Spectacular show was well worth the sea trip

MALCOLM BASSETT-SMITH EMBARKS ON A MISSION TO SEE THE NORTHERN LIGHTS, VIA A CRUISE TO NORWAY

- MALCOLM BASSETT-SMITH

HAVE long promised myself that regardless of the cost and possible inconvenience, I would see the Northern Lights – and where better than in Norway?

Well it certainly started with inconvenience, as the roads between home and the closest serious airport (Bristol) were littered with maintenance works, doubling my journey time. Bristol Airport itself is undergoing some serious development work as its popularity as a regional hub intensifies. But it comes at a cost… with expansion comes a much longer trek from departure area to the gate and everybody wants to take the whole of their luggage into the cabin with them.

It is an added cost, but it is strongly advised that you use parking where ‘you’ retain the key to your car (in this case, the multistorey). It is usually the closest to the terminal, which is a plus and it also means your car should be found with the same mileage as when you left it. This can be a problem across all UK airports!

Two flights later and I found myself in Bergen, home of the Trolls and 25 minutes later in the terminal of the Hurtigruten Line.

Because of its geography it’s easiest to transit the Norwegian coast by sea, so much less expensive than spanning fjords with bridges. This is where Hurtigruten comes into its own. As well as acting as a town-totown ferry service, it also performs superbly as an informal cruise operation, spanning the whole of the coast from Oslo in the south to Kirkenes in the north.

It is a cruise with a difference, no dress suits, no ties in the bar, no dancing girls. Instead it offers some of the most amazing coastal scenery on the planet with a wide range of excursions each day to give passengers a far more meaningful understanding of the tastes and culture that makes up this Nordic wonderland.