Husky dog sledding, snow diving, ice restaurant and frozen hair

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Flying across a frozen lake in a creaky wooden sled pulled by five energetic Arctic huskies that never want to be stopped has to be on everyone's bucket list. This is how I spent my morning in Rovaniemi and I can't recommend it highly enough.

We woke at 6 after not the best nights sleep. The glass igloos seem very warm at first, but after a while tucked up in bed, Glyn asked me if I thought the heating was on.... Maybe not as I was curled up in a tight ball trying to stay warm. We were supplied with two single beds that are just a little small for sharing although sharing was needed. So I'd woken up a couple of times in the night but sadly not because the northern lights alarm had gone off.

Breakfast was good enough for Glyn: good quality foods and plenty of variety including an array of Finnish breads. I did have to do battle with a few Japanese who had turned out in force to construct a human wall between me and the food.

At 8.45, a Russian woman picked us up in a Volvo to take us along ski slope roads to Bearhill Huskies. Obviously the Volvo has winter tyres, and this type of snow isn't slippery, but it goes against all that is British in me to drive on such roads as in the UK we only need a little fart of snow and everyone is having the day off work to crash into each other. We were told that the Finnish driving test includes driving in snow and ice. The worst problems are generally people just getting stuck in drifts as it's hard to tell where the edge of the road meets the ditches.

At Bearhill Huskies they have around 100 Alaskan Huskies who each have their own snug kennel thickly lined with straw. They do bark a lot - or according to the guide, Mika, 'sing to each other'. Mika invited us into his snow covered hut after we used the wooden loos with wood shavings instead of water. The doorway to the hut required even me to stoop but was was nicely warm inside, with a wood burner and plenty of stools covered in reindeer hide. Most things in Lapland seem to be covered in reindeer hide, it is impossible to avoid.

Mika has the look of a typical Scandinavian who has spent his life working in and pursuing snow sports: a cheerful and ruddy face, scraggly beard and long dirty blonde hair scrunched up under the winter weather hat and snood. Like everyone here, his English was perfect. We were given complimentary snoods and Glyn actually used his!

The other guests turned up and so it was time for the health and safety talk before going out in the sleds. Rule number 1 was about brakes, it went on for a while and I was concerned when it took 10 minutes before we got to rule number 2. Huskies don't like stopping so the whole brakes issue was fundamental I guess. Apparently there's an international huskie language - now I laughed until I realised Mika wasn't joking and so there are words that the dogs recognise for left and right. But there are no words for 'stop' or 'come back', that would be ridiculous! If you fall off, you must never let go, but just get dragged along and hope that the friction of your body grinding against the ground will slow the dogs down, or pray for an uphill to come. The longest Mika has been dragged is 3km, despite flipping the sled on its side which apparently is another neat trick for stopping runaway dogs. Or at least, trying to stop runaway dogs. There is a spiked metal bar at the back that wedges into the snow when you step on it and this is the brakes, which you jump on with both feet if you want to completely stop and it usually works. So that's rule 1. I've forgotten rule 2. Rule 3 is enjoy yourself.

Glyn and I shared a sled as this made it cheaper and also meant that one of us could take photos whilst the other 'drives'. I say drive but there's no reins, you just hang on to the back and lean at the turns hoping the dogs are running in the right direction. I drove first, standing at the back whilst Glyn sat at ground level in the sled covered in a thin blanket; we both had been previously supplied with a thermal jump suit and gloves like lobster hands.

Downhill I was told to apply the brakes with one leg so to avoid going too fast, especially when winding in and out of trees. These huskies run at 15-20 kph, and top racing ones can do up to 30. They are also capable of going 200 km in 24 hours with the correct training, food and breaks. My turn lasted 45 mins including racing around a frozen lake with no brakes. It turned out to be a lot easier than Mika had let us to believe. There were about 7 sleds altogether including Mika and two single drivers. Plus we had a man and a woman guide us in snow mobiles chasing and circling us and once in my case, going slowly in front of me to slow me down. Get me!

It felt incredibly low down when it was my turn to sit in the sled and I realised that I made a wise decision driving first as the passenger is at the same level as the dogs. Now these dogs are very adept at crapping when running and you see it flying over the snow but they had all but emptied out after the first half hour or so, so that was me out of the firing range.

It was an amazing experience, something I always assumed I would never be so lucky to do. The dogs were very friendly and we were able to fuss them afterwards (working dogs we were told are cuddly as they had been 'cut' to keep the peace plus they are trained from puppies to be around the public). However, the professional racing dogs are kept wilder to give them that mad passionate will to win.

Mika introduced us to five puppies that were around 13-15 weeks that were very cute and full of energy. They have to be kept away from the rest of the pack as the older dogs get annoyed with them. All the dogs work 5 days a week for 6 months a year and training in Autumn. During the summer they have holidays and get to run free as its too hot for them to run far. Other 'dog stories' were info such as the dogs need to consume around 9000 calories a day, mostly in fatty raw meat that needs to be warmed up in hot water first as cold food burns more calories.

