Last stop before the Arctic in Norway

Tromso, Norway - The passengers’ eyelids become narrow slits as the wind whips their faces. Skipper Holger Buricke - sensibly - wears ski goggles as his inflatable dingy ploughs across Kagsundet high in northern Norway.

In the distance, steep mountains jut from the sound and snow from last winter still covers the landscape.

Suddenly, Holger slows down the boat and points to the north: “This is the way to the North Pole!” His hands move slightly to the west: “And this way to Greenland!”

The North Pole and Greenland are two distant places that spark images of pack ice and snow capped mountains.

Around 900 kilometres separate the Norwegian county of Troms from the Arctic, but travellers to this part of the world are still bound to see ice and experience the icy chill in the air.

Jokel Glacier, which extends into the sea, is a boat journey from Kagsundet and one of the areas most remarkable sights.

Troms is also renowned for its spectacular rugged landscape and many of the attractions here bear the slogan “The Most Northerly.”

Tromso is the most northerly metropolis in the country and it’s name means “Gateway to the Ice Sea.”

It was from here that expeditions to Spitzbergen and the Arctic began in the nineteenth century.

Thanks to the Gulf Stream, Tromso has an ice free harbour and a mild coastal climate compared to other locations on the same latitude that are always cold.

Temperatures can rise to 30 degrees Celsius in the summer. “That’s too warm for me,” says Elisabeth Mueller from Tromso’s tourist office.

But it can also drop to just 10 degrees and become decidedly uncomfortable when Holger’s inflatable boat faces the wind.

His boat passes over the sound around the small island of Kagen where he makes a stop, takes a large codfish from a bucket and throws it into the sea.

Seagulls fly to the spot and a sea eagle circles above the codfish. It descends quickly and then flies off only to return and make another attempt, grabbing the fish with its claws, and then flying back to land.

Fishing is an important source of income for the people in this part of Norway. The coast is full of tall, three-cornered trestles draped with ropes and nets.

Fishermen have left thousands of salmon, codfish and shell fish that fishermen out to dry. Their produce is exported mostly to Italy or west Africa.

Many of the islands in the region are now connected to the mainland by dams and bridges. The island of Skjervoy, for example, is connected to the mainland by a long undersea tunnel.

But the infrastructure is a modern development that compensates for the long period that Troms spent as a remote part of the country.

The main road along the coastline around Lyngen Fjord was only built in the 1970s.

Before that, the Norwegian Coastal Express or Hurtigruten provided the main means of transport and communication for post, cargo and passengers.

Every evening at 7 pm, a deep boom in Skjervoy heralds the ship’s arrival.

Norway is investing a lot of money in linking its most northerly regions with the more populated south.

In winter, snow ploughs keep secondary roads such as the 865, south of Skjervoy, open to traffic. At least, as far as Raisa National Park where onward travel is possible only on foot or by boat.

In the past, the boatmen here had to punt their craft along the river, but today motors have taken over that job. Over thousands of years the river formed a kind of canyon with steep walls on either side.

Water flows down the cliff walls and occasionally a rivulet makes its way to the river below.

One of these “rivulets” is Norway’s mightiest waterfall, the Mollis, from which water cascades 269 metres down into a natural pool at the cliff base.

The walk from Mollis Falls to the shoreline of the River Reisaelva takes just a few minutes. We soon come across a couple of roughly-hewn wooden benches and a chain with a rusty kettle hanging from a metal frame.

Holger has filled the kettle and thrown in a few spoons of instant coffee. Dessert consists of blueberries from the nearby forest.

The Midnight Sun shines in Tromso for two full months a year from late May to the end of July.

During that time, locals and tourists spend evenings on the Storstein, the local mountain.

A cable car to the top operates until about 1 am. From the 420 metre-high summit, visitors can get a good view of the town below.

The city centre with its old, colourful wooden houses is easily crossed in a few minutes. Students stroll through Tromso’s streets which are lined with cafes and bars.

One of the town’s highlights is the Polar Museum with pictures and exhibits that tell the story of the hard lives led by the local seal and bear hunters.

www.visitnorway.com; www.visittroms.no.