A more low-key day today, after the excitement of yesterday's polar bear encounter. But there were no dull days on this trip and today’s highlight was ticking off another of my Arctic wish-list animals, walruses. The ship travelled south-east during the night to the small island of Kvitoya, the easternmost one in the Svalbard archipelago.
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When we decided on August for our Svalbard visit I wasn’t sure whether we would see any pack ice. As the summer progresses the ice retreats northwards, beyond the area our itinerary was scheduled to cover. But on an expedition cruise the planned itinerary can often be abandoned because of weather conditions, wildlife viewing opportunities or other factors.
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Anyone who thinks of the Arctic as a bleak and desolate place, devoid of life, needs only to visit the bird cliffs of Alkefjellet to dispel that illusion. I have never seen so much activity, so much life, concentrated in one small area.
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We were to see Svalbard at its most dramatic and bleak today. Yesterday’s weather had been surprisingly (unnaturally) warm, but today, though still milder than we had anticipated, was much more mixed. But rain or shine, this landscape is unrivalled in its beauty.
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I don’t own a cat and never have; not because I don’t like them but because I like them too much to subject one to the trials of our frequent absences from home. So instead I enjoy meeting cats when out walking in my neighbourhood, or anywhere else come to that! And I don’t believe I can walk past a cat without stopping to say hello and take a photo.
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We were to experience a sense of peace on every day of this trip, the silence often only broken by the noise of the kittiwakes and other birds. Surprisingly today we were also to experience warm sunshine; not something I expected to find in Svalbard.
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Today was definitely a day for ‘big boots’ and also definitely a day for adventure. But then, so was every day on our expedition cruise! The morning brought low clouds in places and some rain. As we finished breakfast an announcement came over the PA that beluga whales had been spotted ...
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Everyone who visits the Arctic hopes to see a polar bear and I was no exception. But I was realistic in my expectations. I knew that regulations recently introduced prohibit ships and zodiac boats from approaching closer than 300 metres.
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Our June heatwaves stretched into the first half of July before more normal London summer weather returned: warm but not hot, and with the odd day of rain. But whatever the weather, we found plenty of opportunities to get out and about. Although we didn’t leave London during this particular month.
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There is something about being amongst trees that speaks to all of us. Our deep-rooted (pun intended) appreciation of them spans cultures, geographies, and histories. Forests appear in the stories and myths of so many cultures, as mysterious places where both danger and magic can be found.
