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The Polar Light Center is situated inside the Arctic Circle, in the fishing village of Laukvik on Austvagoya, one of Norway's beautiful Lofoten Islands. It's run by Rob and Therese who are both passionate about the Northern Lights - that's why they moved here! It's not that easy to get here but it's well worth the effort - the scenery is fantastic and the people are truly friendly. Rob is able to make Polar Light forecasts and can send a text to your mobile to warn you when the Northern Lights are visible.
We stayed at Viva Lofoten where owner Vibeke gave us a warm welcome.
www.polarlightcenter.com
www.laukvik-lofoten.no
www.viva-lofoten.no
Straumnes, 8315 Laukvik, Lofoten, Norge
+47 752 12 234
Google map: tinyurl.com/yf3g27e
The best way to avoid disappointment is to combine hunting for the Northern Lights with something else that's fun and different. Tromsø, Norway, is a great place to do just that. I went dog sledding which was so much fun I nearly forgot why I was there in the first place. With seven Huskies dragging you into the quiet wilderness on a sledge, the Northern Lights is an added bonus if it shows up, but even without it you would not go home feeling left out. My best night however was the cheaper option of renting cross country skis from the Intersport shop in town and heading for the free, open 24hrs, floodlit slopes on the island, just a short walk from the town centre! The calming feeling of sliding along on the skis, taking in the fresh air, makes the northern lights even more spectacular. Best of all, you wont have to 'share the experience'with anyone else, which often is the case on organised tours. And the downhills provide an added thrill!
The city itself is known in Norway for being one of the most hospitable – with a buzzing nightlife.
Tromsø also benefits from twice weekly direct flights from Gatwick with budget, but decent, airline norwegian.no. If you book early enough you can get returns for under £100. Stay in the Clarion Hotel Bryggen to get access to their rooftop heated jacuzzi!
There are loads of good (and cheap) ideas on what to do in Tromso and other tips here: www.iglobetrotter.com/norway/northern-lights/northern-lights-activities.
Ski-rental: Intersport Sportshuset, Storgata 87, phone +47 77661100
Husky-rides: Tromsø Villmarkssenter, www.villmarkssenter.no
Google map: tinyurl.com/yl8w4vp
If you are able to travel to see the Northern Lights at short notice, you have a much better chance of seeing a dramatic display when the sun is active.
The current and predicted activity of the Sun can be found at spaceweather.com A two day prediction of auroral activity is given at the bottom left of the home page.
There isn't that much info available in English on Østfold and Southern Norway on the net, but this blog covers quite a bit of ground, from cool hikes to art exhibitions, recipes, architecture, shopping, news, things to see and do, and a lot more. Plus photos and videos, to bring it all to life.
It is fabulous stunning scenery that holds hundreds of sculptures of Vigelands, very interesting, amazing and easy to walk by.
Also you can't go away from Oslo without a trip by local ferries to the little islands, some inhabited, others not. They are in the fiord of Oslo, like Lindoja or others. It is very easy to access and they are nature parks with easy paths and plenty of beautiful flowers and plants.
Vigeland Park. Acces by tram.
Lindoja, Access from the boats local ferry station, in center of the city, passing through the big cruise docks, and go along. Easy access to the docks to the island by tram or bus.
Google map: tinyurl.com/yl6d4g7
Great Tapas style bar in trendy Grunerløkka popular with students and a twenty/thirty-something crowd. Busy in a good way with a relaxed dress-down look and feel.
Jammed when we walked in around 7 pm on a Thursday, but the friendly staff took our names, got us some drinks and suggested we sit on the cushioned window benches outside, which made for a very pleasant, if 40 min/hour, wait for a table.
We (2) ordered a range of Tapas dishes including : Patatas bravas, Tortilla Espanola, Marinated Prawns, Albondigas i krydret tomatsaus (meatballs in tomato sauce), Aspargesbønner i sitronolje (actually green beans not asparagus) and bread and alioli.
All the food was wonderful with the prawns stealing the show.
As is normal in Norway the house red and white was terrific (the Norwegian State buys all the wine sold through 'Wine Monopolies'). Overall the bill was reasonable (for Norway) and the service amiable and prompt.
Would definitely go there again.
