Sun spots on the sun cause solar winds which, when they come into contact with the Earth’s magnetic field, create the phenomenon. Because of the magnetic element this is stongest nearest the poles, however in some less frequent cases they can be seen much further south. Scientists have created a method for predicting their likelihood and measuring their strength.

Whilst in Alta we saw them on our first afternoon (by our lodge) and then on the next night during a “Northern Lights hunt”. Frustratingly for our guide we then saw them again, very brightly, on our return to the lodge having just spent 3 hours outside at minus 12 !

Evidence of dog sleddng goes back 8,000 years. It was used to travel and pull loads. Dog sledding is now a sport and a recreation. The longest race is in Alaska, the Iditarod measuring 1,500 km; the record for completion 7 days 14 hours. Norway has its own version, 1,200 km starting and finishing in Alta.

We visited a husky farmer who both races and takes guests on tours of upto 14 days. At the time of our visit to the farm, we could not do any sledding as it was too icy for the carts used for summer training but not enough snow on the tracks for sledding. The farm is home to 30 huskeys. In the big races it is usual to have a team of 14 but for recreation 6 or 8. In race conditions a team can run upto 100 miles a day.

King Crab were introduced into the northern Norweigan Sea from Russia to provide an income source for fishermen following the depletion of cod stocks in the 1970’s and 1980’s. We went out with a guide and a crab fisherman into the fjord. The fjord was used as a base by the German Navy in World War II for the battlecruiser Tirpitz.

The guide was being trained by the fisherman to land and prepare the crab. It was an old school training regime – you need to learn by doing it and if you do not learn you can stay at home ! We were observers but also consumers with very fresh delicious crab for our lunch.

The Sami are an indigenous people inhabiting the Sapmi region covering parts of northern Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia. The region was formerly known as Lapland. The population is between 70,000 and 100,000, most of whem live in Norway. Like many indigenous people, they have been badly treated and have been forced to give up their pagan beliefs for Christianity and endured attempts to “Norweiganise” them including at times banning the use of their own language.

Since the 1980s progress has been made to improve the position for the Sami and they now have their own elected President in Norway – although she does not have legislative powers, she and the Sami Parliament provide senior level representation for the Sami and they now have certain legal rights and protections. The Sami culture is dependent on fishing and reindeer herding. Tim discovered that it is considered very rude to ask a Sami “What is the size of your herd” (equivalent to asking how much you earn).

Alta is considered to be the northernmost city in the world situated 70 Degrees North, 400km north of the Artic Circle. Alta was established in 2000, combining several villages, and named after Altafjorden. Its most famous building is the Northern Lights Cathedral completed in 2013, which divides the opinions of the locals. Alta airport is considered one of the most difficult to land at with pilots requiring a special licence.

We stayed 30 minutes inland from Alta at Sorrisniva Wilderness Lodge, built three years ago, but its owners have been building an Ice Hotel each year for the last 25 years. The lodge sits on the Alta River which is famous for salmon fishing and the Alta Canyon, the largest canyon in Northern Europe.

Sorrisniva is a base for outdoor activities, especially viewing the Northern Lights. We visited during the Polar Winter when the sun never comes above the horizon. It does however come close to the horizon for several hours meaning it is light from about 9am to 1.30pm with the extent of the light depending on the cloud cover. Sunrise and sunset tend to merge from one to the other; it was odd watching the sunset at lunchtime ! The temperature was considered “warm” by the locals ranging from minus 1 to minus 10 but with another 5 degrees of windchill at times.

Each year the Ice Hotel has a different theme for its sculptures such as “Africa” and “Vikings”. We were asked not to post this years theme on social media as there is a media “unveiling”

Norway became an independent country on 17 May 1814, when the constitution was signed to avoid being ceded to either Sweden or Denmark after Denmark/Norway were defeated in the Napoleonic Wars. Norway, although a separate kingdom had a common monarch with Sweden until 1905. The capital was Cristiana which was renamed Oslo in 1925, its original name, as the name Cristiana was associated with Denmark.

Oslo now has a population of just over 1 million, which grew quickly as a result of the wealth generated from oil and gas.

Although the main purpose of our visit was to see friends, we also had the opportunity to see some of the sites including the Munch Museum and Vigeland Park.

The second part of the train journey is four and a half hours to Oslo. By having a break at Finse it meant that, despite the short days at this time of year, we could do the whole trip in daylight. The first hour to Geilo, a ski resort, is particularly scenic. We also passed the highest ski jump in the world at Vikersund – nine world records have been set there including the current record of 253.5 meters.

We had an overnight stay at the Hotel Finse, built to attract tourists wanting to visit the lake and go hiking in the summer or experience extreme cold in the winter. There is no road access. Finse was the training base for many early polar explorers. These included Nansen, Amundsen and Shackleton; but not Scott, although a memorial was built to him and his team. The village has seen its population reduce from a height of around 200 to only four today – half of whom we met in the hotel bar (collecting their post as well as enjoying a beer and a chat).

We were almost the only people to disembark the train at Finse with most people using the train for the journey to Oslo in one go. We were pleased that we stayed a night – although the temperature dropped to minus 17, it didn’t feel as cold as we expected – we were properly prepared and it was a dry cold. The Finse “Explorers Hotel” (built in 1909, next to the train station) was very comfortable and seeped in history. The scenery was stunning and we were fortunate to experience clear skies.

The first leg of our train journey to Oslo was the two and a half hour trip to Finse. Finse is the high point of this route (and the highest point in Norway’s rail network) at 1,222 m. The railway, completed in 1909, was a major infrastructure project to link Norway’s two largest cities. The journey is extremely scenic and the line stays open all year round. When we left Bergen it was 0 degrees and on arrival at Finse it was -7 degrees, but very dry with crunchy snow.

Bergen is the second largest city in Norway with a population approaching 300,000. It was founded in 1070 by the son of Harald Hardrade, four years after the battle of Stamford Bridge, which immediately preceded the Battle of Hastings and resulted in the Vikings being thrown out of England. Bergen became an important trading centre and capital of Norway until the early 1300s. The Bergenhus Fortress dates from 1240. It’s main trade was dried fish which it exported as part of the Hanseatic League.

Bergen’s old quayside, Bryggen is a UNESCO World Herritage Site despite being rebuilt many times due to fires.

In World War II, Bergen was occupied by the Germans from 9 April 1940.

It is a thriving city inspite of reputedly being Europe’s wettest city with over 300 days of rain per year. We started our 11 night Norweigan trip in Bergen with, surprisingly, three dry (but cold) days.