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I CUTOEROEADVERTISER&TIMES


www.cl1theroeadv0rt1ser.co.uk Thursday,FebruarylZ 2015


.Thursday, February^,2015 wvw.clitheroeadvertiser.co.uk CUTHER0EADVERT1SER&TIMES


Adventure was one to remember! FEATURE


byPeterFoley www.clitheroeadvertiser.couk Twitter; ©clithadverhser


When local gardening expert Peter Foley and his wife Liz decided to book on the “Far Out” tour to see the Northern Lights with thefamous Nor­ wegian shipping company Hurhgruten, little did they ; realise what an adventure it would turn out to be. Here Peter tells mhis own words how the trip o f a lifetime so nearly ended m disaster when the Arctic showed just what a hostile environment it can be:


January 30th we were held there for some hours waiting for our plane to be de-iced.


T Whilst waiting to board


we heard of a flight to Sharm El Sheik being transferred by bus the i o o


miles down


the M6 to Birmingham air­ port, not knowing that m a few days time we would be bussed some 400 miles along the tortuous E6 arctic route. Once m Tromso we soon


experienced the-io°C tem­ perature by day in the city and eagerly awaited boarding the MS “Kong Harald” next day. This coastal cruise has


been established since 1873,


when Richard With first set up this service for the Nor­ wegian government. It was established to pro­


vide an efficient service for passengers and goods serv­ ing small ports along the islands on the treacherous


coast from Bergen around | the northernmost tip of Nor­ way to Kirkenes on the Rus­ sian border, with the vessels calling at 34 ports, 22 of them inside the Arctic Circle and many not having good road connections. .


Initially the ship was two hours late, but we were soon


. in our comfortable cabins and epjoying a good meal in


the ship’s well appointed res­ taurant. The tannoy announced I


that some northern lights . had been seen so we donned our thick coats brought with


us to the dining room and went out on deck. ... The crisp arctic night


was spectacular, with a clear starlit sky and little cloud, a three-quarter moon and bands of green and yellow light arcing across the heav­


ens. Liz was literally over the moon! After several stops at


ports overnight we were disappointed when it was announced at breakfast that thetriptotheNordkappon '


he day beforp flying to Tromso, ' snowhad closed ManchesterAir- port, so on Friday


the island from Honnings- vag had been cancelled due'


to gale force winds causing blizzard conditions with the drifting snow. This is the most northerly town in ■ mainland Europe and ap- : parently during last winter,


I three bus loads of people had become stranded on this . road and been rescued by the Norwegian Air Force.. So after window shopping


m this snowbound town on a very quiet Sunday morning : and leaving port in mid-af­ ternoon we continued across the (jord to the sheltered harbour of Kjpllefjord. After a short stop, we then sailed out into open waters to round the most northerly point of mainland Europe and it -was then announced over


dinnerthateverybodywas advised not to venture onto deck due to the risk of being:


blown overboard in the Force 10 gale and distinct risk of -- frostbite!


. The tiny and again shel­ tered port of Mehamn at 7i°N


■ was reached, but after a very brief stop the seas worsened considerably and the next port of Berlevag onto the Barents Sea was missed due to being too exposed. It was then, as the ship rolled up and down and swayed side to . side that on hearing a mas-


: sive bang, all the lights went out and the engines died. • - Sittmgm our cabin hold- I


ing hands and praying, the


lights came back on and there was an announce­ ment that a giant wave had


smashed into the bridge, partially disabling the en­


gines, and the captain could not proceed to the shelter of the jjjord at Batsfjord, so was turning the ship around to return to the compara­ tive shelter of the harbour at Honningsvag. After a slow


but calmer passage weber-, thed at around 3 am, much to the relief of all on board,


many of whom, including . myself, were very ill by then.


dow and also smashing into A


the cabin below, causing the lady passenger, on her bunk, to be forced through the partition into the next cabin . - thankfully only suffering cuts and bruises. The electrical arid com­


puter system of the ship had suffered damage and it was


awaiting assessment by in­ spectors. After a morning ma-


roonedontheshipit was an­ nounced that coaches would arrive at 2 pm to transport all Tromso passengers back by road. Thejoiirney was


t breakfast next day we learnt thatamons- terwavehad overwhelmed the bridge, breaking a win­


quite surreal, with the three coaches leaving the icebound quay and exiting the island via two road tunnels under mountains and then the fairly recently constructed 4.5 mile tunnel under the sea to the mainland.