Delicatessen : Søndregate 8, 0550 Grunerløkka, Oslo. Tlf.: 22 71 45 46 Faks: 22 38 58 87
delicatessen.no/
Norway offers many spectacular ferry journeys. But few match the crossing from Bodo to Stamsund. It was the original section of the Hurtigrute (set up by the once remote Lofoten islanders to get their fish to more lucrative markets further south). Now it's increasingly part of the Bergen-North Cape cruise route, but the lower decks of the boats are still ferries, shipping goods and passengers at the many ports en route.
There's a long stop and much loading and unloading at Bodo as it's the end of the rail line from Oslo (on which I travelled) so most grades of accommodation, including B&B, are not difficult to find there.
Like most ferry crossings a fine day helps. Views of distant island peaks 40 miles away stretch half way across the northern horizon soon after leaving port. It's also a two-hour journey open to the Atlantic, so it can be rough. For me it was calm and sunny.
The peaks of the Lofoten Islands became more distinct, more jagged, more enticing, 1000 metre peaks touched with snow here and there, as the ship plods towards them. By half-way across they are a child's picture book of fairy tale mountains surrounded by sea of many shades and hues spanning the horizon and with hints of the bright yellows and reds of the traditional fishing villages just visible along the shore. Everyone's on deck to savour the view.
Alas Stamsund arrives all too soon. Alas as not only is it this journey's end (the ship continues its equally spectacular route through the islands eastwards), but it's not much of a place either. It has a youth hostel and a hotel, but is mainly a small working port. However, a bus service connects it to the rest of the Lofotens for those who want to adventure further.
Bodo is just north of the Artic circle on the Norwegian coast.
Details of the Hutigrute and timetable can be found on the web.
A series of life-size staues of Antony Gormley which are spread across the city. There are 22 dotted around the place, some in very unusual locations.
Finding them gives you an interesting objective and takes you all over the city.
A map showing their location is here:
www.stavanger-guide.no/maps/maps_other/broken_column.pdf
Inset is a tiny hamlet in northern Norway, well inside the Arctic Circle, and when I say tiny, the central area has four buildings, and three of them belong to Regina and Bjorn who own and run the Husky Farm.
Go in December and as you touch down in Bardufoss, 60km or so from Inset, you will notice as you leave the plane that you are walking not on tarmac but on a solid sheet of gritted ice. The first thing you feel is the cold, as suddenly the reason so many brightly coloured Puffa jackets peppered the plane becomes clear. Ask a local what the temperature is, "15 C" they will reply - to have to say "minus" every time would just be a waste of breath.
When you turn off the two track road that leads all the way back to Oslo, you leave street lights and civilization behind you, and enter the astonishing black of the arctic night. One hour later and you pull into the Husky Farm, a warming glow permeating through the little windows in the wooden buildings whose roofs are covered with grass; a chorus is there to greet you as the 70 or so husky dogs howl to mark your arrival.
Bjorn and Regina have an amazing log cabin which you can rent by the week. It is entirely made of wood and has a wood burning stove which must be permanently lit as the flue travels through the bedroom and kitchen making sure the heat is distributed around the whole building. It is a picture of comforting isolation, nestled in a valley with hills becoming mountains on either side, snow drifts come up to the windows. There is no sound other than the dogs and the wind, and no light bleeds into the sky, so undisturbed views of the aurora borealis are possible. Indeed on the second night of our visit I opened the front door and saw beams of light coming from behind the mountains and flooding the sky with dancing hues of blue and green. The lights performed for me for 20 minutes and then disappeared, quite suddenly and quite mysteriously.
The few hours of twilight that the sun offers at these latitudes must be used to the full. If you book for the Husky Farm Holiday you will get to experience leading your own team of dogs as you sledge over the frozen lakes into the abyss of the arctic landscape. The sky is one hundred colours at the same time, the light is ethereal, and the seclusion is absolute. You come to trust and rely on your dogs as only they hold the key to unlocking some of the secrets of the scenery and beauty of this most remote of locations.
If you are looking for glorious isolation, and some private time with nature, look no further.
Inset, Bardu, Norway
www.huskyadventure.com
I have been on the Norwegian Coastal Cruises twice and the first time I saw the Lights. They were wonderful to watch as we sailed silently between the snow-clad islands. Try a smaller boat as I enjoyed it more being on my own and they do trips with no single supplement.
I saw the Northern Lights in Svalbard. It’s a wonderful place where you can see many of them. The landscape there is stunning and being over 78°N, you live the experience of the polar night which is perpetual darkness - where else to watch Northern Lights?
