National_Geographic_Traveller_UK_June_2017

TRAVEL GEEKS
CHECKLIST:
POLARISED SUNGLASSES
DRAGON ALLIANCE
Seafarer X
RRP: £220
dragonalliance.com
7 ways to
SEE THE MIDNIGHT SUN
WANT TO BATHE IN THAT 24-HOUR, GOLDEN GLOW? GO NORTH
FOR SUN-SOAKED BOAT PARTIES, ARCTIC RAIL ADVENTURES,
AND A ROAD TRIP TO THE TOP OF THE WORLD
PERSOL
PO7649S 56
RRP: £243
sunglasshut.com
FOSTER GRANT
Juliet Pol
RRP: £22.50
fostergrant.co.uk
RAY-BAN
RB2183
RRP: £170
ray-ban.com
OAKLEY
Reverie Polarized
RRP: £160
uk.oakley.com
1// THE ‘SECRET’ FESTIVAL
New events at Iceland’s Secret Solstice music
festival (16-18 June) include an acoustic
performance in 5,000-year-old subterranean
lava tunnels, a dance party inside a glacier and
a midnight sun boat party outside Helsinki,
complete with DJs, a cocktail bar and the
chance to spot whales. The never-ending
sun will light up such acts as Foo Fighters,
The Prodigy, and the grand dame of R&B
renaissance, Chaka Khan. secretsolstice.is
2// THE EPIC SCANDI RAIL JOURNEY
Ride the rails from Sweden’s Arctic
to Norway’s fjords aboard trains that
offer front-row seats to spectacular
wilderness. Board the Arctic Circle
Train from Stockholm to Narvik,
travelling along Sweden’s Baltic coast
to beyond the Arctic Circle. Continue
aboard the Northern Railway to
Norway’s coast, before the final
stretch, on the Dovre Railway,
through Norway’s national parks, to
Oslo. May-August, eight nights from
£1,425 per person. simpysweden.co.uk
3// THE YEAR-ROUND ICEHOTEL
This summer, it’s the first chance
to experience a stay under ice and
midnight sun, at the new Icehotel
365. The Icehotel’s innovative, yearround
sister property, which opened
last year, uses sustainable energy
from the midnight sun for a yearround
igloo experience. icehotel.com
4// DRIVE TO THE TOP OF THE WORLD
Hire an RV in Whitehorse, gateway
city to Canadian Gold Rush country,
and follow the North Klondike
MIDNIGHT
SUN
for dummies
WHEN
End of May to the
beginning of August
WHERE
The further you travel
north, the longer the
days; up to 24 hours of
sunlight above the Arctic
Circle, and almost that in
bordering regions
WHAT TO PACK
Your camera. The
midnight sun’s golden
glow is the most
memorable part of any
trip north, accentuating
colours and lengthening
shadows. Lots of scope
for creative photography
Highway to Dawson City, before crossing the
Yukon River by ferry to follow the scenic Top
of the World Highway to Alaska. Returning to
Whitehorse, don’t miss Kluane National Park,
one of North America’s great grizzly bearpopulated
wildernesses. travelyukon.com
5// THE PRETTY CITY BREAK
Celebrate what Finns call the ‘nightless night’
in Helsinki where, on Midsummer Eve, locals
head to nearby island cabins. Try Seurasaari,
an island specialising in traditional
celebrations: spirit-appeasing
bonfires and folk dancing. Also check
out Löyly on Helsinki’s waterfront
— a new, smoke-heated public
sauna. visithelsinki.fi
6// THE REMOTE ISLAND RETREAT
The dramatic mountain setting of the
Lofoten Islands, a large archipelago
inside the Arctic Circle, is a place
where ‘drying racks’ still stand
outside rorbuer (fisherman’s cottages),
just as they have done since Viking
times. The village of Eggum comes
with an amphitheatre-shaped space,
designed by the architects of Oslo’s
Opera House, with views of the open
sea. visitnorway.com
7// THE CULTURAL ESCAPE
Wander along canals in a dusky light
that never quite fades to black during
the White Nights of St Petersburg.
From the second week of June to the
first week of July, the Russian city has
24-hour museum openings, outdoor
ballet, fireworks and DJ sets until dawn
at clubs Taiga and Contour Family Loft.
visit-petersburg.ru SARAH BARRELL
IMAGE: ALAMY
160 natgeotraveller.co.uk