Event site

Updated on October 3 after a visit to the site.

Overview

Kiljava is a typical camp in the sense that different activities will happen in different buildings and therefore one will have to walk outdoors to get to places, regardless of the weather. However, the paths between the buildings are sand/gravel and very well lit even during the night time.

We will have exclusive use of the site from Friday afternoon to Sunday when the site closes. The site is located by a lake in a forest. There are few neighbours ñ and no services (gas stations, shops, etc.) in the immediate area, so the area is entirely ours.

The site has limited handicap access . Day visitors can stay in the entrance level of the site as that's where most of the Saturday activities take place. A few steps will have to be navigated to get from inside the building out and round the corner to the toilets, but it is a short trip on non-slippery surface.
Even though the buildings on the site are located close to each other, the site is quite hilly so participants who sleep on site must be able to walk uphill and downhill. There are alternative - long but shallow - stairs with handrails that can be used instead of climbing up or down the steepest incline, but there's no way of avoiding the hill altogether if staying on site.

Mainly we will use the dining and kitchen building called "Alakämppä" ('lower cabin/building'), dorm/sleeping quarters called "Yläkämppä" ('upper cabin/building'), main sleeping quarters/2nd hall building "Kassu" and the big lakeside sauna. The tourneys will take place in the yard in front of the dining hall building, the archery competition will probably be held on top of the hill above the site.

For parking we will use the sites sports' field, nicely concealed by trees. On Friday evening a few cars at a time can be unloaded at the lower and upper doors of the main sleeping quarters, but it'll have to be one-way traffic for unloading only - follow the signs carefully to avoid getting into a situation you can't get out of!
On Saturday the main site (i.e. all roads between buildings) will be off-limits for cars to ensure everybody's safety.

Accommodations

The site is limited to 180 people sleeping on site. The first 150-160 persons who made a reservation will get a bed, the rest have to do with crash space. In addition, we can take people that are not staying on site or are sleeping in tents.

Most of the accommodation space is at Kassu, the most modern building in the area, located uphill from the arrival level and dining hall. The 100 beds in Kassu have been built into alcoves with either two 2-tiered or two 3-tiered bunk beds, i.e. the alcoves are for four or six people. The site owner's website has a photo of a four-person alcove, the space between the two bunk beds is about 1 metre. In the photo you can also see a bit of the storage cupboards, built near the doorway.
The alcoves don't have doors, just curtains in the doorway, so all of Kassu is a quiet area. This means that it is silence between 23-08.
The facilities at Kassu include WCs and a few (unisex) showers.

Alakämppä (dining hall building) has a loft that fits about 20 sleepers; this is one of the so called noisy sleeping areas. The loft is in the dining hall, above the tables (see site owner's photo of the hall, loft on the right). The loft is only accessible by climbing up a ladder/stairs; the access will be redone in the spring 2008, so climbing up might be slightly easier than it was in 2005 and 2007.
If the accomodation space in Kassu and feast hall runs short, also Yläkämppä ('upper building', 'uphill building') is taken into use. It can fit about 30 people divided in one room with 10 mattresses and one with 20. It has long lofts or bunks (see site owner's photo) plus some floor space and a kitchenette with running water, but no toilet in the building. The nearest toilets are in the two other buildings.

The site has a mattress and a pillow for every sleeper - also in the lofts. As written in the instructions, the mattress always has to be protected with a sheet and the pillow with a pillowcase. Every sleeper also has to bring their own blanket or sleeping bag. Those who book so late that beds are not available any more will need to bring or borrow a mattress as well (contact the autocrat if you can't bring your own).

For off-site accommodation, see the Local amenities page.

Common spaces

The main feast hall is in Alakämppä, at the entrance level of the site. This hall seats 120 people; if more register for feast, a smaller feast (for a lesser price) will be served in the hall at Kassu, the main sleeping area.

The tourney field will be in front of the main hall, where the ground is level and made from gravel, so it gives a secure footing in any weather. There's also space for fencing on this level and an archery range will probably be set up somewhere nearby.

Saunas

Rantasauna ('lakeside sauna') is located down by the lake. It has separate dressing rooms and shower rooms, but a large shared sauna with an electric sauna stove, see site owner's photo of the sauna room. There's also a lake for those brave enough to swim in October: lakeside by the sauna.
Note. Rantasauna (the sauna room) is mixed-sex sauna for this event.

Pikkusauna ('little sauna') is a small wood-heated sauna next to the big sauna at the lakeside. The little sauna doesn't have showers, water is heated on the stove, cold water is piped in. The little sauna is available to anyone who bothers to heat it and clean it up afterwards.

The sauna at Kassu (the large building) might be used if a separate ladies' sauna is required. It is a small electric sauna with two showers and a dressing room/lounge. When not used for sauna, the showers are free for all to use on a first come, first served basis.

Site owner's rules

These instructions come from the site owner and apply to all visitors to the site