Have you cruised a fjord lately?

Hurtigruten is unlike any other cruise line in the world. For one thing, the ships are working ships, serving the dozens of little ports that snuggle away in secluded bays in the fjords of Norway’s rugged and spectacular coast. The usual one-way voyage takes six or seven days as the ship travels along some 1,255km of coast between Bergen in the south and Kirkenes in the north. En route, the ship calls at some 34 ports. Stops are usually no longer than 30 minutes, although some are as short as 15 minutes — just enough time to load and unload passengers, cars and freight.

The line celebrated its 125th anniversary last year. The service began with one ship in 1893. Until then, the coastal communities had been served by a motley fleet of little steamships and yachts but the service was often erratic — the weather up near the Arctic Circle is often extreme and, until the 20th century, there were few lighthouses and navigational aids.

To solve the problem, the maritime authorities put out a tender for a regular service. A ship owner named Richard With heard the call, offering the use of his own

ship, the DS Vesteraalen. The 623-ton ship had the lines and look of a private yacht but could carry 204 passengers. On July 2 1893, she set sail on the first coastal voyage from Trondheim to Hammerfest.

The ship was a loyal servant to the end. During World War 2, when Norway was occupied by Germany, she continued on a restricted service between Tromso and Hammerfest. At 4pm on October 17 1941 while steaming from Tromso with 39 passengers and 22 crew, she was hit by a torpedo fired from an unknown submarine and sank in 30 seconds. There were just seven survivors.

After the war, Hurtigruten would go on to greater things. Today its fleet includes a number of expedition vessels, which offer voyages to Greenland, the islands above the Arctic Circle and to Antarctica — the other end of the earth — where two of its vessels spend every northern winter on voyages of discovery.

WHEN TO GO

Ships sail every day of the week, year round. If you want to see the Midnight Sun, go in June or July. If it’s the Northern Lights you’re after, then choose one of the winter voyages.