Praise the fjord
Rachel Wearmouth enjoys a cruise along Norway’s majestic coastline
cruise ship
The unspoilt majesty of Norway’s glistening fjords is hardly a secret. But nothing prepares you for waking up and watching in awe as your cruise ship serenely glides past vertical mountainsides and craggy cliffs. Not to mention the snow-capped peaks studded with roaring waterfalls, small hamlets and towering man-made bridges.
It’s morning on day three of new line Ambassador Cruise Line’s Springtime Fjordland voyage and our last sighting of land was the distant Suffolk coast as we sailed from Tilbury in Essex.
Now 1,400-passenger Ambience – Ambassador’s first ship – is slipping down the magnificent Hardangerfjord on its way to Eidfjord, a small village tucked inland on the west side of Norway.
Before we dock there’s just about time to grab breakfast at one of Ambience’s many eateries.
Whether it’s the seated formality of the Buckingham restaurant, the dazzling array of different cuisines on offer at Borough Market, or the more informal comfort of the cafés dotted around the ship, you’re spoilt for choice on this vessel. And that’s just at breakfast.
At dinner your options expand to include fine dining at the swish Indian restaurant Saffron, and the tasting menu elegance of Sea & Grass. Ambassador, the first new UK line in a decade, has clearly gone out of its way to offer as many gastronomic delights as possible; and it’s not lost on the passengers. In between cooing at the magnificent scenery, the most common refrain as you walk down corridors or queue for a coffee is one of a deep satisfaction at the food on offer.
Suitably stuffed, I set off on my first excursion which takes me on a scenic coach ride from Eidfjord up into the snowy mountains beyond. Our first stop is the imposing yet curiously beautiful Sysen Dam, which holds back Lake Sysen, the main reservoir for the