Making a splash on a wet, wild Arctic express
I’M not sure how I found myself in the Arctic Circle, clinging on for dear life in a small, fast, inflatable boat. knew a holiday in Norway was never going to be about sipping sangria in the sun, but as I bounced through the waves I doubted whether I would survive to tell the tale.
At least I’d started off my four-day break a bit more gently, by flying to Trondheim, a sophisticated city with wooden waterfront restaurants and an atmospheric cathedral, then jumping aboard the Nordland Railway – the Arctic Express – to the town of Bodo.
I sat back and watched the scenery turn wilder – farms became forests, hills became mountains and rivers were replaced by fjords. I clambered off the train wrapped up in my warmest hiking gear, expecting it to be freezing. Instead, I found a fine, modern town basking in sunshine.
During my stay I walked up to the top of Keiservarden for what locals insist is ‘the best view in the world’, and decided to take a gentle cruise. But this being Norway, that somehow turned into a trip on a high-powered inflatable in the Saltstraumen, a wild churning area of sea stretching for hundreds of yards. It’s caused by the world’s strongest tide which funnels down a narrowing fjord between two islands near Bodo.
There are whirlpools up to 20ft deep and 30ft across. ‘I have to be careful,’ said our captain. ‘Some of them are big enough for the boat to fall in.’
After about 30 minutes splashing through waves, we arrived at the Saltstraumen, just as the maelstrom reached fever pitch – the point of high tide.
Three million litres of water a second squeeze through the channel. Not surprisingly our little boat bounced around in a great natural white-knuckle ride. After such an exhilarating adventure, I thanked the stony-faced Norwegian and asked his name… but I could have guessed it. The man who had just tackled the world’s strongest tide was, of course, called Cnut.