Gransnet forums

Travel

Northern Lights

(12 Posts)
cornergran Tue 11-Apr-17 22:57:37

Wow. Great photo. All I have to do now is convince Mr C. Suspect we're still on the boat! hmm.

Katek Tue 11-Apr-17 18:18:01

Come and visit me in N Scotland- it's not as cold and we get views like this of the Northern Lights! This was taken last year, ruined castle is also worth a look

cornergran Tue 11-Apr-17 17:03:18

Thank you all. See how I go oldcroc, will be sure to get back to you if I need to. Thanks for the offer.

Oldcroc17 Mon 03-Apr-17 14:07:56

Hello cornergran
I went on a northern lights cruise a few years ago in February and really enjoyed it. Clothing wise I had some vests, long johns, lined walking trousers, a good quality coat, hat, gloves, buffs and warm socks. I also got some grippers to walk on ice which were useful a few times. Also I had fur lined boots ( a bit like shorter wellingtons) and some merrells. Some people just had regular clothes and seemed to manage.

I bought a lonely planet Norway which was really valuable. The excursions are pricey so the book allowed me to research the places we were calling at and plan excursions. So where there things to do where we landed I didn't bother with excursions to save a bit of money.

Hope this has been useful and if you want to know anything else just ask.

Elegran Thu 30-Mar-17 15:19:13

I had the email alert for that one, paddyann. It was a red alert, so the best chance this so far year of seeing the lighs from here. Too late for me to do anything about it, of course, I was just considering retiring to bed with a book so the prospect of getting wrapped up and walking up the hill in the dark didn't appeal!

paddyann Thu 30-Mar-17 14:57:10

we see the Aurora here ,in Scotland,night before last my son in law stopped at Loch Lomond along with a hundred or more others to photograph it ,Stunning pictures ...no need to travel too far to see them

Hilltopgran Thu 30-Mar-17 14:04:52

Sister went in Feb this year with a Norwegian company that calls in fiords and villages along the coast with supplies and post. They flew out to Norway to catch boat. She said it was a great trip with helpful staff and everyone very friendly. It was a ten day trip and they saw the lights 4 times. There were also addtional trips and activities you could sign up for as the ship docked along the coast.

Izabella Thu 30-Mar-17 13:19:32

Don't worry. It is not that cold if you dress appropriately. The best experience I had was from Churchill in Manitoba. The lights were totally amazing. Have a great time.

chelseababy Thu 30-Mar-17 12:54:23

We were looking at a 6-7 day cruise from Newcastle to cut the number of sea and land days. The short cold days have put us off. A shame they can only be seen in the winter!

jusnoneed Thu 30-Mar-17 12:13:42

My son went to Iceland a couple years ago (didn't see the N lights unfortunately) and they took light weight walking boots, kept feet dry and plenty of support.
Cotton items are warmer, he took t shirts, jumper to layer up and wore a couple pairs of socks when they were out walking about.

Beammeupscottie Thu 30-Mar-17 10:26:27

It is very cold but not that bad. I wore some Ugg boots, without socks and had lovely warm feet. I wore a winter anorak with woolly polo neck jumpers and wrapped a thick poncho around all that for the dog sleigh (which is wonderful). Warm hat and gloves, of course. When you walk around the little ports you stop at, you will notice the locals wear just what we would wear for a frosty winters day. The shops are all very warm as will be the ship.

cornergran Thu 30-Mar-17 09:44:21

Has anyone been on a Northern Lights holiday? We're looking at a cruise that goes from the UK to the very top of Norway in search of the Northern Lights. Apparently we can expect four very cold land days and some more 'normal' winter days. Any advice on clothes, especially footwear would be appreciated. We understand those all in one snow suit thingys are provided for trips like sleigh rides but there will also be wandering about and a lot of standing, so feet are important. Any advice on any aspect of this type of holiday would be appreciated. Many thanks.