Friday 2 February - Day 5: Shira 2 Camp (3900m) to Barranco Camp (3960m) Our trek today started with an ascent with far-reaching panoramic views, walking into the climatic zone of the upland desert and on the lava ridges beneath the glaciers of the Western Breach. There were ample boulders we had to scramble over, rocks and some level surface (the latter being very rare!). The views were amazing. How can I possibly describe the views to you. You will just have to go – or find a film taken by a drone!!! I’m sure my photos won’t do it justice. I was still feeling good but Jane from Denmark was battling a headache and that damn cold of Kerry’s – such a nuisance for her, but she quietly put one foot in front of the ... read more

Mon 18 December 2017 Depart Helsinki After breakfast we decided to walk to the Rock Church which was a block away from our hotel. After storing our cases in the lobby storage and adorning our snow clothes. It didn’t take us long to arrive at the Church which was literally built into the side of the hill. The pews were pine wood and the religious effects were modern. A baby in a manger was beautiful. The uneven rock walls were lit with purple lights and the roof was conical shaped made of strips of wood which were shaped into circles. We walked up the stairs to see the magnificent and very different view. It was impressive. Next, we went outside and climbed up the hill which was walking over the top of the church. Sheryl and ... read more

Sat 16 December 2017 Rovaniemi / Helsinki Early this morning, we transfer to the train station and boarded an all day train south, to the Finnish capital of Helsinki. This was after a 4.45am early morning call through the hotel TV as well as a phone call. We were all punctual, meeting in the foyer at 5.20am. Heck we were all good travellers!! We had a 5 minute bus trip to the train station only to have to wait 10 minutes before the train doors were unlocked. It was a bit cold at -8 degrees! Once on the train and after packing away all our suitcases, we settled down to the 8.5 hour train trip. The train was very comfortable with a dining carriage for plenty of coffee and lunch. Some of us caught up with ... read more

Saariselka We were staying two nights in a log cabin then glass igloo for 1 night at: Kakslauttanen Arctic Resort Kiilopaantie, Saariselkä, Finland Eventually we arrived at our resort, just outside of the village of Saariselka. The bus stopped outside the restaurant and reception building. We were given our log cabin numbers, found a sleigh and loaded our suitcases on them to take them to our cabin. That was so good…and different. We had no trouble finding our cabin because they had put the front lights on for us. Sheryl’s cabin was just behind ours. As we walked up the steps to our door we walked into our beautifully warm and spacious cabin. There was a side room off the main room which had 2 bunk beds. Walking through the bathroom, we found a sauna. There ... read more

Sun 10 December 2017 Honningsvag & the North Cape After brief early stops in Hammerfest and Havoysund we arrive in Honningsvag, the gateway to the spectacular North Cape. Honningsvag is the nearest port to the North Cape which is only 2000 kilometres from the Geographical North Pole. We enjoy the magnificent sub-Arctic landscape as we crossed the 71st parallel on our journey towards the North Cape, the northernmost point on the continent. The bus we were travelling in, had very noisy chains on the tyres. In this area the vehicles can’t use the winter tyres with spikes because there is not enough grip for the deep snow and ice. At this time of the year, the road is only opened for 2-3 hours because of the snow build up. The graders go through the road first ... read more