Traffic was non-existent


on the E69, bordered by snow covered mountains and stunted Arctic Birch


forests, but once the main E6 Euroroute was joined, that comes right up from Oslo to Kirkenes, that being our \ intended destination on the ship, we did see a few large lorries on this winding, ice and snow-covered arctic highway. After four hours travelling through this part of Finnmark on the Finn-


I ishborderweweretoldwe would change into two larger coaches at the town of Alta. These were parked on sheet ice and their spiked


boots were invaluable, but being the last onto the coach­


es, which had seats much closer together,.we found ourselves in the far rear cor­ ner, with Liz sandwiched against two cold steel walls


for the next part of the jour­ ney. A meal had been prom­


ised, but apparently there was nowhere available until


the town of Storslett on Re- isafj ord was reached exactly


at 9 pm as predicted. Awelcomemealofhot


stew, unsure of the meat but


. very tasty, together with rice and broccoli, was served to all on board and the staff .. were very pleased to see us as it meant overtime for the


waiters on a very quiet Mon­ day night. Next morning a


national daily newspaper ■ “Nordlys” (Northern Lights)


carried the front page head­ line “Hurtigruta matte snu: MONSTERB0 LGE KNUSTE


LUGAR”, translating as “Hur- tigruten had to turn: Rogue


wave smashed cabin” with a full report on page two with pictures of the evacuation.


proved E6, which was much worse than any roads in the


A


Ribble Valley; with massi­ ve potholes that caused our


coach to bottom out once and alongside were mountainous


wallsof sheets of icicles over 30 feet high. Tromsa was eventually


reached just before 2 am, along the much-improved E8 Euroroute and we checked into our very welcome hotel a night earlier than planned. We did manage to go husky sledding on the Tuesday evening under a clear starlit


t 10 pm we set off. on another epic four hour jour- \ ney along the soon-to-be-im-.


Circus, aerial ballet and all that jazz for big annual charity ball


byEricBeardsworth eric.beardsworth@jpress.co.uk Twitter: ©clithadvertiser


Young'performers will bring a carnival flavour to Clithe- roe Chamber of Trade and Commerce annnual ball next month. Clitheroe-based profes­


sional theatre company Rib- caged Productions promise to transform the event into a memorableevening with their “Circus Carnivale” presenta­ tion complete with ringmas­ ter as master of ceremonies. There will also be a jazz


band and a demonstration of aerial acrobatics to complete a programme of fun and en­ tertaining acts at The Grand venue, Clitheroe, on Saturday March 7th starting at 7 pm. With 120 tickets available,


the annual ball is one of the mqjor fund-raising events for charity that the Chamber or-


• ganises throughout the year. . Tickets priced at £38 in­ clude a three-course meal fol-


Ribcaged Productions will perform a circus-themed presentation. Aerial gymnastics by performers from Aerial Lounge willstarttheevening.


lowed by tea and coffee and a full programme of entertain­ ment. Ball organiser Katie Win-


stanley.of Megabites, Moor Lane, said: “This year the Chamber is supporting two charities at the ball, where we will be raising funds for the


Local Heroes Foundation and The Soloman Project.” Local Heroes was launched


in 2011 for people who have served in the armed forces and are nowsuffering from ei­ ther physical disabilities due to injury, mental disabilities or both.


The Soloman Project helps


some of Kenya’s poorest chil­ dren. By using local produce and community volunteers they are able to feed a child in school for ayear for just £17. To start the evening, Leana


Darbyshire from the Aerial Lounge, Shawbridge, will be giving a demonstration of aer­ ial acrobatics with a combina­


tion of hoops, silks and pole, as well as junior members per­ forming routines. . The award-winning Rib-


caged productions are well known for their unique and captivating performances, and have taken up this years’s theme of Carnival/Circus. Owen Phillips, Ribcaged director, said: “We are delight­


ed to be supporting the Clithe­ roe Chamber of Trade and the great work they do, support­ ing local business which is at the heart of our community. “The c ir cu s them ed


evening is sure to be a great night out and we are thrilled to be helping with the enter­ tainment.” After the meal, music will


be provided by Western Val­ ley Hot Club with local vocalist Gaynor Sutcliffe, John Vagian- .os who sings and plays guitar, Ray Walmsley playing the dou­ ble bass and Tony Dolman on drums and vocals. The band are noted for their harmonies and instrument changes along with musical virtuosity and entertaining personalities. Local businesses have con­


tributed to the raffle, and any more prizes will be gratefully received. Tickets are limited and-,


selling quickly, available from Katie Winstanley at Megabites, 3 Moor Lane or by emailing secretary@clither- oechamber.co.uk


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sky with -150 and a full moon, and the Northern Lightsjust showing on the horizon. Af­ ter just under an hour with 10 dogs pulling us we were ready for the welcome Rein­ deer Stew and Sami choco- . late cake in a traditional Sami house as seen up in the Finnmark part of Norway. •We have nothing but


praise for the Hurtigruten staff and how they attended to their passengers in a crisis and would certainly like to re­ turn again to the north of Nor-


. way. but perhaps in June next time when we can appreciate the beautiful native alpine plants reminiscent of those that I grew at Holden Clough Nursery for many years and which I continue to do so in our garden at Waddow Lodge which, incidentally, will open once again for the National Gardens Scheme this year in May and July.


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