Mika has his own racing dogs and told us about professional races that the Norwegians and Americans are the best at. They can go on for days for 1000s of kilometres. The driver has to sleep outdoors with his dogs and though other people can bring food and provisions at the checkpoints, only the driver is allowed to tend or feed the dogs and no one can come closer to the dogs than 200 metres. I have visions of the driver out in the snow, boiling meat for 14 howling and hungry dogs. If a dog has so much as a broken claw, it has to drop out, but no new dogs are allowed to replace it. If a driver starts off with 14 dogs, they must finish with at least 8 of them. It sounds very tough for driver and dogs but apparently all involved love it. Mika also has a hunting dog that he takes with him for when he 'snipes down' moose

There were many stories told in the hut afterwards, I wish I could remember them all and write them down! A bus soon turned up to take us back and as we pulled out, the lady guide came whizzing past pulled by dogs and waving in a very Disney style.

We were now able to check into the ice hotel and were given instructions on how to keep warm. There is a large locker area in the main reception outside the actual snow hotel where we will keep our large case. In the ice hotel there is one warm locker room and toilets next door. The locker room has bunk beds for those who wuss out, plus a changing area. Our compact room contained just a bed of ice lit with a red light, reindeer hide and one socket should we wish to charge anything up. Behind the main reception is a lounge for guests to relax in as you really wouldn't want to hang out in those bedrooms of an evening.

Glyn and I decided to go snow-shoeing and Glyn was a bit disappointed not to get given tennis rackets. But I still had to ask a member of staff which way around they fitted and how to put them on. We trudged across the frozen lake and it is hard work. You need to take really long strides and I only have short legs! The problem was that I had a desire to sink into snow and eventually took them off so I could run around and jump face first into all deep looking snow. I did a good few dives, stumbled a lot and generally got covered in snow. In places the snow is pretty hard but as soon as I tried to get up I was floundering around like a whale.

We soon ditched the snow shoes and went walking across the forest trying not to get lost as it does all look the same. We found a road and followed it, past people's house around the lake where picnic tables were almost buried and upturned boats looked like houses for wild animals. It was slow going walking back across the lake. Although my Apple Watch told me I was burning calories, apparently I wasn't going fast enough to be counted as exercise but my leg muscles tell a different story!

We booked a sauna for 5pm as this is a Finnish thing to do. Once sat in it, I asked Glyn what exactly the point was. A guide had shown us the facilities: once you use the sauna you should stay warm long enough to make it outside and up the steps to the upper floor to jump in the hot tub, bearing in mind you are wet and only wearing swimming attire, a towel, slippers and a ridiculous hat. I asked about how it is coming back down in the cold after being in the hot tub, the guy conceded that it probably wouldn't be so good. Great.

The sauna was extremely hot when I ladled a couple of scoops of water at once; my back felt scalded and it burnt my lungs to breathe. But I did it again, let's do it properly after all! We had to have a quick shower before the mad dash up the icy outdoor steps. Only the guide was leading two fully dressed slow moving tourists down the steps and we were made to wait for them, oblivious to our shivering. The hot tub was just that with multi -coloured disco lights and lots of bubbles, really warm despite the air temperature being around -10. It was dark by now and Glyn and I had the place to ourselves. My wet fringe froze in chunks around my face, plus the foamy bubbles started to freeze, yet we were still lovely and warm.

We had paid for a full hour for the entire experience but when there was 20 minutes left, we were warned that this time was needed to shower, and get dry and dressed. Oh. And it was soooo cold and slippery back down to the shower and changing room. As a result, my hair was still wet which is never good at night in Finland in winter when you will shortly be eating in the ice restaurant.

Now there are two other restaurants here: a nice warm one where we ate breakfast and another cosy round hut with roaring fire. But we felt the need to experience the ice restaurant where the candles are pale and electric so as not to melt the ice. At €58 each (without drinks) this must be one of the most expensive meals I have ever eaten. But it had to be done.

The tomato soup was creamy and good, but not hot enough. Glyn had elk for mains and I had vegetable roti which luckily was piping hot and I ate it quickly because for the first time in Finland I was beginning to feel the cold. Dessert was a small but delicious tiramisu served on a snowflake shaped plate of ice. They were quick to make us pay for the drinks, and were asked to pay whilst still eating!

The last few hours of the evening were spent in the lounge with a log fire and a glass of wine whilst blogging and reading. It's cloudy again and I don't see much point of trekking into the cold to get the same photos as last night especially as I'm a bit tired. We have a night in our icy sub-zero room tonight, I'm excited and dubious all at once. I've no idea how well I will sleep, I'll let you know tomorrow! Glyn's just informed me that it's -13 now and its only 8.45pm. Oh.

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