We wake late and bask in the joy of yesterday’s huskies.

But the ship’s motion is different. She’s pitching and rolling. Opening the heavy curtains we see why. There are no mountains to protect us and the calm seas of the last few days have been rudely woken by a strong force 9 yet MS Midnatsol is riding the unruly motion so gently.

Northern Siberia

We stop for thirty minutes in Havoysund. At 71N 26E we are on the same latitude as northern Siberia. A helpful sign tells us it’s only 1,311nm to the North Pole.

We are also told the temperature here can drop to -60F – that’s a bracing 92 degrees of frost before any wind chill is taken into account.

With such slow Internet onboard, Lin’s been clever and found that by taking our laptops to the side of the boat that’s adjacent to the Hurtigruten terminal, we can pick up their high speed Wi-Fi!

Finmark

During the passage to Kjollefjord, we watch a short documentary on the Sarmi people. Evidence shows they were nomadic and inhabited an area known as Finmark some 9,000 years ago, surviving from their herds of reindeer.

‘Civilised progress’ almost wiped them out for two main reasons. Their language was different and they worshipped the spirit world.

King Crabs

Question: What do king crabs and snowmobiling have in common? Both require us to be fully togged up and boiled up in our arctic clothing.

It’s 1700 and dark. Very dark. As we near Kjollefjord, a large RIB storms alongside with two crates of king crab.

Deck nine, the open promenade deck and home to the challenging open air sauna, becomes the focus of attention as we are shown these enormous creatures. We are told these are babies. Adults have a two metre legspan. Their crushing claws are fierce.

Snowmobiling

Having docked and disembarked we take the short bus journey to Snowmobiling HQ. We only have an hour before MS Midnatsol leaves. After a short briefing it’s follow the leader.

With clear skies and moonlight the landscape is once again, just glorious and sparkly.

I long to go faster, so I hang back to increase the distance from the snowmobile in front. Then I open the throttle wide and shoot forward. Yes! Closing the gap in no time I shut the power off, but I’d had my bit of fun.

Northern Lights

The leader suddenly holds his arm up. We stop. He taps his left forearm, the sign to kill engines.

‘Look,’ he calls pointing skywards. ‘Aurora Borealis.’

We’ve seen our Northern Lights. They’re not spectacular, but we’ve seen them. Mission accomplished.

Norwegian Buffet-fest

The buffet is spectacular with every type of shell fish you can imagine.

Crab, king crab, green mussels, langoustines, fresh water prawns, shrimps, fresh water crayfish and lobster.

And the fresh salmon and halibut were so well cooked. Still vaguely rare and squiggy.

We sleep well. What a great cruise. What a great adventure. What a great way to celebrate Lin’s special birthday.

Piers and Lin
Mission accomplished HQ
MS Midnatsol

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Over the last two days, mountains have become more majestic, there’s more snow and the enormity of the scenery becomes more splendid hour by hour. It’s the isolation and undeniable dominance of nature that makes this part of the world so attractive.

Huskies

It’s 1500 and we’re in our cold weather gear. We have the camera. We’re about to meet the huskies and go sledding.

The thirty minute bus journey takes us high into the thick snow of the hills.

We arrive. Dogs are howling. The buildings are wooden, some round like wigwams. Doors are open and we see central open wood fires flaming away. Warm and toasty. Blackened kettles are steaming alongside.

‘The dogs are really friendly,’ says our Kiwi guide. ‘Put on one of our arctic suits over whatever you’re wearing, so if the dogs jump up to cuddle you your clothes won’t get dirty.’

We do. Anticipation is running so high.

We learn the guide came to Tromso on holiday to sled and loved the area so much that she stayed. That was five years ago. ‘The isolation, the lifestyle, the reality, and you only have you to blame if something doesn’t work. Just make it happen.’

Working dogs

Behind the huts are rows and rows of kennels, each with a dog on a chain. The dogs go nuts when they see us all. Barking and howling.