I would recommend Tromso in north Norway. Book a tour with local guide Kjetil Skogli. He's not the cheapest but is worth every penny. He takes you out in a small group (6/8 maximum) in a minibus anywhere where the weather will be clear – other companies have a fixed base somewhere near Tromso, so if it's cloudy there but clear 30 miles away then tough!
One hint to photograph the aurora: take a tripod, a fast wide lens and a camera that will let you use long exposures (10 to 30 seconds) with a remote cable to avoid camera shake.
Eplet Hostel is set in the middle of a working orchard (complete with two pet sheep) overlooking Sognefjord, the second-longest fjord in the world. The views are jaw-dropping and the apple juice is to die for.
It's run like a home by the very hospitable Henrik. Family and private rooms are available within the house while a (cheaper) dormitory is located in the roof of a former barn within the grounds. Camping is possible. Facilities are basic but lovingly attended. In addition to the usual internet, television and kitchen/bathrooms there are hammocks, mini golf and free mountain bikes.
There's plenty to do nearby, including day trips to Urnes stave church (a Unesco world heritage site) and a waterfall, great bike routes, apple picking, juice making, and of course gazing at that gorgeous fjord view with a fresh glass of cider.
A lady in Bergen tourist office recommended this place to us and she really knew what she was talking about. It made our trip.
Eplet Bed and Apple
Solvorn
Western Norway
E-mail: trondhenrik@eplet.net
Tel: + 47 4164 9469
Website: www.eplet.net
You can reach Solvorn by public transport. Further details on the website.
This is an interesting walk or cycle ride to do, especially in the evening, when the blue walkway lights are on. The blue promenade is a lovely way to bring together all the little harbours around the centre of the city.
From Badedammen all the way to Bjergsted, approximately three km. Here is a free (non-commericial) map: www.stavanger-guide.no/maps/maps_english/city.pdf
Views of the city and its fjord to die for from this bar on the 21st floor. A stylish and suited downtown crowd gathers here at sunset to watch the light fade and the neons come on all over the city, supping sophisticated concoctions from a long (and, as it’s Scandinavia, suitably pricey) cocktail list. Male vertigo sufferers should stick to short measures: the urinals are built into glass walls looking out over the abyss.
Pleasant art and photography gallery, which sells and exhibits work by local artists, as well as housing illuminating photos documenting Odda and Tyssedal, pre, post and during industrialisation.
A friendly place to stay on the edge of Odda. Facilities and atmosphere are reminiscent of a superior youth hostel, and all the more welcoming for it. All rooms are ensuite and breakfast and evening meals are served. There is also a bar and occasional live music events.
The guesthouse's situation gives you a good opportunity to drink in the magnificient scenery and, if this whets your appetite for getting up close and personal with nature, an adventure sports company based at Vasstun offers all sorts of outdoor thrills and spills.
Helicopter company Airlift offer a number of flight itineraries from their base in Kinsarvik. It’s a thrilling way to survey the fjord, swooping low through canyons, over the water and soaring above the mountains to where the Hardangervidda begins.
During the winter this sizeable mountain plateau is a cross-country skier’s heaven. In summer, when the snow melts, the land takes on a slightly barren and desolate appearance but a network of marked trails and rest huts open it up as a hiking destination. A popular jaunt is the six-hour round trip to the Trolltunga (Troll’s tongue), a dizzying outcrop of rock where those with a strong stomach can stand and enjoy an impressive panorama.
A restaurant situated on a farm, nestled appealingly at the bottom of a valley a short drive from Odda. It's run by the Herculean figure of Anders Gavle who also works the farm and prepares the meat which appears on the unashamedly carnivorous menu.
Gavle took over the farm after the previous occupants were murdered in a botched robbery. The absence of a proper road linking the farm to the main highway probably increased its vulnerability and isolation so the man-mountain simply built one himself and then set about making the restaurant he runs with his wife, Marit, a success.
The couple ensure a jolly atmosphere, although the revelry is overseen beadily by several excellent example of taxidermy, including an enormous moose head and a prehistorically-sized crow, the latter lending a suitably gothic touch given the building’s history. Anders also doubles as an enthusiastic local historian and archivist and will proudly show off his impressive collection of old photographs.
For 60 Krone you can get a pass for 24 hours which you can use on buses, trams, the metro and ferries. Especially good is to take a "mini cruise" around the islands in the bay. Also go up the hill on metro Line 1 to Frognerseteren for great views over the city.
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