Finnish bear supplies: Get thrillingly close to some of the world’s largest predators in the Arctic Lake District

As we sit quietly in our shelter, it is difficult to muffle our screams as a large brown bear looms on the horizon. He sniffs the air with a swagger, looking around as if to let us know that this is completely his place.

Then come the wolves – some shy, or playful and extremely seductive. We count seven. Our guide Janne Autere tells us that they are four months old.

We are located in the Arctic Lake District in eastern Finland, a 90-minute flight from Helsinki with Finnair to Kajaani. It is one of the few places in Europe where you can spot brown bears, wolves and wolverines. It is said that there are only 300 wolves in Finland, so it is amazing to see seven of them.

Soon the big bear has eaten enough and retreats into the forest (food scraps are scattered to entice him) and a smaller brown bear emerges. (Adult male bears weigh up to 300 kg, females up to 200 kg) The bear population in Finland is just over 2,000.

It is fascinating to see how the young wolves avoid the bears, play like puppies and gain self-confidence.

Outdoors: Margaret Hussey stays at Hotel Kalevala (pictured) and explores the Arctic Lake District in eastern Finland

Margaret reveals Arctic Lakeland is one of the few places in Europe where you can spot bears, wolves and wolverines (file image)

Margaret spots a brown bear from the safety of an observation hut (file image)

We hired cameras from our base camp in Kuikka and it is worth the £25. The more hardcore guests can stay in the rudimentary shelter for a night from £250, but we opt for two nights at Hotel Kalevala.

The next day we visit another forest area – hoping to see wolverines.

An official from the umbrella nature group Wild Taiga tells us that they look more like otters than wolves and are loners. After two hours we only see a few, albeit very beautiful, Siberian jays.

Back at base camp, an overview of the daily observations is kept in a table with football results.

We are very happy that Bears 2, Wolves 7 will win. We leave the animals behind, drive through no man’s land – an area less than a mile from the Russian border – and on to the holiday village of Lentiira, where we have a traditional smoked sauna and jump into the cold lake.

Everyone in Finland has access to a sauna, says Elise Heikkinen-Johnstone, who runs Lentiira.

Margaret visits the Lentiira holiday village. Above is one of the resort’s cottages

Margaret uses a kuksa, a traditional cup carved from birch, to forage for berries (file image)

Elise hands us a kuksa – a traditional cup carved from birch – to go foraging. “The forest is the church for the Finns,” she says. ‘Anyone can forage and there is no tax on berries.’

I manage to collect lingonberries, cloudberries and blueberries. Their colors stand out so vividly against the forest and the only sound you hear is the spongy moss under your feet as you walk.

This silence strikes us as we leave Arctic Lakeland and return to Helsinki. Once in the capital, we stay at the NH Collection Helsinki Grand Hansa, which opened in May and consists of two historic buildings with beautiful Art Nouveau details. It is minutes from Helsinki’s iconic Stockmann store, as well as the city’s parliament, art galleries and library.

Helsinki has around 300 islands in the archipelago, so we take a boat trip with the Redrib Experience – spotting cormorants and herons just minutes from the city. I’m elated, but it’s the sight of that big bear and those seven wolves that will stay with me.