North Atlantic Cruise

The North Atlantic islands and coastlines offer some of the finest scenery and wildlife experiences in the world. From the Scottish Isles to the High Arctic, visitors to the region can witness enormous colonies of seabirds thronging the cliffs and shores, and enjoy the thrilling antics of whales and dolphins and seals at sea.

Though remote and sparsely populated today, many of the places we explore have been inhabited in the last 5000 years, and thousands of unique prehistoric and historic sites are a testimony to the thriving cultures of the past.

The green fertile islands of Orkney , Shetland and the Hebrides are ideal places to truly get away from it all. The islands provide a vivid contrast to the rugged moorland of the Highlands, the landscape rolling gently to merge with wide open skies and azure blue seas.

Peace and tranquillity characterise these islands which lie just miles off the northern tip of the Scottish mainland. Steeped in history, there are over 1,000 recorded sites of interest, many built before the pyramids.

Vikings ruled over the islands for nearly 500 years and Scandinavian influence can still be seen and felt. Island and parish names come straight out of the sagas; �Westray� means west island, �Hoy� is the high island.

Situated in the heart of the Gulf Stream in the North Atlantic at 62� 00'N, the Faroe Islands lie northwest of Scotland and halfway between Iceland and Norway. The archipelago is composed of 18 islands.

The Faroes are peppered with fishing villages and have a rich Norse Heritage.

The weather is maritime and quite changeable, varying from brilliant sunshine to misty hill fog to showers. The Gulf Stream encircling the islands tempers the climate.

Since 1948, the Faroe Islands have been a self-governing region of the Kingdom of Denmark, with its own parliament and its own flag. It is not, however, a member of the European Union and all trade is governed by special treaties.

Today the Faroes are vigorously engaged in exploring the potential for oil production in the seas around the islands.

Jan Mayen is a volcanic island set in the north Atlantic Ocean, half-way between Iceland and Spitsbergen. The still active volcano, Beerenberg, is 2200m high and dominates the island.

The first impression the visitor gets of the island is one of a rough, inhospitable landscape, studded with snowfields, the sides of Beerenberg swept by glaciers separated by steep, rocky faces. The weather is unpredictable: there may be heavy rain, wind and fog but then, soon after, the sun may break through and the air become clear. During the winter Jan Mayen is often surrounded by pack-ice, the slopes of Beerenberg perpetually snow-covered.

The island is named for Jan Jacobsz May, a Dutch whaler who landed here in 1614 (though the island had been seen before) and was a major whaling centre for both Dutch and English whalers. In the years which followed his visit, several settlements being established. These settlements were usually only manned in the summer. Seven Dutchmen who tried to over winter in 1633-34 all died because of scurvy. When whaling ceased, the difficulties of access and the poor climate limited human activities on the island.

Norway established a weather station on the island, finally claiming sovereignty in 1929. During the Second World War the island was of great symbolic importance as the last piece of �free Norway�.

First take the train from Glasgow to Oban independently. We embark from Oban, a small and cosy harbour town in west Scotland. The channels between the Scottish islands offer excellent possibilities to spot Minke Whales (a small baleen whale), White-beaked Dolphins and Harbour Porpoises. Several other cetaceans, including Orcas (Killer Whales), are also native to these waters.

To the west of North Uist lie the St Kilda group of islands, built of volcanic rock and with cliffs rising to over 400m, the highest in Britain and home to the largest seabird colony in the country. St Kilda has its own sub-species of birds and mice, and of sheep, the Soay, probably brought here by Stone Age man over 5,000 years ago. Until 1930 St. Kilda was inhabited, but then the last of the islanders left leaving a handful of windswept ruins, though there is also a military base which may be visited.

Today we arrive at Thorshavn, the capital and cultural centre of the Faroes. Here we are free to shop, to visit the museum or just wander at will. In the harbour the small Faroese boats are a reminder of the Viking origins of the islanders. The walkers among us can make an exciting two hours walk across the hills to Kirkjub�er where they will find a medieval cathedral. In the early evening we will try to land at Saksun, tucked away at the head of a fjord which was once a superb natural harbour. Today the bay is full of sand and we can only enter by zodiac at high tide. At Saksun is a Natural Heritage Museum. Continuing along the north side of Streymoy we pass huge seabird colonies.

We sail north to the Norwegian island of Jan Mayen, situated 300 nautical miles north-east of Iceland. During our two days at sea there will be plenty of time to watch for the blow of a Minke, Fin or Blue Whale, which could herald a rewarding encounter with these gentle giants. Perhaps we might run into a pod of Orcas, who can often be quite curious about boats such as ours.

Jan Mayen is a volcanic island of breathtaking beauty and mystique, dominated by Mt Beerenberg. From the slopes of the 2300m volcano, impressive glaciers spill into the sea. Until recently, the island was off-limits as it is a military base, and was rarely visited by tourists, but with permission from the Norwegian authorities we hope to visit the weather station. We will also walk across the island to Kvalrossbukta to look at the remains of a 17th century Dutch whaling station and a substantial colony of Fulmars. We also plan to sail by Koksletta where thousands of Little Auks and Br�nnich�s Guillemots breed close to a glacier, watched over by piratical Glaucous Gulls.

We spend two days at sea, looking out for whales, dolphins and seals and a variety of seabirds.

At Bear Island we visit the remains of a whaling station active from 1905-1908 in Kvalrossbukta. Arctic Skuas and Great Skuas can be seen during a walk across the desolate hills and tundra. The weather will decide whether we then sail along the west coast, where we can observe one of the largest seabird colonies in the North Atlantic teeming with Little Auks, Br�nnich�s Guillemots, Common Guillemots and Kittiwakes. Alternatively we will sail along the east coast to visit Tunheim, an abandoned mining settlement. When we approach the sea-ice at the southern tip of Spitsbergen, we may also encounter moulting Harp Seals.

Depending on the position of the sea-ice, we cruise the maze of fjords in the spectacular Hornsund area of southern Spitsbergen, which is ringed by towering mountain peaks. Hornsundtind rises to 1,431m while Bautaen shows why early Dutch explorers gave the name �Spitsbergen� - pointed mountains - to the island. There are also 14 magnificent glaciers in the area but as well as spectacular scenery, the area is renowned for its abundant and varied arctic wildlife. We have very good chances of seeing seals and with a little luck, the very symbol of the Arctic - Polar Bears. We may visit the Polish research station where the friendly staff will give us an insight into their research projects. Behind the station, the mountains are home to thousands of pairs of nesting Little Auks. Bearded Seals often cruise the inner fjords, whose cliffs are lined with colonies of Br�nnich�s Guillemots and Kittiwakes. On the tundra we will have good opportunities to observe foraging Barnacle Geese.

Today we land at Kapp Toscana on Ahlstrandhalv�ya at the mouth of Van Keulenfjord, where piles of Beluga skeletons are a reminder of the 20th century exploitation of these small white whales. Numbers are now recovering and there is a good chance of spotting small groups in the area. We then move to Recherchefjord, where a walk on the fragile tundra which backs the fjord may yield sightings of Reindeer and where we visit the remains of a 17th century Dutch whaling station at Lagerneset. Alternatively we may land at Midterhuken to explore the remains of 17th century English whaling sites. The weather will determine which good options will be chosen in this area.

We disembark at Longyearbyen, the administrative centre of Spitsbergen, for flights south to Norway and onward to home. Alternatively we may stay on the ship and continue our voyage to North Spitsbergen Cruise 2 or North Spitsbergen Cruise 1.

Notes