The final in-country part of what has been an extraordinary cruise to Norway has just finished. In the last 10 days Sue and I were joined by the second father and daughter combination of the summer – Rupert and Rose. Rose is Spellbinder’s unofficial artist in residence, and this post contains a few of her sketches and drawings, which remain her property.

We had a very varied 10 days, taking Spellbinder into 4 of Norway’s cities (Trondheim, Kristiansund, Ålesund and Bergen); right up to the end of its most dramatic fjord (Geirangerford); into 3 remote and beautiful off-lying islands (Veiholmen, Kinn and Utvær) and spending the night in two outstandingly beautiful and peaceful anchorages (Røstøya and Dombevåg), amongst other stops. This post will describe each.

I’ll start with the anchorages, as anchoring has been relatively rare – there are just so many convenient little pontoons everywhere, often deserted, and we have made great use of them, allowing easy access ashore for walks.

The first anchorage I wanted to describe was Dombevåg. Located a few hundred metres inland from an often raging Norwegian Sea, this natural harbour is a rectangular rock basin which cuts off the swell and wind most effectively. It is also outstandingly beautiful.

We had fine weather, and a fine sunset, and enjoyed a paddle ashore and a short walk, despite some midges.

The second anchorage was further north, at Røstøya. It’s just off the inner lead – the main passage which runs north to south, protected for the large part by outlying islands. The cruise and cargo ships use the lead, and it can be quite busy, so this anchorage was a welcome relief.

We got in quite late, had supper and I tried (unsuccessfully) to catch a fish with my fly rod. That pleasure still awaits me. The next day we went ashore and had a brief walk, and the crew managed a quick swim.

The cities, by contrast, offered other pleasures. Trondheim has long been associated with the kings of Norway and we visited the renowned Cathedral and Bishop’s Palace, viewing the Norwegian crown jewels.

The city itself is full of waterways and wharves, and we enjoyed a good walk around it.

Kristiansund, further south, brought traditional boat industry and a more modern cathedral. It had been raining quite hard, and we needed to dry off a bit, but we enjoyed walking around and ate very well at a seafood restaurant in an old smithy.

Ålesund was an enjoyable visit too. The centre suffered a catastrophic fire in the early 20th century and the wooden houses were rebuilt in 3 years, making much use of the in vogue art nouveau style, which is omnipresent in the centre. We visited a museum dedicated to the period and hiked up the local hill.

Our final city was Bergen. Our visit there was poignant as it coincided with the death of the Norwegian King Harald. Flags were at half mast and we lowered our ensign accordingly. Bergen is a great city and we enjoyed fine weather, moored up against a wall against tyres, in a rather old fashioned way.

The outer islands we visited were superb. Entering Veiholmen in gusty winds and a fair swell was interesting, to say the least, with not much room for error.

Kinn was another outer island, where Sue, Rose and Rupert walked to a local church with some interesting history, and up to a cleft in the rocks. I had to stay on board as the locals asked me to, as the pontoon had to be kept clear for the ferry.

We spent our final night before heading into Bergen in perhaps the finest outlying island of them all, Utvær. It is the western most inhabited place in Norway, with a dozen houses, but absolutely no facilities – everything has to come in by boat. We moored against another yacht, belonging to a Norwegian single-handed sailor who had just come back from a trip to Faroe and the Hebrides.

Perhaps the highlight of this part of the trip was a two day excursion up perhaps Norway’s most famous fjord, Geiranger. It was everything we expected to be – steep, huge, magnificent, with Alpine-like pastures above. We enjoyed a great walk.

We enjoyed the many aspects of this part of the cruise, which showcased Norway at its finest. Below are a few more photos.

We are now about to cross back over the North Sea from Bergen, hopefully bringing the expedition to a safe close. Thank you, Rupert and Rose, for being such fine crew, and for Rose in particular for viewing all we saw through the lens of your fine art.