Travel Reports
Finnmark
A trip to the Arctic, with its breathtaking scenery, invigorating winter sports and fascinating culture, might just prove a tonic for the soul in the dead of an English winter.
For Seasonal Affective Depression sufferers, a journey to Finnmark in winter might appear like suicide on ice. However, working on the principle that a few days spent fending off packs of hungry wolves in -20°C blizzards might actually make the UK seem like a honeymoon in St Lucia, last winter I flew up to Alta in mainland Norway's most northerly wilderness for an SAS Arctic manoeuvres-style approach to fighting the doldrums.
One of the many misconceptions about Lapland is that for six months of the year it plunges into perpetual darkness. In reality, by early February, it enjoys seven hours of sunlight, and by 10am we were driving through a dazzling sunlit landscape of steep canyons and craggy mountains, en route to Alta's famous Igloo Hotel for a snowmobiling safari across the Finnmark plateau, kitted out in Michelin Man-sized thermal Arctic suits. Par, our tall, blue-eyed guide, went through the instructions with us. As a non-driver, I assumed I'd be a passenger and didn't listen to a word he was saying, so I was a bit shocked when I was plonked down in the driving seat and told with a wink that police never check licences here. “Does this make it go forward,” I meekly asked as I turned the right handlebar and screeched away at breakneck speed straight into a snowdrift.
After a couple of minutes I'd mastered the technique and was soon trailing somewhat erratically behind the group, but feeling immensely exhilarated at my first driving experience. Entering the windswept Finnmark plateau, a bleak primeval landscape of distant ice-shattered mountains, topped by storm clouds tinged salmon-pink by the low-lying sun, was truly humbling. This really did feel like Europe's last great wilderness.
Another misconception about the Arctic is that staying in an ice hotel is a cosy, en-suite experience in which the laws of physics miraculously go into reverse. If you think about it, if it was kept at 25°C your ice loo would soon be a puddle on the tundra. In reality, the hotel is merely a glacial work of art and is built afresh each year to a different theme. Last year, it was “Wildlife of the Valley”, and walking into the igloo-like structure, I felt like Edmund walking into the White Witch’s castle as ice bears, reindeer and lynx sparkled mysteriously in the soft light.
Either side of the sculptured hall, corridors led to tiny, bare, monastic-style cells in which you sleep on a reindeer ski-covered block of ice in a teeth-chattering -6°C. It's not for those suffering from weak constitutions and if you need a pee at 3am, you'll need to trudge across the snow to the permanent main buildings. Many guests never return and sneakily sleep the rest of the night in the sauna…
Earlier in the evening, somebody rushed into the hotel foyer and announced that the Northern Lights had started. I'm sure even an earthquake couldn't have emptied the building any quicker. Grabbing some kick sledges, we sped over the icy grounds to get a clearer view of the sky. At first, all we could see were a couple of disappointing cirrus clouds. However, after a few minutes, we were gasping like children at a fireworks display as the clouds began to glow and pulsate, and then spewed out billowing curtains of green, shimmering light. Then, in a celestial nod to their gay admirer, the green lights suddenly flushed pink in a dazzling display of Arctic Pride.
The next morning, having brushed away a pelt of reindeer fur that had stuck to my frozen lips overnight, we drove inland to Karasjok, the capital town of the indigenous Sami people, for a day's husky- and reindeer-sledging. We were greeted at Engholm Husky Tours by Sven, a handsome Swedish man with aquiline features and well filled-out leather trousers that might have won him top prize in a Mr Scandinavian Leather Daddy competition. He'd built the farm and a series of beautiful Hansel-and-Gretel log cabins himself. He was just the sort of man you'd ditch everything for and start a new life with, but judging by his harem of Nordic super-babe assistants, I'd be up against some stiff competition.
Sensing playtime, the huskies were now straining at their leashes as, one by one, our sledges lurched forward and hurtled down a slope towards a wide, frozen riverbed. The sense of freedom felt speeding along the ice, listening to wolf-like yaps from the huskies, was almost atavistic and really got my Ice Age genes stirring. The huskies are used to a cuddle after their exertions, but even in the animal world looks count, and an aquamarine-eyed stunner, accustomed to the paparazzi, was soon making love to the adoring cameras.
Having said goodbye to our blue-eyed cover boy, we made our way over to a Sami reindeer enclosure where we were met by Anna, the family matriarch, resplendent in her traditional scarlet-and-gold costume. After taking a short spin on a sledge pulled by an adorable, doe-eyed miniature reindeer, she led us into a lavu, the traditional Sami wigwam. Arranging herself on the birch-twig carpet and prodding a flickering fire, she began regaling us with tales of the Sami spirits and even sang us a jolk, the traditional chant sung in tribute to departed ancestors and separated love ones. We resembled participants in a Victorian séance, staring wide-eyed through the flames at a bubbling coffee pot as if it might explode at any moment in clouds of ectoplasm. Nevertheless, I felt a deep respect for Anna, sure that this last vestige of nomadic European culture was safe in her capable hands.
GETTING THERE
SAS, Scandinavian Airline System, flies direct to Oslo from Aberdeen, Birmingham, Dublin, Glasgow, London, Manchester and Newcastle. SAS operates daily onward flights from Oslo to Alta and Kirkenes, and return economy class fares to both destinations start from just £279 inc. tax. For information on SAS destinations and fares, go to www.flysas.com or call 0870 60 727 727
ACCOMMODATION
Specialised Tours offers a variety of packages, activities and tailor-made trips to Finnmark, including stays at the Alta Igloo Hotel, king crab fishing, dog-sledging and snowmobiling. Call 01342 712 785 or log onto www.specialisedtours.com for further details
FURTHER INFORMATION
For more details about Finnmark, log onto www.visitnorthcape.com. For more information on visiting Norway, contact Innovation Norway (the Norwegian Tourist Board) on 0906 302 2003 or log onto www.visitnorway.com/uk
Neil Gregory