148 Countries Tune In To Hurtigruten!

Reports show that 148 countries around the world tuned in via TV, the live stream on the internet or via embedded players to watch the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation’s (NRK) 134-hour non-stop live coverage of a voyage with Hurtigruten from Bergen to Kirkenes. Broadcast June 16-22, the show has also been accepted by the Guinness Book of World Records for the Longest Live TV Documentary.

The show, on national TV channel NRK2, brought a sense of euphoria to the country. In total, three million Norwegians watched the show, representing almost three quarters of the country’s population and produced record-breaking ratings for NRK2. In addition, 2.9 million watched the streamed voyage online, almost half of these from outside Norway. The UK was the fifth most popular country for online viewing figures.

Social media across the globe also joined the frenzy. During the TV show, Hurtigruten was the trending topic on Twitter, at one time with one tweet every six seconds. The show’s Facebook-site ‘Hurtigruten minute by minute’ received 65,000 ‘likes’ during the five-and-a-half day voyage.

Kathryn Beadle, managing director at Hurtigruten said: "Nobody could have imagined just how popular this show proved to be. Along the coast, crowds turned up in every port to welcome the ship and boats joined in to escort her along the way. The impressive figures clearly show the incredible interest there is in Hurtigruten’s voyages along the Norwegian coastline and the global fascination there is for NRK’s innovative concept – Slow-TV.”

Hurtigruten, established in 1893, has been en-route ever since and is an important part of the Norwegian infrastructure and one of Norway’s best-known travel brands. The classic coastal route is known as the world’s most beautiful voyage and this was exactly what viewers from all over the world were able to see. All of Norway’s beauty was shown live on TV including Geirangerfjord and the western fjords of Norway, the crossing of the Arctic Circle, the Lofoten Islands, North Cape and the midnight sun. The broadcast resulted in all-time high visits on Hurtigruten’s websites around the world and all-time high ratings for NRK2. Coverage can still be enjoyed at www.nrk.no/hurtigruten/.

Find out more about the classic Norwegian coastal voyage at www.hurtigruten.co.uk or, for bookings, contact the UK's leading adventure-cruise specialists of The Cruise Line Ltd.

Antarctic Camping and Hiking

By guest blogger Steve Newman

The sight of the mouth of a humpback whale no more than ten feet away from your Zodiac really epitomises what adventure cruising is all about. As this picture proves, it may not happen that often but, when it does, you're not going to forget it in a hurry.

Zodaics of course are an essential part of this genre and One Ocean Expeditions use them to their full extent. With expedition cruises to both the polar regions, you even have the chance to camp overnight on the Antarctic continent! This night ashore under the midnight sun has proved very popular with the lullaby of ice groaning, whales snorting and the waves gentle lapping on the pebbled shore wafting you gently off to sleep.

Sea Kayaking, whale watching and even hiking are also on offer here. Hiking in Antarctica? Well, yes, why not? Designed for the more active traveller, the trips last for about three hours and cover quite difficult terrain.

As far as the Arctic goes, the star looks to be the 12-day High Arctic and Greenland explorer visiting the amazing seabird colonies at Prince Leopold Island and watching out for Arctic foxes, polar bears and that unicorn of the seas, the narwhal. The human side of this ecosystem is viewed, too, with a visit to the Innuit at Nunavat, a people who still cling to their ancient ways of symbiosis and respect for the land.

One excellent idea is the on-board photographer and multi-media studio where you can download your images to hard drives and be shown how to tweak and improve them using photographic manipulation software. Why don't all cruise companies do that?

Either way I'm sold - it's just a question of which one to do first.