Nordic Adventure Bergen and Skjolden, (Norway), Isafjordur and Reykjavik, (Iceland), Torshavn, (Faroes), Invergordon, (Scotland) 6-18 June 2009
by Pam and Frank Bryant
A quick itinerary scan on a reduced price cruise from an e-mail sent my (Pam) mind racing, should we book? We're not normally into cruises but this one certainly took my eye and it was leaving in three weeks. No cabin arrangements were issued at booking on this late deal so fingers crossed it would be OK! I did a bit of research into each location and decided that the small town of Invergordon needed some more exploration a bit further afield, so we booked a car to arrive at the pier with a local operator Ken's Garage. All other destinations afforded walks near the ship, all we needed was dry weather.
Day 1 5th June (pre cruise)
We stayed at a very pleasant B and B at St Margaret's Bay, Kent very conveniently fifteen minutes drive to The Port of Dover. As the weather was dry and warm we went walking along the paths on the White Cliffs of Dover. They were clothed in wild flowers, Poppies, Echium, Red Campion and Spotted Orchid to name a few. Apart from the usual common British birds Kestrel, Yellowhammer and Skylark were seen.
Day 2 6th June
We were not due to board the ship until 2:30pm, so once again walked the paths skirting the White Cliffs two Corn Buntings and Meadow Pipits were added to our list. The afternoon was taken up settling into our cabin on the ship, MS Braemar, a twin outside cabin with a large picture window conveniently placed on the main deck. We left port at 8pm in calm seas towards Norway.
Day 3 7th June
Gannet ( pic below), Great Black-backed Gull and perhaps the star attraction the many Fulmars flying just above the sea surface. The sea was calm with sun and part cloudy skies. It was a full day at sea, meeting new people and tucking into the culinary delights of the ships many meals per day.
Day 4 8th June, Bergen, Norway
We docked on time at 8am and were one of the first to leave the ship, having until 5:15pm to explore the area. From the port it is a 10 minute walk to the city centre. Bergen is the 'gateway to the fjords' and Norway's second largest city. It lies on a peninsula surrounded by seven mountains and has a long maritime tradition. The waterfront area, called The Bryggen boasts houses on the UNESCO World Heritage List, they are a very attractive part to the town. Just before we reached these houses an adult White Wagtail was seen feeding its young on a grassy bank bordering the pavement. To gain a bird's eye view of the city we took the funicular railway part way up Mt Floyen (8 mins, 70 DK each ). The weather was superb, we had to carry our jackets thinking that it would be cold up there! From here were marked walking trails through forest and open land with sparkling pools showing impressive reflections.
Willow Warblers were heard, a Grey Heron seen, also Mallard, House Sparrows, Starlings, Blackbirds, Hooded Crow, Robin, Blue Tit and Song Thrush. We walked about two miles past the funicular landing to the summit and had long distance views over the fjords towards the sea. The air was clear and unpolluted. Mid afternoon we made our way back to the ship via the old town and the fish market, the scenery was spectacular, other birds seen around the port were Eider, Common Tern, Oystercatcher and Common, Lesser Black-backed and Great Black-backed Gulls.
Day 5 9th June, Skjolden, Norway
There were a hardy few of us that were up about 5am to witness sailing towards Skjolden, a village at the end of the longest navigable fjord in the world. (125miles) The early morning sun lit the fjord and surrounds with great views of mountains, some snow covered with beautifully coloured houses, many reflected in the water. Due to a very small pier the ship had to anchor in the fjord, and we were taken ashore via the life boats at 8am. One highlight was being welcomed into the village by the local youth band and children waving flags. A map given to us on the ship showed a lake to the south east of the village. We walked there via the river bank walk, it was fine and sunny, the wild flowers in full bloom, the air crystal clear, a really beautiful location. A Common Gull (pic below) was nesting on a rock by the bridge over the river.
Bordering the lake were some neat wooden cabins with grass covered roofs. A male Siskin was feeding on the grass seeds from the verge, its summer plumage colours very vivid. White Wagtails were plentiful, Chiffchaff and Willow Warbler sang from the trees, Swallows, Sand Martins and House Martins were flying over the lake. There was little traffic along the road which was bordered by swampy ground here wild flowers flourished. Conveniently perched quite near to the road on a telegraph wire was a Whinchat (pic below). We watched it for ages feeding on wing and flying back onto the same wire.
