In search of the Northern Lights

We wanted to celebrate a recent significant birthday and our 37th wedding anniversary with something memorable and a sudden flash of inspiration gave us the idea to combine these two events along with Valentines Day. So, dear reader, it's bucket list time as we go in search of the aurora borealis, the famous yet extremely fickle, Northern Lights.

There are several ways whereby viewing this spectacular natural phenomenon can be maximised, all of which involve traveling high above the Arctic Circle during winter. Thus, we have booked ourselves on a voyage with Norway's famed Hurtigruten Line which departs from Bergen, sails all the way up the western fjords, around the North Cape to the village of Kirkenes and then returns back southwards.

There is one very important thing to point out. This is not a cruise in the conventional sense as the Hurtigruten ships are very much working vessels and the fleet provides a lifeline to the many remote towns and settlements that line the Norwegian coast, delivering supplies every single day of the year. As many as five or six ports can be visited within a 24 hour period, some for as little as 15 minutes and for those ports which are called into during the night on the northward journey, they will be daylight ports on the southward. For the short stops, we are advised that we should stay on board, but for the longer ones we will certainly be getting out to explore.

Our journey will be aboard the MS Richard With, a ship which can carry around 600 passengers and crew and is named after the company's founder. The round trip will take 12 days or so, half of which will be above the Arctic Circle and so our chances of seeing the Northern Lights are relatively good, especially as the daylight hours are short and we have specifically timed the trip to coincide with a new moon; indeed, if they are not sighted, Hurtigruten say they will send us on another voyage next  year, for free. 

Needless to say, such a journey to northern latitudes during February has necessitated the purchase of a specialised warm weather wardrobe. We are promised an internet connection during the trip, so provided this is correct, the geographical constraints are not too great and the camera and iPod batteries can survive the extreme cold, I hope to provide a little commentary along what the travel industry calls "the world's most beautiful voyage".

I would direct any reader who may be interested in a little more information to check the undernoted link as it provides some more details about the ship, a map showing the current position of all the ships in the Hurtigruten fleet, and a very good webcam from the Richard With's bridge looking out to both port and starboard.

Link to ship

Whether we see the northern lights or not, this is certain to be quite an adventure.