‘We have two hundred dogs. These aren’t like the domestic fluffy huskies you see at home, but strong working dogs, bred for hard work and strength. They live outside all year. We take them higher in the mountains in the summer when the temperature is above 15C. They like the cold, so we go high and let them chill out.

‘In a sledding race, a dog will burn 10,000 calories a day. The dog team is graded. At the front are the bitches to control direction with the muscular dogs at the back. In between, the dogs are graded. If we have a puppy that needs training, we add them to the team so the others can start to train them.’

Meeting the dogs

We walk to the puppy enclosure and meet the tiny three week old pups. Mum is with them and proud to let our guide pick them up.

After coffee (tea for Lin) and a piece of chocolate cake that seems to have 10,000 calories in it, we go to the kennels. The dogs start jumping and yelping. ‘They’re so excited to see you,’ says the guide.

Beyond the kennels are the sleds. Each has a team of ten dogs in pairs. The guide says, ‘Some are encouragers. They bark and bark as if to say “come on, let’s go”. The moment they’re off, it’s all silence as they put all their energy into straining and pulling.’

By now it’s quite dark. I don’t want to use flash, so long exposures are necessary.

Gorgeous

The dogs are just gorgeous. They love being loved. I take pictures of one of them and another comes up to take the attention away.

After ten minutes of stroking and ruffling and pawing, we are taken to our sled. Piers at the back, Lin in front. Just like the dog team. Our musher gives us a short brief and we’re off.

The pull is enormous. The speed is exhilarating. In the dark skies the full moon shines its light on the snow making the millions of tiny ice crystals sparkle.

The ride goes on and on. We rush by small trees. ‘Keep your hands inside the sled,’ we are told.

The huskies pull us up hills, rush down the other side with the musher applying a brake to stop the sled going faster than the dogs.

In the distance we see the lights of Tromso below us by the sea. Breathtaking.

We seem to have travelled miles across the mountain and now we’re back. ‘Hurry, says another guide,’ your bus is about to leave and time is tight before the ship leaves.

We feel like saying we don’t care. We feel we could stay forever.

We decide not to stay up to see the lights. Too tired. Too full of memories. The next morning we hear the lights didn’t show.

Piers and Lin
chasing the Northern Lights
MS Midnatsol

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We draw the curtains back and whilst the sun prepares to wake we watch the remnants of the night stars glitter on the water as we continue northwards.

Arctic Circle

At 0723 (0623 UK) we cross the Arctic Circle at latitude 66 33N. The ship’s master salutes with a long blast of the horn.

Now there’s sufficient light to see the landscape has changed. Cliffs are sharper, mountains are higher and snowcapped again.

The shortest stopover is at Ornes where there’s not even time to deploy the warps. Instead, the skipper uses his bow and stern thrusters to pin the ship to the quay.

After just ten minutes we’re on our way again through the archipelago on glassy calm seas. Next stop is Bodo.

Bodo

Sliding between islands, we approach Bodo, passing the end of the airport’s runway. It’s on reclaimed land and points directly out to sea. I wonder who has right of way – a plane about to land or a 20,000 tonne cruise ship that just happens to be passing by?

Like a mini-Portsmouth, a narrow entrance opens into a large harbour where there are tankers, coasters and multiple ferries buzzing about.

We walk into town and find the fishing quay where two beautiful wooden trawlers are moored.

After buying some T for our G we return to MS Midnatsol and are soon on our way again. Turing sharply to starboard as we exit the harbour mouth, we head for the Lefoten Islands.

Neptune

We hear that Neptune has visited MS Midnatsol and is waiting to greet those who have crossed the Arctic Circle for the first time. We decide to give it a miss. Later we learn his greeting involved having ice cubes down your back. Ugh.

Midnight

Approaching the Lofoten Islands we have dinner and watch as the ship plies her course though more narrow channels.

