Here are the available cabins for rental in Norway.

Luxury that's best enjoyed at sea

London's spectacular Tower Bridge only lifts on special occasions. The last time it opened, it opened for me.
Sailing under the bridge to the cheers of hundreds of riverside tourists was an awe-inspiring start to my trip on the luxury cruise ship Seabourn Pride.
Equally impressed, one fellow passenger told me in no uncertain terms: "This is one of those rare occasions when one simply has to do the royal wave."
The Seabourn Pride's emphasis is on easy and relaxed travel in style. Measuring some 277sq ft and carrying no more than 200 passengers, the ship has an unusual feeling of spaciousness and light. My immaculate, well-turned-out suite, complete with Egyptian cotton robe, personalised stationery and plates of fresh fruit, was also surprisingly roomy.
Being a cruise novice, my indulgences were largely enjoyed in the ship's bars and restaurants. For me, breakfasts at sunrise were best taken al fresco in the Veranda Cafe or, on lazier days, in bed. Barbecue lunches in the Sky Bar and meticulously-prepared course-by-course dinners in the main restaurant were highly sociable occasions - a great way to get to know other passengers.
Enjoying the gastronomic pleasures of a five-star cruise ship isn't about counting calories but burning them off is easy, even enjoyable. Try several lengths of the swimming pool, a few jogging laps around the top deck and some weights in the gym - you'll certainly feel revitalised.
Relaxed surroundings, attentive service and the odd evening of light entertainment all go to make the Seabourn Pride perfect for romantic couples over 50.
Not having a partner and being in my 30s, I did sometimes feel like the odd one out. But there were some advantages... when the ship's captain asked me to dance with him in the piano bar to the tune of Blue Moon was one memorable moment. ... more

The art of skiing cross-country

From the Mail on Sunday

There comes a time in a woman's life when mortality rears its ugly head. All of a sudden, pursuits from white-water rafting to galloping on a horse suddenly lose their appeal.
The latest hobby to fall by my midlife wayside is downhill skiing. Last year, as I watched my best friend hurtle down a black run and then turn around to wave me on, I knew it wasn't for me.
Instead of a rush of adrenaline I felt sick to my stomach.
Past the point of no return on that particular outing, I reluctantly followed in her wake but each moment felt like an hour and I arrived at the foot of the slope with my heart in my mouth.
So I resolved to return to Norway, the country of my birth, dragging my sister in tow, to rediscover the art of cross-country skiing.
So much more sophisticated for the woman over 30, don't you think?
It felt curious to be heading for the icy north when, back home, the crocuses and daffodils were already starting to bloom. Surely some mistake, said Danielle, my sibling, as we glided into Oslo airport surrounded by fields covered in a thick layer of snow.
If it looked nippy from the air we discovered it was downright freezing on the ground. The railway station, where the next leg of our trip to Gala kicked off, was dotted with whitefaced Norwegians wearing thermals and puffer jackets and carrying skis.
Having harboured fantasies about returning for two decades, in two minutes we were mumbling thanks for our parents' decision to leave.
Without any snow to pretty up our vista, things looked dismal indeed in the cold of the railway station platform. Travel agents should paper the billboards with posters of all the sunny places they have on offer, we decided. ... more

Telemarks the spot

Norway boasts great pickled fish, stunning fjords and nine Second World War heroes, five of whom are still alive.
The idea that war veterans could be tourist attractions might seem odd but Jens Poulsson, 85, who led the advance party of Operation Gunnerside, is sanguine about the idea.
He was the reason I was in Norway, to help make a Radio 4 programme marking the 60th anniversary of this daring 1942 raid on the Norsk Hydro heavy water plant, immortalised in the Hollywood movie The Heroes Of Telemark.
When asked what it was like to be represented by actors including Kirk Douglas, Poulsson just laughed. 'The film's silly but it helps the Norwegian tourist industry.'
Indeed, there is a remarkably good tourist trail following the saboteurs' acclaimed part in the War.
First stop is Oslo and the Resistance Museum at Akershus Castle. In keeping with the museum's subject matter, many of the displays are underground in two 17th Century stone vaults.
Here, through exhibits showing the effects of rationing (there's a pair of shoes made of fishskin), you get a good feel for the background to the raid on Norsk Hydro when the nine 'heroes of Telemark' risked their lives to liberate their country from the Nazis.
But learning about Operation Gunnerside from a museum is rather cosy. To get a truer picture, it's best to hire a car and go out to the Telemark region itself.
The route was lined with banks of snow. Mountainsides that had seemed from a distance to bear only black rocks and tree skeletons shimmered with the pink of silver birch trees and emerald tips of pines. Frozen waterfalls glinted.
Moods can sink, however, as you enter the valley where three of the saboteurs grew up, as it is in a gorge so steep that it gets no sun at all from October to March. Of course it's precisely this extreme geography that made it perfect for a hydro-electric power plant.
Several hairpin bends higher up the gorge, across a precariously narrow suspension bridge, you reach the site of the Norsk Hydro plant, which now houses the well laid-out, informative Vemork Museum. Here you can learn all about the substance Norsk Hydro was producing - heavy water. ... more

