Norwegian Coastal Voyage

In an era of increasing European integration, it is interesting to observe a small nation that, having only attained independence in 1905, is determined to remain independent. Norway’s geography creates an additional challenge to this given its mountainous landscapes stretching over 1000 miles North-South but only 100 – 300 miles across, with its capital, Oslo, lying closer to other capital cities than to the northern border. Transportation is thus a major issue and communication by water was created in 1893 by a gentleman named Gran and a captain called With: a working ship cruising the Norwegian coast from Trondheim to Hammerfest. Then known as the Coastal Express, it was the most important communication link between south and north delivering post, goods and people. It is from these times that the name Hurtigruten dates – translated as ‘fast route’ this was literally the quickest route to north Norway and over a hundred years later the name Hurtigruten has been used again to represent the best in Norwegian coastal sailing: A ship now departs every evening from Bergen on the 11-night cruise to Kirkenes and back. Whilst some longer stops are made, a feature of the journey is many short stops of 10 – 45 minutes at smaller ports. Some optional excursions are offered on board but the focus is on independent exploration. The ship is never out of sight of land, preferring to sail through sheltered waters, between islands and even into fjords. The onboard atmosphere is unique with local Norwegians hopping from port to port mingling with the international travellers, with commerce in the ports revolving around the arrival and departure of the ships.