Cosmic carnival with a million celestial swans

For two months in winter each year the inhabitants have to make do with extreme temperatures and about five hours of half light; by late May, the sun never sets. The landscape is harsh and rugged. But by way of compensation, they are blessed with Nature's most spectacular light show, the Northern Lights.

Tromso has the Arctic Cathedral and the Polar Museum, which celebrates the city's past as a starting point for reckless Arctic expeditions, but it's the Lights that attract most tourists to this largely empty quarter. Stare out into the long dark nights and sooner or later you'll be lucky.

An encroaching band of cloud gets brighter, until you realise it's not cloud, but light. Then it shoots across the heavens like a jet stream. Fluorescent fingers drip down, and the observer has to keep moving his head this way and that to keep up with pulsating plumes, the ever-shifting luminescent cloud. It's awe-inspiring.

Local legend says it's the flapping of a million celestial swans, or spinsters dancing, wearing white gloves and weaving patterns in the sky. Others believed they were giant torches being shone by Lapp herdsmen in search of their reindeer, while the Lapps themselves believed the cloud might come down and sweep them away.

The scientific explanation is much more prosaic, though still remarkable: the Lights are caused by particles from storms on the sun bombarding the atmosphere above the Poles at speeds of more than 200 million miles per hour, exciting oxygen molecules on the way.

And exciting tourists too. The Lights can never be guaranteed, of course, but on a sedate cruise from Tromso to Trondheim aboard the coastal steamer Nordkapp, they blazed a dramatic trail across the sky twice in three nights.

The Nordkapp is one of 11 Coastal Voyage vessels sailing up and down the Norwegian coast from the temperate climes of Bergen in the south to the dramatic fjords in the Land of the Midnight Sun near the Russian border. As well as passengers, the ships transport supplies to more than 30 ports of call, from bustling towns to tiny hamlets, where the daily arrival of the coastal ship is still something of an event.

The voyages are sedate, though not sumptuous, affairs. Dress on the Nordkapp is informal. The cabins are clean and basic. Peace and quiet are the overriding sensations as the Norkapp glides like a toy boat past the towering peaks. There is no canned music. No nightlife beyond a meal and a quiet drink in the bar.

There are few places in the world that still feel empty, but this is one. Passengers idle the time away looking at reflections of snow-capped mountains and the old, painted weather-boarded houses casting amazing shadows on the sea in the changing light.

On you sail, past iron age settlements and places of sacrifice. From the comfort of the observation lounge you can look out on passing fishing villages and marvel at just how isolated they are; the Gulf Stream is the only reason people can live up here.

This lack of contact with their neighbours probably accounts for the Norwegians' reticence; they do not volunteer information, but usually supply it in perfect English, when asked.

Nature dominates here, and it's a harsh life with little room for sentimentality. The Norwegians, total population 4 million, refused to join the EU and remain fiercely independent. They are friendly, but reserved, a strange mixture with strange tastes which include cheese which looks and tastes like fudge and lutefisk (cod soaked in potassium).

Surprisingly, the Norwegians love the Eurovision song contest even though they always get nul points, and they love Britain and everything British. Perhaps that's because they empathise with our North-south divide problem - here Oslo is its own place - and then there's everywhere else in Norway.

One person who has spent the last 30 years trying to work out the enigmatic Norwegians is head teacher Rosemary Talbot, who was taking her first trip on the Coastal Voyage. She was born in Darlington, and lived in Richmond, until she and her husband came to live in Norway in 1968. Norway had a shortage of dentists and Rosemary's husband took a job for a year. They liked it so much, they stayed.

"We liked the lifestyle and felt it had more to offer," says Rosemary, who lives in Trondheim. "It is a good place to bring up children and a great place to come if you want to get away from people - there is so much space. There's also a closeness to nature which is lacking in Britain today."

There are things Rosemary misses - "the way British people will strike up a conversation and chat away". And we thought we were reserved? Perhaps the Norwegians would be less uptight if they could thaw out with a good bottle of red more often, but the country's (legal) alcohol supply is only available from the expensive Vin Monopolet, a state-controlled outlet where the booze is kept in glass cases and has to be applied for in writing. A round in the pub costs a king's ransom, and souvenirs are equally expensive, though as these usually come in the form of a Troll, that's no great loss.

The Coastal Voyage is a wonderful way to get away from it all though. The brief stop-offs aren't always picturesque - these are working ports -but the air is crystal clear and the peace only broken by the ship's horn as it crosses the Arctic Circle or greets another steamer.

And as the oldies aboard take themselves off to an early bed, you can join the hardier passengers, warmed from the inside by a swift slug of Aqua Vit, and search the sky for the luminous lights.

It may be a quiet cruise, but it's the ultimate antidote to our frenetic daily lives. And who needs performers and a stage show when you can have one of the most spectacular natural performances you will ever see? The heavens above are the stage, the performers little molecules of electricity that fire up to produce a display, stunning in its simplicity. The Northern Lights.

DID YOU KNOW?

Famous Norwegian inventions include the cheese slice and the paperclip.

FACTFILE

The Norwegian Coastal Voyage is offering a three-night mini voyage from Bergen to Trondheim return, including flights and full board, onboard. Travellers will have the choice of spending an additional night in Bergen either prior to or following the voyage. Prices start from £395 per person. Phone Norwegian Coastal Voyage:

0207-371 4011.

The Coastal Voyage company 2001 brochure also offers a wide range of new group departures. These include a choice of Voyages with Experts - a selection of special interest cruises that are based on themes chosen to complement the coastal voyage such as photography, sketching and arts and culture.

The starting price for the 13-day Classic Round Voyage based on travel in January is £795 to include return flights and transfers, one nights bed and breakfast hotel accommodation in Bergen and full board on the Coastal Voyage. Half Round voyages start at £895 based on travel in April and the five-day Mini Voyage from £495 based on travel in April.

Phone the Norwegian Coastal Voyage Company on 0207-559 6666.

Norwegian Airline Braathens is offering:

A fly and cruise weekend featuring a three-night cruise on the stunning Norwegian Sognefjord. Phone Scantours on: 0207-839 2927; a three-night break including a spectacular rail adventure Across the Roof of Norway. Phone Taber Holidays on: (01274) 594642; a four-night fly/sail Weekend to Bergen. Phone Fjord Line on: 0191 296 1313; a four-night short break on the Norwegian Coastal Voyage 0207-371 4011; a two or three-night Winter Break in Bergen or Oslo. Phone Inntravel on: 0207-371 4011. Braathens operates 12 flights a week from Newcastle to Oslo and Stavanger. Phone Braathens reservations on: 0191-214 0991.