Snow time to slack

There I was tearing 60mph across frozen waters on a snowmobile with the Russians in hot pursuit – if only Roger Moore had been there to see me.

Admittedly, those on my tail were friendly Moscow journalists rather than Siberian assassins, and with my stripy scarf sticking through my visor I couldn't have looked very James Bond, but don't let such details spoil the illusion.
We were on a trip to Norwegian and were in Kirkenes, a picturesque town situated 240 miles north of the Arctic Circle at the apex of the Scandinavian Peninsula, where even the local pensioners zip down the grocers on kick sleds.
Snowmobiling solo across the iced Barents Sea may be a tad hair-raising for some, but it's by no means the only jaw-dropping activity on offer while in town.
The Arctic Adventure Resort runs the popular king crab safari, which sends groups out to fish for the enormous crustaceans through the ice – or in our case off a boat after the sun caused meltdown.
As a budding crabber (I tried it once in Cornwall), the absence of any rods was a touch disappointing – rather a scuba diver is on hand to jump in the freezing waters – but when our wet suited friend emerged with the catch, it all became clear: at over a metre long and up to 15 kilos in weight, snatching a leg with your bare hands is the only way to get one of these slow-moving beasts out the water.
Served up within minutes, it took six of us to get through a single crab, which tasted quite sensational (also available at around £50 per kilo at a well-known Knightsbridge store, in case you were wondering.)
While two large Rica hotels can be found in Kirkenes, a trip to the local snow hotel is a must. It took us 15 minutes by kick sled to reach the oversized igloo on the road out of town, which incredibly is rebuilt each year after the summer sun turns it to sludge.
Those expecting a luxurious stay in one of the exquisitely sculpted ten rooms may be in for a shock – it was minus five degrees inside as I scrambled into my hefty sleeping bag – yet many guests claim to have had their best night's sleep in years. For me, a one-night stay, including breakfast and a delightful reindeer feast cooked by the amiable Finnish owner Anne, was enough of a novelty before I headed for a hot tub.
If you think it's for you, here's a tip: remember to use the toilet before going to bed. If it sounds a bit on the frosty side, take a tour of the hotel instead. Either way, you have to see it for yourself.
Despite the constant barrage of the white stuff on the roads, getting around Norwegian Lapland is surprisingly effortless. Snow ploughs are a common site, with our driver (as most locals do) shrewdly tailing behind one of them. Then, of course, there's the sunlight, which doesn't budge in the summer yet fails to rise between November and January. Without falling into total darkness, an eerie twilight exists between dawn and dusk, meaning you'll need full use of the special beamers that every vehicle has.
A more lavish way to see the region is aboard the 1,000 capacity MS Midnatsol, run by Norwegian cruise specialists Hurtigruten. Having always considered ship travel a rather passive way to see the world, I was impressed by the regularity of stops, ensuring we didn't miss out on any excursions during our short cruise. And back on board, you couldn't ask any more from the cabins (spacious) or food (plentiful).
Undoubtedly the chief stop-off for tourists is the mysterious North Cape, Europe's most northernmost point and the final frontier to the Arctic Ocean.
A 30-minute bus journey from the fishing town of Honningsvag, where every passing cruiser pulls in for day trips, the views from North Cape Rock were rather foggy from 1,000 feet above sea level, as is fairly common during winter. After taking a battering from the winds for the customary tourist photo, however, we headed to the visitors' centre where the panoramic cinema allows you to witness the spectacular setting during clearer climes.
When the snow's not hurtling straight at you and the skies are clear, Lapland is one of the best places on earth to see the Aurora Borealis (the Northern Lights), a mesmerising glow of pinks and greens sweeping across the skies.
Although we weren't fortunate enough to witness the phenomenon in its full glory, we did catch a glimpse during our stay at Engholm's Husky Lodge, situated by the Karasjohka River near the town of Karasjok.
A set of beautifully built and decorated wooden cabins, every one of them knocked together by knowledgeable Swedish owner Sven, the lodge is also home to about 50 huskies and horses, who he uses for tours throughout the locality.
For our husky excursion, the no-nonsense host split us into pairs, briefly taught us four key hand signals and within minutes we were off in convoy over the hills; it's that easy to get started. Yet after escaping the narrow tracks and hitting the frozen waters, the dogs start to pick up some speed, so you do need to apply your whole body weight on the claw brake to slow them down.
Our journey was merely a one-hour taster, but the lodge does offer extensive safaris through the countryside for the more adventurous, with the longest lasting five days. For most, and certainly those with children, a day trip including a barbecue lunch on an open fire is ideal, allowing you to ample time to absorb the landscape that races past you on the snowmobiles.
Although the snow is inescapable outside summer, it's not a destination for a ski or snowboard break – you'll be better off heading further down the west coast to Trysil, the country's largest ski resort. If, however, you're after a unique jaunt into the white wilderness with enough variety to entertain all the family, Norwegian Lapland is just the ticket.
*Scandinavian Airlines flies direct to from UK airports and then via Oslo to Kirkenes. Return economy class fares in and out of Kirkenes start from £314.
For further information visit visitnorway.com/uk. Contact hurtigruten.co.uk for winter cruises, arctic-adventure.no for crab safaris, engholm.no for dog sledging and kirkenessnowhotel .com for the snow hotel.
**If you like the sound of this holiday, you might like to look at:


