Skjoldungen Fjord - walk

Despite Paul being up all night, he was awake in time to come ashore with me for a walk.

We opted for the longer hike, and fortunately, we put on head nets because as soon as we got close to land in the zodiac, mosquitoes came to welcome us with open arms. They tried to find any available patch of exposed skin.

The first expedition staff member set off at a blistering pace as we walked cross tundra above the waterline for a while. We then met up with another expedition staff member who took us for the rest of the walk, armed with a rifle and flares to frighten any polar bears that we could potentially come across.

Fortunately, the chap's pace was a lot better! We walked a bit up a beautiful valley, parallel to a river. The scenery was stunning.

Overall, our walk was a good 1 hour and 45 minutes. Paul and I were totally over-dressed, and despite removing a layer or two, we had to keep something long sleeved on to prevent a mozzie attack. We were stewing when we got back to the zodiacs, and my feet were steaming in the Bogs boots.

At least no mozzies had bitten through.

Just before we got back to the ship, everyone patted each other's backs to get rid of any mosquitoes that had hitched a ride.Read more