We decide to stay up until midnight in the hope of seeing the Northern Lights.

Dressed in full sets of Arctic coats, gloves, hats, trousers, thermals, boots and hats, we take the lift to the ninth floor and walk out into the night. It’s cold. Very cold. Made worse by the wind.

Having braved the elements for five excessively long minutes, we return to the lounge to wait for the tannoy announcement that heralds the arrival of the lights. Now we’re hot. Off come the coats, gloves, pullovers, gloves and hats. We wait.

Trollfjord

At 2200 we dress again and venture into the cold just as we are about to enter Trollfjord.

It’s flat calm. There’s a full moon. The air is crisp, clean and clear. The stars appear brighter than ever. The MS Midnatsol is at dead slow. We enter Trollfjord.

Steep snow covered mountains rise to the heavens either side of us. Everything is lit with ethereal light from the moon. You feel you can reach out and touch them. They’re so close. Small fishing boats on the hunt for cod float silently close by.

We stop at the end. No movement. No exit. We wait, soaking the experience. No Northern Lights. It doesn’t matter. Just standing and staring at moonlit mountains that rise for ever, with light twinkling across the water is blessing enough.

Raftsound

Almost silently, the MS Midnatsol begins to turn. Slowly. After an age we start retracing our steps until we turn hard to port to enter the Raftsound, the long, tight passage which forms the border between Vesteralen and Lofoten.

We’ve seen narrow, but at one point we felt the boat breathe in.

Will the feeling of being held suspended in time ever release us?

At midnight, the tannoy announces ‘traditional Norwegian fish cakes’ are being served waiting ‘to delight us’. We come back to reality. Expectations are high. We eat. We taste. We look at each other. Lin says, ‘Eggy bread without the bread and just a bit of fish.’ We laugh as we head for the cabin.

Piers and Lin
tired, yet elated
MS Midnatsol

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Although the MS Midnatsol is a sizeable cruise ship, we mustn’t forget she’s a working ferry. The reminder is the number of ports we visit and the cargo that’s hustled back and forth by an endless stream of stevedores driving fork lift trucks and larger vehicles.

We’re in Trondheim.

Clear skies

Clear skies greet us as we open the door to our balcony. Braving the cold for at least five seconds, we beat a hasty but elegant retreat to the warmth of the cabin.

Our windows are facing the rising sun. It’s a hot sun, very hot.

Hardanger

With a full breakfast inside us, we don our cold weather gear and disembark in search of a shop that sells Hardanger, a form of embroidery with cut-work.

Most passengers are striking out for the Nidaros cathedral on a guided tour. It’s closed to the general public whilst the organ is renovated. Tuning the pipes is taking from January to June and requires absolute silence whilst the pitch is adjusted.

Not wanting to follow the pack we take a circuitous route to the town. Much more fun.

The shop we’d been told about doesn’t sell Hardanger kits, but we are shown where a small specialist shop may be. It only takes a few minutes to find. We tell the lady we’ve come all the way from the small island of Guernsey just to find her shop. She’s overawed. So are we.

Lin chooses a number of items.

Onward

The ship leaves precisely at midday and enters a sea which is flat calm. Cloudless skies and the hot sun make a mockery of the tales of the North Sea in the winter. Technically we’re in the Norweigian Sea but it doesn’t paint such a potentially dramatic picture, does it?

We learn that this part of Norway has had a strange winter. Hardly any snow at all, hardly any rain, but ferocious winds which have dried the scrub land resulting in intense and widespread fires.

Landscape

The landscape is different. The reefs are still reefs, some of the larger ones inhabited with a few brightly painted houses, but the high cliffs have no sharp edges. Instead, they seem to have come out of a giant jelly mould, rounded and smooth as though ground down by millennia of ice.

The few houses we see are either on their own seemingly in the middle of nowhere, or in small villages of half a dozen, again in the middle of nowhere. What do the inhabitants do? How do they communicate with the outside world? Do they need to?