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Squeaky dream

The most common response to my news that I was heading off to Norway to go skiing was: "Do they have mountains there, then?"

Er, yes. Although specifically, and Scandinavia generally, is more famous for its cross-country skiing, downhillers can find plenty to do too.
And you will soon discover that the quality of snow - big, thick squeaky stuff - is far superior to anything in the Alps most of the time, especially early and late in the season.
For those who head for the Scandinavian slopes for the first time, two things quickly impress.
Firstly, the standard of teaching. Instructors speak excellent English (probably better than many of us) and their kindly manner can contrast with the more aggressive, egotistical attitudes found elsewhere in Europe.
Secondly, and I can't get enough of this, the squeaky snow. Coming across an icy patch is really, really rare because of the long, cold winters here. So if you are one of those skiers for whom the scratch, scratch of an icy patch sends a chill up your spine, you'll be in heaven.
Worries about getting a nasty bout of frostbite on your nose can also be put aside. Unlike further north, the average temperature in this part of Norway is pretty bearable. It drops to -8C in December and February, but doesn't get much colder.
Lillehammer is one of the easiest of the Scandinavian ski resorts to get to from the UK, a mere two-and-a-half hour flight to and then a quick and easy two hour hop by train along the edge of pretty Lake Mjosa, edged by a scattering of snow-capped fir trees and small square churches with tiny spires.
This is Norway's most famous ski resort, mostly because it was home to the Winter Olympics in 1994. You have the chance to see just how scary the ski jump was from the viewing platform or you can try out the four-man bobsleigh (with a trained driver, of course). The slopes are in Hafjell, about 15 kilometres away, which is about a 20-minute drive.
During a long ski weekend in Lillehammer, I was struck by just how empty the slopes are compared to the Alps or the Dolomites. You and your instructor can ski for 10 minutes without encountering anyone, which is heaven for nervous or young skiers.
The slopes cross the range of blue, reds and greens - enough challenges even for an expert who is looking for a weekend's skiing somewhere different and you will rarely encounter queuing at the lifts either.
Those looking for wild nightlife will not find it in Lillehammer. It is more suited to families or romantic nights for two. However, after a heavy day's skiing on the long, wide slopes, the bars at the bottom of the Hafjell ski area, especially British-owned Woody's, are the most popular relaxation zones, and they whip up a boisterous atmosphere with live music most nights.
Kick back and enjoy the tunes, but you may want to rein back on the drinking at around £9 per pint. ... more