Day 4 of my Hurtigruten cruise started with us crossing the Arctic Circle around 7.45am. It was an understated crossing with little by the way of celebration to mark the occasion. I suspect that was partly due to the fact that many people were eating breakfast at the time while others were probably still in their cabins. However tomorrow’s programme contains an ‘Arctic Circle Celebration’ at 10.30am, so I don’t think we have escaped entirely.
I had booked to go on an excursion to see the Svartisen Glacier but the weather was not too promising: low clouds and a light, but steady, drizzle. However, we boarded the catamaran that was to take us into the Glomfjord just after 8.30am and headed off into the mist.
By the time we reached the glacier, just before 10am, the rain had stopped and mist had lifted slightly. Although we couldn’t see the tops of the mountains, meaning there was no backdrop to the view, the glacier itself was spectacular and well worth the trip. Coffee and cake in the tearoom lifted the spirits still higher and, just as we were preparing to return to our catamaran, the sun burst through just long enough to create some wonderful reflections on the lake at the foot of the glacier. Result!
The 20-minute walk back to the boat was carried out in heavy drizzle but we had seen the view we came for and I don’t think anyone was too disappointed.
While we had been on our excursion the MS Polarlys had sailed on to Bodø and we had a four-hour journey in the catamaran to meet it there. Shortly after our return, the ship set sail for the Lofoten Islands. Stamsund was reached soon after 7pm and Svolvær at 9.30pm. We had time for a brief stroll ashore there before heading north once again and towards Vesterålen. The low clouds and drizzle of the morning have gone and Lofoten looks quite spectacular in the evening sun – ‘evening’ in this case being 11.30pm! We will enter the 26km-long strait of Raftsundet and Trollfjord shortly before midnight. It promises to be a stunning end to a long, but very enjoyable, day.
The China Penguin 