Three kilometres from the village there was a café and camp site opposite a thundering waterfall and while basking outside enjoying a welcome cuppa Redwing and Fieldfare (pic below) were seen. Walking back towards the village we stopped for a picnic on the banks of the lake, a Common Sandpiper was scouring the edges. Just before boarding the ship we sat by the beach, a Serin landed on a post nearby. Our evening sail out of the fjord was a joy, a few cloud silhouettes contrasting with the evening light illuminating the mountains. A group of Dolphins made haste up the fjord.
Day 6 & 7, 10th & 11th June
Cruising towards Iceland we had two full days at sea, plenty of activities on board if we wanted but as the weather was still good, we chose to be out on deck sea watching. A few Humpback Whales, some flipper-slapping and lob-tailing, followed the ship for a while. The sea was mostly very calm, the ship rolling one evening just as we were going into dinner, it lasted several hours. I'm glad to say it was over by bed time and we were back to very calm conditions. The ship's route was to navigate off the north coast of Iceland (including the south side of Grimsey Island, 25 miles to the north of Iceland) This route afforded us views of Kittiwake, Puffin, Guillemot, Razorbill, Great Skua, Gannet, Little Auk and of course hundreds of Fulmars (pic below). Most of these were around the Grimsey Island area and here also several more Humpback Whales, lob-tailing, breaching, flipper-slapping, and spy-hopping, a real 'show' of nature. Although at this time of year it doesn't get dark, the light on this occasion was not that clear, the whales appeared when we were dressed up for a formal dinner and the camera with large lens was in the cabin….
Day 8 12th June Isafjordur, North west Iceland
Us hardy soles were up early again as we sailed up the Fjord Isafjaroardjup the sun beautifully highlighting the mountains, some slightly shrouded in cloud and small towns. We were first off the ship on this glorious sunny day although at first only 4 degrees!
At the tourist office we arranged a boat trip to Vigur Island for 2pm and then walked over to the harbour. A Black-headed Gull, Tufted Duck and Eiders were on the water, an Arctic Tern was fishing and two Red-breasted Mergansers flew over really close. We wandered around the town admiring the brightly coloured houses and watched Redwings around the gardens. Behind the town the pathway was elevated giving inspirational views across the fjord and mountains splashed with snow, there were drifts of blue lupins and dandelions!
The nature reserve was predominately pine and birch, with the backdrop of a craggy mountain. Common Redpolls (pic below) were singing loudly, the air was clear it was so peaceful we had our picnic here and off came our coats and fleeces it was so warm.
At 2pm we were back in the harbour for the exhilarating (hold onto your hats!) 30 minute boat trip to the beautiful Vigur Island. It is home to thousands of birds and five friendly humans. Reaching the jetty there were about thirty Black Guillemots (pics below) and loads of Eiders were floating nearby.
Peace prevailed until we walked up the footpath, Redshanks called loudly defending their eggs (pic below).
Then the Arctic Terns (pic below) screeched and dive-bombed some visitors.
This is also home to 80,0000 Puffins, many were in rafts floating in the bay others in their burrows nesting. We were shown stocks of eider down collected to make eiderdowns (pic below).
The smallest post office in Europe and the only windmill in Iceland are also on this small island. Tea/coffee and delicious homemade cakes were served by the farmer's family before heading back to the ship for the 6pm sail towards Reykjavik. New for the list, Glaucous Gulls were seen heading out of the fjord. Just before midnight it was out on deck to witness the midnight sun, (pic below) it was such a magical experience.
Day 9 13th June Reykjavik, Iceland Capital
Just as we left the ship at 8am a Raven flew over calling loudly. The town is 5 kms from the port and although a shuttle bus was laid on we decided to walk to the botanic gardens about 2 kms away. Many of the lampposts around the harbour had Redshanks on them, Oystercatchers flew past, a Meadow Pipit was perched on the wall. Apart from the attractive botanic gardens (I was surprised at some of the plants in flower, earlier than in UK) the stars here were the Redwings (pic below), everywhere calling and feeding young, even around the tables at the café.
Lake Tjornin was our next stop in the city, quite a long walk from the botanic gardens so we took a taxi (paid in euros) for some of the way. It was great to see Whooper Swans in their summer surroundings, also here, Scaup, (pic below) Greylag, Mallard and Tufted Duck.
