PINING FOR THE FJORDS?
Cruise Norway’s vast, wild Atlantic coast aboard its legendary 780-mile “express route”.
WHY IT’S SPECIAL Norway’s most dramatic coastline, where the Atlantic meets the Arctic, offers landscapes of epic proportions carved out by ice and pounding seas. To get the true measure of this land of towering fjords, board Norway’s fabled Hurtigruten service and watch as it all scrolls majestically past. Originally operating as a vital daily link carrying mail and goods between tiny coastal hamlets from the Hanseatic city of Bergen to Kirkenes, near the Russian border, Hurtigruten’s 15-strong fleet is now set up for visitors to hop on and off, sampling the best bits of Norway.
For a visceral sense of this savage topography, take a rib-ride into the Geirangerfjord, quad bike from northerly Kirkenes to the Russian border, trek the remote shore of the Lotofen by sturdy Icelandic pony and go sea eagle spotting in the Trollfjorden.
YOU’LL NEVER FORGET… Losing your sense of scale. You’re unlikely to ever feel quite as tiny and insignificant in a landscape as when you experience kayaking or paddleboarding beneath towering fjord walls (the highest is almost 3,000ft). Similarly, if you scale their sides, you’ll get an eagle’seye view of your cruise ship, like a distant toy boat in a bath, far below.
INSIDER TIP
Choose a cabin with windows on the appropriate side of the ship when you book so you get the most of those views: remember SNPS – starboard north, port south.
HOW TO DO IT
One of the many appeals of Hurtigruten (hurtigruten.com) is its flexibility. You can book an all-inclusive cruise package with flights, or build in a voyage of as little as a day or two as part of your own tailored trip. The service runs all year round, although spring is best for the spectacle of late winter aurora spotting, and summer is better for getting the most from the full range of shore excursions. Prices range from as little as £143 for a twoday cruise with cabin and breakfast. The classic starting point is Bergen, but other easily accessible options if you are flying in from the UK include Trondheim, Tromso and Kirkenes.