Steve Newman sails into the Arctic with Hurtigruten’s Svalbard Line cruise
If you’ve explored the Norwegian fjords you may think you’ve ‘done’ Norway. Nothing could be further from the truth. Hurtigruten’s new 24-hour daylight cruise The Svalbard Line goes back to the company’s roots and explores this still largely undiscovered, staggeringly beautiful wilderness where the polar bear is king.
On board MS Trollfjord
MS Trollfjord underwent an almost full refurbishment last year and it certainly shows. She is a cosy, lovely ship with a maximum of only 500 guests on board.
There’s no entertainment on the ship but you do have a series of highly informative lectures from the Coastal Experience Team which give fascinating insights into the local history and wildlife. There’s also a welcoming sauna plus a lot of people joined in helping with the jigsaws in the library!
The cabins are very comfortable but if you want to spend a bit more the suites on the top deck are extremely spacious and very competitively priced.
Dining delights
The 1893Bar islocated in the two-storey panoramic lounge on the top decks of the ship and you have three dining options including the Flora standard dining room, The Årran specialist brasserie and Røst Fine Dining restaurant for something that little bit special.
Hurtigruten love to bring nature into the cooking onboard. It’s so important to them to use as much local food as they can such as blueberries and cloudberries, and using local suppliers such as cheesemakers in Lofoton or fisherman in Tromso.
First stop… Bergen
Depending on whether you choose the south or north bound route you will encounter the lovely, very walkable city of Bergen at the start or end of your voyage. Do take the funicular railway up to the heights above where you get superb views of the city and surrounding mountains.
The fish market and old town with its antique shops and artists’ studios are well worth exploring. It’s expected too that you’ll take a coffee on the medieval waterfront with its colourful Hanseatic League houses.
Spellbound by Svalbard
The Svalbard archipelago is the very definition of remote and should be on the top of every Silver Traveller’s to visit list. Only some 2,500 people live here where amongst many other things, the world’s northernmost full-service hotel, supermarket, library, university and post office can all be found.
It’s also a duty free zone with what will be 24-hour daylight at the time of your visit and add on to that it contains some of the most spectacular scenery and wildlife found anywhere on the planet.
You can sum its uniqueness by saying it’s part of Norway but even the Norwegians have to show their passports when coming here!
Exploring Longyearben
Before joining your cruise, you will be able to explore the world’s northernmost town and its surroundings with a choice of excursions. We took the wilderness evening at Camp Barentz for a dinner and informal lecture about polar bears in a cosy, authentic cabin with a large campfire inside. We were served some drinks, a delicious homemade soup and coffee and dessert.
Next day some people took the e-bike tour but we went with the wildlife and glacier cruise onboard a spacious hybrid-powered catamaran where we saw puffins and minke whale and again served with hot local soup.
You are warned not to walk outside the town’s limits as the world’s most northerly road sign showing a polar bear shows you!
Ny Alesund – the world’s most northern settlement
Well, if you want serious Silver Traveller bragging rights for the dinner table, why not get your picture taken at the world’s most northerly post office?
Ny-Ålesund is home to more than a hundred researchers during summer, representing 20 glaciology and climate institutes from over ten countries. There is an excellent, free entry museum and a giftshop/emporium. You can also take a guided tour of the Amundsen monument, erected in honour of the great Norwegian explorer’s record-breaking flight to reach the North Pole in 1926.
As with Longyearben there are signs warning you not to walk outside of the settlement. They’re not there for fun, a fact that was brought home to us as we slipped away from the dock we saw a polar bear walking on the shore opposite. A magnificent sight – I had not realised what large animals they are.
Senja’s stunning scenery
Senja is Norway’s hidden jewel and its second largest island was named as one of the ten most beautiful islands in the world.
It seems to encapsulate examples of all of Norway’s scenery in one place from golden sandy beaches with turquoise waters to steep mountain ranges. Putting it simply Senja is not to be missed.
Amongst other options you can take a rib safari deep into the fiord to examine the ancient settlements and rock formations.
A step back in time
Lofoten is hailed as one of the most spectacular areas in all of Norway, you’ll understand why when you see its jagged green cliffs rise dramatically out of the ocean, climbing high into the sky like giant teeth.
The birthplace of Hurtigruten back in 1893 Stokmarknes has the Hurtigruten Museum directly opposite where you dock and encased inside it is the company’s first ship The Finnmarken.
You can walk around, and underneath the hull and explore the restored cabins, lounges and dining room. The latter also serves as a coffee shop for the locals so it’s a great place to meet them.
Our next port of call was Svolvaer the beating heart of the islands. I can thoroughly recommend the RIB Sea Eagle Safari excursion. At one point we had over 20 of these magnificent birds flying around us and plucking fish from the sea.
Summing up
This is a cruise that should be on every Silver Traveller’s list. Superb food, incredible scenery, wildlife and an overall experience in comfort that you will remember for ever.
Hurtigruten have created here something as near as you can get to an expedition cruise while still retaining all the comforts that you expect from traditional cruising.
The most important thing to think about this cruise is whether to take the north or southbound route. I would suggest the latter as you get an extra half an hour or so as the plane flies alongside the islands and it whets your appetite for what is to come.
Hurtigruten are well known for getting under the skin and peeling back the layers of Norway on their cruises. Here they’ve gone just a little bit further. Trust me, do this cruise. You’ll never forget it.
Next Steps
For more information and a personalised quote, call Silver Travel Advisor on 0800 412 5678.
