Alex Hedley thinks this rocked: >AN ARCTIC ADVENTURE

Northern Norway
24 - 29 February 2012

The Hurtigruten Ferry takes us on the trip of a lifetime into the Arctic Circle - and beyond.

Our itinerary went a little like:
Fri 24 Feb: We pack our winter warm wear, head to Gatwick and board our flight to a drizzly Bergen. We catch a bus to the port and drop off our luggage, the next time we see this will be when we enter our cabin. We go explore Bergen, it is beautiful. The old lanes and traditional wooden buildings are superb. Art deco and modern styles of architecture also get a look in! We soon trek back to the good ship Nordkapp and and make our way to cabin 355 on level 3. We freshen up and explore our new home, she is beautiful. We go upstairs and enjoy a traditional Norwegian buffet. We set sail at 22:30. Nothing prepared us for the rough conditions... I strapped myself into my bunk after downing sea sickness tablets and donning my sea bands, Dave was a little more adventurous and took the air on deck!

Sat 25: Daylight wakes us as it slips in through the flapping curtain of our window. Dave goes upstairs for breakfast, I pretend that I am not on board as it is still very, very rough. I soon get up and shower in a moment of madness, holding on tightly to the conveniently placed railings. Things soon start to get much better. Our first port of call is the pretty UNESCO world heritage listed City of Alesund. This is such a beautiful place and is well worth a visit. We walk about in the sunshine and soak up the atmosphere. Soon time to head back to the Nordkapp. Once aboard we head to the scenic lounge to drink in the views. The scenery just keeps on getting more beautiful as we head north up the coast. Early evening and the views at sunset are too good to stay in doors for. We join our fellow passengers at the back of the ship. All taking in the views with cameras clicking, a truly wonderful and very memorable moment. The water is deep and inky black, the mountains either side are slate blue and dusted with the whitest snow. The sky changes from orange to purple, to pink to dark blue. Time for dinner. We go change and find a set in the elegant restaurant. We enjoy cured fish and pearl barley followed by a raspberry and cream mini desert style thing. We splash out and enjoy a bottle of wine, best to forget the on board cost of booze and snacks! The weather has calmed down and we enjoy a quiet night.

Sun 26: A lovely cold grey morning greats us as we tie up in Trondheim. We are dressed in our snow gear as we leave the Nordkapp and stroll up towards the centre of this amazingly beautiful City. The snow starts to fall heavier as we walk through the picturesque streets. Yellow ochre and burnt red houses line the streets as we reach higher ground. We walk through a small forest and the snow really starts to fill in. We can only hear the Cathedral bells as we stop to enjoy the view. This is picture post card perfect! Dave and I both agree that this is certainly a place that we would love to come back to. All too soon we have to head back to the Nordkapp. We change out of our snow gear and go grab a couple of seats up in the viewing lounge. Once again, the scenery sweeps us away into a winter wonderland. The mountains are bigger and blacker and the snow is whiter and covers more. We are soon passing very close to land as we slip between the magnificent islands and fjords. The scenery is just incredible and brings tears to my eyes.

Mon 27: We are heading further North and cross into the Arctic Circle at 7:15am. The occasion is marked with a hilarious ritual that involves a latex Canute mask and a dish of ice cold water!! We stop for a couple of hours in Bodo, a rather grey working town. We are stuck by the plentiful supply of art stores and musical instrument outlets - obviously a home to many talented people! The weather turns nasty and scuppers any plans of landing at our next planned port of call! The Lofoten islands are spectacular and I hope we will be able to plan another excursion to enjoy their beauty in the future! We take cover in our cabin and ride out the storm... very rough seas and generally nasty conditions! Amazingly, the sea sick pills and travel bands work wonders, we enjoy another delicious dinner and a few drinks before heading out on deck to brave blizzard like conditions - super strong Arctic winds and white-out conditions are spectacular! Time for bed.

Tue 28: We enjoy our last buffet breakfast on board the good ship Nordkapp before heading further north. We soon make the most of a very short stop at Finnsnes, a pretty working port. We continue northwards to our final port of call! Tromso awaits and we can't wait to explore (Webcam here). We arrive in the busy port at 2:30pm. Our hotel for the night, The Clarion, is only a short walk from where we disembark, we check in, enjoy a FREE cuppa and get ready to explore. The deep snow is fresh and makes for wonderful views across the harbour. We explore until dark and prepare for our next exciting excursion. Husky sledging is embedded deep within Norwegian culture, we board the bus and head off in search of Husky adventures and the elusive Northern Lights!