On the face of it, the E6 road may not sound any more glamorous or exciting than the M1 or the M25. But it is.

It has a rather more evocative and descriptive name as it climbs northwards towards the border of Norway and Russia.

For this is the wonderfully named Arctic Highway.

Or the Arctic Fox Highway, as I have renamed it, for reasons that will become obvious.

If there’s a more beautiful road in Europe, I have yet to travel it.

It twists, turns and tunnels its way up through the stunning spine of Norway, from Sweden and the fjords in south to the mountains in the north, to the Arctic Circle and beyond.

Driving through the tunnels you emerge from each one, with the stunning surroundings bursting into view each time, like a scenic explosion.

Depending on the time of year, it’s the land of the Northern Lights or the Land of the Midnight Sun.

During my visit in June, there were no sunrises and no sunsets, the night just a slightly dimmer version of the day.

The landscape of Northern Norway is incredibly dramatic, vast lakes surrounded by mountains, with waterfalls tumbling down.

We drove from Bodo all the way up to Tromso via Narvik, drinking in the incredible scenery and blinking at the stunning colours. The bright white of the snowy peaks, the shimmering blue water, the green, tree clad slopes, slate grey of the mountains, the golden bronze of the Midnight Sun – all enhanced by the beautiful Arctic light and sunshine.

This is Northern Norway, where the Gulf Stream meets the Arctic.

One minute it felt like the Italian lakes, the next Scotland, then perhaps a touch of New Zealand. Then it’s like nowhere else.

It is though, certainly Norway’s fresh, bright, invigorating, great expanse of outdoors.

In that spirit, within two hours of landing in Bodo, we were out in the early evening, canoeing on a mountain lake – the perfect antidote to a day of travelling.

Our hostelry for the night was the Kobbelv Vesthaus which owns a halfbuilt German railway tunnel, something the Nazis didn’t get round to finishing when they occupied Norway.

Today it’s used as a restaurant, atmospheric where local storyteller Eiren regales guests with folk tales, ghost stories and Norse mythology.

Another hour’s drive north is Hamaroy where there is a huge draw for Norwegians, though probably not British visitors. The Knut Hamsun Centre which celebrates the life and work of Norway’s controversial Nobel Prize winning novelist.

The beautiful Lofoten Islands are nearby and worth a visit.

Our trip included a stay in the city of Narvik, famous for its iron ore deposits and the epic naval battle in World War Two. Narvik is best seen from above with a ride on its mountainside cable car system.

Meanwhile, travelling further north, the delightful city of Tromso is the perfect way to round off this brief Midnight Sun trip, including a midnight concert in the amazing Arctic Cathedral.

The visit ended the way it began, kayaking on Tromso’s Norwegian Sea and then a brief stop at the Tromso Villmarkssenter for lunch and to meet just a few of the centre’s very friendly 300 huskies – a dog fan’s heaven.

But that’s not quite the end of story.

There’s the little matter of the Arctic Zoo, south of Tromso, for the highlight I knew it would be.

Here you can commune with delightful arctic foxes and make friends with wolves inside their compounds.

The foxes climb all over you and sit on your shoulders, the wolves wander around and lick you (if they feel like it).

It may not sound great, but one colleague was left hugely disappointed when the wolves gave her a miss.

Two wonderful, unforgettable experiences.

Personally, I’d have flown all the way there for this alone – it was the icing on the cake or perhaps more accurately, the snow on the beautiful mountaintop.

Getaway

Norwegian fly to Bodo and Tromso from London Gatwick SAS and BA fly to Oslo with onward transfers.

Useful websites: visitnorway.co.uk; visitnorthernnorway.com; polarzoo.no; villamarkssenter.no.

Andy Martin stayed at the Kobbelv Vesthus (kobbelv.no/en/), Rica Hotel, Narvik (rica.no) and the Thon Hotel, Tromso (thonhotels.com)