Sailing From Norway to Scotland, Orkney

 In The Wake Of The Vikings – A Mix Of Offshore And Coastal Sailing

The sea route from the coast of Norway due west to the remotest parts of the British Isles is a classic offshore voyage of around 200 miles. This means one or two nights at sea followed by sailing in Shetland and Orkney.

Once we make landfall expect day sailing among the islands and skerries.
The landscape is wild and remote and, outside of the few towns, sparsely populated.

If you have never sailed offshore check out  Offshore Sailing

For more info on standing a night watch read Standing A Night Watch  by professional writer and Trinovante crew Laura Watts

About Life Onboard

Read the Sailing in Norway page.

Bergen

Its worth having a day or so in Bergen if you have time. It’s a compact city with several good museums and some very pretty historic areas to walk around.

If the weather is nice a ride up the funicular gives you spectacular views of the city below and the surrounding fjords and islands right out to sea. You can also hike out further above Bergen. The picture here shows some Trinovante crew on a hike above the town.

Crossing the Norwegian Sea

As we leave Norway behind in Trinovante’s wake you are likely to see dolphins and maybe even a whale.

The days are long this far north and the night only lasts three hours at this time of year so you may see sunset and sunrise in the same watch.

The colour of the sea could be anything from brilliant turquoise to
slate blue and we will be likely to have the whole horizon to ourselves.

Landfall – Shetland

Where Trinovante makes landfall will be very weather dependent but we would like to aim for Out Skerries, a very exposed and isolated cluster of islands and skerries with a population of around 40 people. It is also home to puffins and the smallest cinema in Scotland. During the second world war refugees from Norway often made landfall here on what was known as the Shetland Bus.

Shetland is closer to Bergen than Aberdeen and have a more remote and rugged feel to them than Orkney.  Until the 15th century this collection of 100 small islands belonged to Norway
Expect dramatic cliffs, natural harbours, alongside berths on piers in scenic inlets, birds, seals, otters and more.

Fair Isle

It takes effort to visit Fair Isle and we certainly aim to do so on this leg although as ever that depends on the weather.

Now famous as an important place for birds where the 345 species recorded far outnumber the 55 people who live here.

For the Viking navigators sailing from Norway, Fair isle would have bridged the gap between Orkney and Shetland making it hard to miss land and end up far out in the Atlantic. In past years we have enjoyed watching puffins on the cliffs, seals in the waters below and walking to the lighthouses at each end of the island.

Orkney Sailing

Cut off from Scotland by the treacherous Pentland Firth Orkney soil is more fertile than Shetland and the saying goes that the Orcadian is a farmer with a boat while the Shetlander is a fisherman with a croft.

Places you might sail to are Westray, Shapinsay or Stronsay and there are also many anchorages.