Arctic sun

It strikes us that the sun doesn’t really rise any more. Well, it rises, but not high in the sky. Sunrise takes an age and sunset takes an age, with the sun rising only a few degrees above the horizon. We’re experiencing the Arctic sun.

A giant Beaucette entrance

It’s mid-afternoon and we are warned over the PA that the ship is about to navigate the narrowest channel of the trip. ‘It’s only 42m wide and carved out of high rock either side,’ we are told.

Immediately I say, ‘We’re back in Beaucette. Have they called the marina for a berth?’

The ship slows, sounds her horn (a great sound – is it a Kahlenberg?) and we see a gap in the high cliffs. With only 10m either side, we slide through. Masterful, I think. But that’s only beginning.

As soon as we can, the ship starts a hard turn to starboard almost kissing the cliff. Why? Looking up, there’s a road bridge ahead and we have to pass underneath the highest point with only two metres to spare. Interesting to think what might happen if…

And then as soon as we through, we feel the ship heel as she responds to a hard turn to port to enter the last section of narrow channel.

And we think Beaucette might be tricky? Pah!

I really, really want to visit the ship’s bridge.

Facts

Today, we stop at Rorvik, Bronnoysund, Sandnessjoen, Nesa before heading for the Arctic Circle.

The skies remain clear, very clear. We can see stars in such clarity. Come on Northern Lights, where are you?

Piers and Lin
full of anticipation
MS Midnatsol

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Our cabin is a suite! What a treat but quite right for celebrating Lin’s special birthday.

After boarding, we find our suite, unpack and have a good dinner with a notably unremarkable bottle of house rosé, supplied courtesy of Hurtigruten’s ‘wine package’.

Very tired, we fall into bed. The faint background hum of diesel electric motors and the gentle swaying of the boat give us a good night’s sleep.

Watching

It’s still dark when we awake, but standing on our aft facing balcony there’s enough reflected star light to show us we’re weaving our way through narrow winding channels between islands and rocky reefs.

Although the temperature is around freezing point it doesn’t feel cold. Maybe because the air is dry. Maybe because there’s no wind.

Aside from breakfast and lunch, we spend most of the day watching. When it’s a trifle chilly on our balcony we retreat to our lounge and watch from behind the glass wall in the comfort of armchairs.

It seems the route we take is deliberately close to the land, sometimes no more than 100 metres. It’s breathtaking. To see the land rising sharply to a thousand feet or so, snowcapped, is a wondrous spectacle.

So we watch the mountains. We watch the distant rain heavy clouds, the townships and villages which seem to float by as if we’re stationary and they’re not.

It’s impressive how the MS Midnatsol can be navigated through tiny, narrow channels. Pulling into the small harbours and docking against such small quays is a masterpiece of helming.

How I’d love to have a go.

Aurora Borealis

We attend an afternoon scientific briefing on the Northern Lights in the theatre and marvel at the creation of the earth’s magnetic field which shields us from the sun’s solar wind.

The wind’s charged ions hurtle toward us at unimaginable speeds, which, when caught in the magnetic field cause the spectacular light show called the Northern Lights.

Will the skies be clear for us? Will the full moon be too bright? Will the Aurora come and show off her splendour of reds, greens and the rare blues?

It’s nearly six o’clock and we’re about to moor in Molde. Dinner is at six-thirty so showers and G and Ts, beckon.

Facts

We have 32 ports to visit in six days en route to Kirkenes, north of the Arctic Circle. Stopovers range from a quick 20 minutes to a leisurely six hours allowing for snowmobiling and husky sledding, both of which we are doing.

Today we had five stops. Floro, Maloy, Torvik, Alesund and Molde before dinner. When we wake tomorrow, we will be in Trondheim having docked in Kristiansund en route.

This is goodnight from me, and goodnight from her,

Piers and Lin
from the balcony of
MS Midnatsol

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