Southampton: a mix of cruise ships and Ro-Ro vehicle carriers Southampton: some of the Ro-Ro vessels don't just carry cars. The cargoes include construction plant and London buses. Southampton: leaving our berth Southampton: meeting high-speed and conventional Isle of Wight ferries Haugesund: the waiting fleet of excursion coaches and open-top buses Haugesund: the town with the early 20th-century Vår Frelsers kirke (Our Saviour's Church) at the centre. Haugesund: the inner harbour Haugesund: Majestic Princess towering over buildings Avaldsnes: a Viking settlement regarded as Norway's "oldest capital" founded in the 9th century. LNG tankers anchored as the Husøy terminal is nearby. Avaldsnes: the churchyard, looking back to Haugesund Avaldsnes: St Olav's church, thought to be the site of a chapel attached to the royal residence, with parts of the existing building dating from the 13th century. Skjolden: unclear how vehicles reach this location, so presumably the speed restriction is intended for the sheep Skjolden: view from above the village back along the 205km Sognefjord Skjolden: the weather not helping views of the surrounding hills and waterfalls Skjolden: the lupins were in full flower just about everywhere Skjolden: yet more lupins Skjolden: fruit growing at lower levels Skjolden: view across Eidsvatnet, the 1.5km long lake which continues the Sognefjord Skjolden: unfortunately our visit didn't coincide with opening hours Obligatory photo of a "fart" road sign Skjolden: walking back down into the village (population c.250), dwarfed by Majestic Princess which arrived with around 4,500 passengers and crew. Skjolden: departing for the journey back along the Sognefjord Sognefjord scenery Sognefjord scenery Sognefjord scenery Sognefjord scenery Sognefjord scenery Sognefjord scenery Olden: arriving at the end of the Nordfjord Olden: not a lot of space to turn the ship around, even without the "boutique" cruise ship anchored in the middle of the channel Olden: another disappointment, as this appears to have closed Olden: despite the village's small size, it was very geared up for the arrival of cruise ship passengers Ålesund: arrived just in time to see one of the Norwegian Coastal Voyage ships call on its way north to Kirkenes - just a 15-minute call! Havila are the more recent competitor to the long-established Hurtigruten. Ålesund: Aspøy school rises above the western side of the town centre. Much of the town was destroyed by fire in 1904 and then rebuilt, largely in Art Deco style. This building followed in the 1920s. Ålesund: the town's tourist attractions include a viewpoint on the Aksla mountain which overlooks the centre (weather dependent!) Ålesund: a container ship heads through the rain towards the town's commmercial port Ålesund: the inner harbour Ålesund: the inner harbour Ålesund: town centre Ålesund: once the cloud had lifted, Aksla mountain and its viewpoint became visible Ålesund: leaving the port just hours before the Slinningsbålet bonfire was due to be lit. This event takes place every year on the Saturday closest to St John's Eve (23 June). This year's fire was over 35m tall, short of its previous world record-breaking height of 47.4m. Ålesund: leaving the port passing the Slinningsbålet bonfire A Northern Fulmar passing our balcony After two days at sea, we approach the coast of Iceland The first view of the south coast of Iceland Reykjavik: the Harpa concert hall and conference centre by the port Reykjavik: now a hotel, this building was formerly the headquarters of Eimskip, a major shipping and trading company. Reykjavik: the city has an extensive district heating network, but it was unclear as to why this street was venting steam Reykjavik: it would appear that "splitting the G" has reached Iceland, in an inevitable Irish bar. Reykjavik: city centre wildlife Reykjavik: we never did learn the answer to "Which would win, a polar bear or a giant-size puffin?" Reykjavik: off on a guided cat walking tour. (That is a guided walk looking at cats, rather than a walk guided by a cat.) Reykjavik: cat tour Reykjavik: the Greenland representative office - in a building somewhat bigger than you might expect Reykjavik: a brief stop at a cat café for coffee and cake (and sleeping cats) Reykjavik: the tour guide came equipped with treats to lure the street cats out of hiding Reykjavik: in a gift shop, testing the artisan blankets for softness Reykjavik: yet another cat attracted by the treats Reykjavik: in an art gallery/shop which had been adopted, causing the owners to increase the proportion of cat-based art Ísafjörður: the principal town in the Westfjord area of Iceland. Here we are anchored off the port and using the ship's tenders to go ashore. Ísafjörður: flowers in bloom 1-2 months behind the UK Ísafjörður: Majestic Princess at anchor Ísafjörður: some buildings date from 1750, but many are from the expansion of the fishing industry in the second half of the 19th century Ísafjörður: smaller cruise ships can come alongside the quay where our tenders arrived Ísafjörður: yet another conveniently placed brewery tap, but too busy for a visit Ísafjörður: leaving the port on a small boat heading for Vigur island Arriving on Vigur, home to populations of eider, puffings and Arctic tern Vigur: eider ducks. The males are black and white, the females brown. Vigur: black guillemot Vigur: Arctic tern Vigur: puffins Vigur: puffin in flight (with sprats) Vigur: puffin in flight (with sprats) Vigur: puffin in flight (with sprats) Vigur: puffins Vigur: puffins Vigur: eider duck with chick Vigur: puffins Vigur: puffin in flight Vigur: eider female Vigur: eider female Vigur: eider female Vigur: black guillemot Vigur: black guillemot Vigur: eider male Vigur: black guillemot Vigur: Arctic tern Vigur: Arctic tern Vigur: Arctic tern Vigur: Arctic tern Vigur: Arctic tern Vigur: Arctic tern The mainland from Vigur Vigur: eider female The boat returns to Vigur Before we depart from Ísafjörður, Viking Mars leaves the port Godafoss falls near Arkureyri Godafoss falls near Arkureyri Godafoss falls near Arkureyri Godafoss falls near Arkureyri Eider and chicks in Arkureyri harbour Arkureyri port Arkureyri town The mountains behind Arkureyri The entrance to the 7km Vaðlaheiði tunnel - the only toll road in Iceland On the way back to the UK, meeting Stena Hollandica which is heading for Harwich. The East Anglia ONE wind farm is in the background.June 2026 – Norway and Iceland Please Share This Share this content Opens in a new window Opens in a new window Opens in a new window Opens in a new window Opens in a new window Opens in a new window Opens in a new window Opens in a new window Opens in a new window Opens in a new window
