Norway: there's more to the Arctic Circle than the Northern Lights...

Certainly the Aurora Borealis, aka, the Northern Lights is a must-see.

So when the opportunity came up recently to take a trip to Northern Norway, I jumped at the chance to tick this off my bucket list, only to discover that this Scandinavian land is no one-trick pony.

Wrapped up tight in our thermals, it didn’t take long to feel the warmth of welcome as we sat round an open fire in the centre of a lavvu.

This reindeer-skin tent is the traditional home of the Sami people .

With a history that dates back over 11,000 years, they originally lived a semi-nomadic life following their herds across the countryside relying on these majestic creatures for their shelter and their food.

Their culture still endures today.

Herds of wild Rudolphs cantered around the woods outside as we dined on reindeer stew and cloudberry cream (made with reindeer milk!).

As the smoke from the fire made the air thicken we were regaled with stories of Sami life and treated to haunting folk music.

As midnight approached we ventured a little further on from this settlement in the Saltfjellet national park to officially cross the Arctic Circle. This is the circle of latitude north of which the sun can remain continuously above or below the horizon for at least 24 hours around the time of the June and December solstices. During our visit in early February however there was definitely no sign of the sun.

Trudging through foot-deep snow we just had the light from our head torches to guide our way across the wilderness and receive our certificates ironically granting us ‘the freedom of the land of the midnight sun’.

Bodø is the largest town in the region.

It has its own airport and eclectic mix of gourmet restaurants, chic shops and galleries. It is also home to Norway’s national aviation museum which charts the historical importance of this area through the occupation years of WW2 and the subsequent Cold War.

Surrounded by a panorama of views across to the Lofoten Islands and Landegode, the most photographed island in northern Norway, it was the perfect place to start our tour of the region.

A short drive from the town along the twisting and rugged coastline brought us to Saltstraumen, a small strait with the world’s strongest tidal current.

Impressive enough from onshore but when we took to the water in a Rib, we experienced the full force of nature as 400million cubic metres of water passed around us and through the 3km long and 150m wide strait with water speeds reaching 25mph.

The channel is pocketed with huge whirlpools which threaten to consume us as we dart round them in our boat before we head at a hair-raising pace back across the mouth of the fjord to Bodø.

Further up the coast we discovered Kjerringøy, one of the pearls of the Nordland coast. A picturesque coastal- alpine landscape sheltered from the ocean by a garland of small islands.

The old Kjerringøy trading post is the best preserved in Norway. Established in 1750, the red and white weather-boarded buildings are preserved in their original state and offer a fascinating step back in time.

Authentic fishing boats are still made by hand in the village by Ulf Mikalsen and shipped all over Norway and beyond. Traditional skills are very much alive and on display everywhere.

Taking the reins and driving a husky sledding team through the woods by moonlight has to rank as one of my all-time greatest thrills.

The six beautiful dogs with their wide eyes and pointed ears bounded with energy as they took off across the mountainside with just a few clipped commands from the back to keep them on track. This was followed up with some pretty hairy sledding runs down what looked like the black run but which, I was assured, was only the nursery skiing slope. I put my ineptness to stay on the sled down to the fact that they were barely big enough to park myself on.

Ice cocktails accompanied our meal at a Sami–style camp on the mountain peak as we took in the stunning night-time views across the vast fjords.

To see this land from the shoreline is one thing but for a real sense of the striking beauty of a coastline shaped by the ice age, you have to get afloat.

This we did from the town of Harstad, in the heart of the region.

As we hurtled across the Arctic water we passed many of the small islands with sheer rock faces covered by thousands of squawking seabirds. The annual arrival of the kittiwakes is seen as a good indicator of the health of the sea. From summer until January time there is also a good chance of witnessing a unique gathering of three species of whales.

The fin, humpback and orca all gather to feast on the large concentrations of herring that move along the fjords to overwinter.

From fishing for Arctic cod, watching the majestic sea eagles soaring around us or kayaking across a crystal clear bay to cook lunch over an open fire on a sandy windswept beach, the enjoyment is endless.

What I discovered was that there is a whole lot more to Northern Norway.

For those seeking adventure, surrounded by stunning scenery, this is the perfect destination.

As for the Aurora, conspicuous by it’s absence during my visit, yes it would have been the icing on the cake but on the bright side it just gives me a great excuse to make a return visit.

Fact File

SAS flies from London Heathrow to Bodo and Harstad in Northern Norway via Oslo. Flights from £140 return.

Visit www.northernnorway.com, and for localised facts www.visitbodo.com and www.destinationharstad.no Nordic Experience offer packages from £1,195 pp which include flights, two nights B&B in Bodo, two nights B&B in Harstad and excursions to the Arctic Circle, Saltstraumen and the Lavvu camp. 

More information from www.nordicexperience.co.uk