Just after our picnic lunch sat by the lake it started to rain heavily, we viewed a photographic gallery and then caught the shuttle bus back to the ship and treated ourselves to a well earned rest after the early mornings and late nights. About four hours from Reykjavik whilst having dinner someone shouted ICEBERG!!!!! Really? A joke? Titanic and us on a ship! Indeed it did look like an iceberg…… As we got nearer, but still quite far away it was obviously a rock, indeed it looked like Bass Rock but we were still in Icelandic waters (pic below). Birds could just about be seen flying around it. A little further on was a huge whale blowing, we think a Sperm Whale (pic below) by size, shape and direction of blow (but if anyone thinks any different please let us know).
Day 10 14th June
Calm sea cruising towards The Faroes, only one new bird seen from the ship, Arctic Skua.
Day 11 15th June Torshavn, Faeroe Islands Capital
Once again we were blessed with great weather and the hardy few were out on the ships bow at 6am as we approached The Faeroe Islands.
Apparently it is very rare to get this kind of weather here with such gentle seas. Torshavn, the capitol was our port of call, the bright, clear light gave great reflections of the interesting buildings and boats in the water.
The Tourist Information Office advised us that there were three FREE buses that toured the vicinity on a hop on hop off basis every twenty minutes. We took bus 2 alighting after about 3kms, I just couldn't believe the views with swaths of Marsh Marigolds (national flower), Ragged Robin and Spotted Orchids (pics below), the sea sparkled a glorious blue.
White Wagtails, Eiders, Starlings, Oystercatchers and Meadow Pipits (pic below) were seen. Our next stop was 5 kms from the town, several houses clustered around a small bay, once again clothed in wild flowers. Large drifts of kelp floated in the crystal clear water, a lone Arctic Tern fished. The third stop was near Vidarlundin Park, a bit disappointing bird wise, just Mallard and Chaffinch, the nude statues were intriguing though! Bus 3 took us through predominantly housing areas but we had panoramic views of the harbour from the elevated road. There was no time for bus 1 as I was keen to spend some euros left from a Spanish holiday!
Day 12 16th June Invergordon, Scotland
The morning was spent sea watching from the ship, Gannets, Glaucous Gulls (pic below), Puffins, Razorbills, Great Skua, Arctic Skua, Arctic Tern and Fulmars all put in appearance. Sailing past Cromarty we were hoping for dolphin but it wasn't to be on this occasion.
A lone Scottish Piper welcomed us onto the pier at 1pm, unfortunately our time at Invergordon was cut by an hour as we had a farewell gala party that night. We quickly collected our car waiting at the pier entrance and drove to Nigg RSPB reserve. This reserve is renown for winter species so we weren't expecting a lot. A family of Yellowhammers (pic below) were feeding young by the path. The tide was also right out, just Shelduck on the mudflats with Dunnock, Meadow Pipit and Reed Bunting on the nearby bushes. We drove around some more countryside and coastal bays before browsing a nearby farm shop with an excellent café.
Day 13 17th June
At sea down the east of Scotland and England, the weather cloudy and cool. It seemed really odd getting dark in the evenings after several days and nights of light.
Day 14 18th June
We docked in Dover about 6am, the sun shining beautifully on the White Cliffs. After breakfast onboard and goodbyes to new friends we collected our car at the docks and arrived home at 1pm.
SUMMARY
This cruise on a relatively small ship certainly gave us an introduction to some places we probably wouldn't visit on a complete holiday. So another cruise is a possibility at the right price! We enjoyed the mixture of independent experiences touring off the ship with laid on evening entertainment and good food. Iceland has a culmination of varied, inspiring landscapes. There was no access to currency on the ship, we were told in the present financial climate they would almost take anything. Our credit card was grabbed just for two coffees and cakes. We would love to go back and 'do' the mainland, of course we missed the many divers and ducks that nest on the lakes at this time of year. The exchange rate was brilliant, 211 Icelandic Kroner to the pound (was 38 I'm told!) Diesel fuel was about 82p per litre but having looked at the price of car hire since being back the holiday is questionable. The Faeroes were very friendly and scenic, no sign of Whale killing which I was a little concerned about before we arrived. Although there was not a high count of birds seen the landscapes, seascapes and wild flowers gave us plenty to admire. It could certainly be an option for anyone wishing to see different places but doesn't like driving abroad.
If anyone would like any more info on this holiday then please e-mail us at birdlodge@ hotmail.com