrfjärden–Tegelbruksbacken Nature Trail