Lorraine Kelly’s Norwegian Odyssey – Episode 3: chasing the aurora
In the final episode of the series, Lorraine’s coastal journey takes her from Lofoten to the far north of Norway. This is an adventure of wild landscapes, traditional ways of life, and the realisation of a long-held dream – to see the Northern Lights.
Lorraine Kelly’s Norwegian Odyssey, brought to you by Channel 4 and Hurtigruten, follows her voyage – mostly aboard our ships – along Norway’s spectacular coastline.
In this third and final episode, Lorraine’s journey continues through the Lofoten Islands and on to the Arctic capital of Tromsø. The landscapes – and the skies – of Norway get wilder and wilder the further north she travels, until her odyssey reaches its dramatic climax with an unforgettable display of the Northern Lights.
Embark on your own Norwegian odyssey
Go in search of the aurora for yourself on our Coastal Express and North Cape Line voyages. Or, if you want to follow in Lorraine's foodie foosteps, try our Culinary Voyage.
Episode 3: From the Midnight Sun to the Northern Lights
Episode 3 begins where Episode 2 left off – in the Lofoten Islands, where Lorraine meets a series of locals who put their own spin on traditions and ways of life that have thrived here for centuries, if not millennia.
First, she tries her hand at cod fishing the traditional way on MS Symra, a century-old wooden boat with traditional reels. Her reward? A fine catch, and freshly cooked cod for lunch with the skipper.
Lorraine also visits a small glassblowing studio founded by a local fisherman on a remote shore. She joins an Arctic sheep farmer who spins wool from her own Old Norse sheep while listening to heavy metal beneath the Midnight Sun! And she meets a family who grow beautiful edible flowers for some of Norway’s best restaurants – including ours.
Jump forward six months and Lorraine arrives in Tromsø for winter adventures. She follows in the footsteps of polar explorers at the Polar Museum, has a go at dog sledding on wheels, and visits the northernmost distillery in the world.
The episode comes to its finale aboard MS Kong Harald, where the sky erupts in a magical display of Northern Lights – a moment of wonder Lorraine has waited for since she was five years old.
Watch: The world's most magical lightshow
See the moment Lorraine steps out onto deck and watches the Northern Lights dance across the Arctic sky – a sight she’s dreamed of since she was a child.
The Northern Lights are finally coming to life. I can’t believe how much we see – it’s amazing, absolutely extraordinary!
Where does Lorraine go in Episode 3?
Lofoten Islands
Like Lorraine, you can walk among the stockfish drying racks around the harbour at Svolvær and behind Per Ung’s Fiskarkona – the Fisherman’s Wife statue. Or you can see them from our ships, which sail close by almost every day, year-round, on their way through the Lofoten Islands.
This is a region shaped by fish, where cod is king. Like Lorraine, you can go cod fishing the traditional way on the 100-year-old MS Symra on our fishing in Lofoten excursion, in winter or summer.
Visit Lofoten on:
The Coastal Express – calls at Stamsund and Svolvær
The North Cape Line – calls at Svolvær
Tromsø
Known as the Gateway to the Arctic, Tromsø is where Lorraine learns about Norway’s proud polar heritage. At the Polar Museum, she holds a compass once carried by Roald Amundsen on his 1911 expedition to the South Pole – a quiet but powerful moment that connects past and present.
And just outside the city, Lorraine gets her first taste of dog sledding – on wheels, in autumn! It’s fast, noisy, and unforgettable. You can try dog sledding near Tromsø as part of your voyage with us.
Sail to Tromsø on:
In search of the Northern Lights
Lorraine’s Arctic adventure ends with a moment she’s waited a lifetime for: her first sighting of the Northern Lights. On board our ship with our Chief Aurora Chaser Tom Kerss, she watches green ribbons of light dance across the night sky. It’s a magical finale to a journey filled with nature, people and stories.
Northern Norway is one of the best places to see the aurora, and there's no better way to see them than while on ship. Early 2026 is also your best chance of seeing the Northern Lights for the next decade, as it marks the end of the Solar Maximum.
See the Northern Lights with us on:
What did Lorraine eat and drink in Episode 3?
Whisky from Aurora Spirit Distillery
At the edge of a fjord in Arctic Norway sits Aurora Spirit – the world’s northernmost distillery. Here, Lorraine helps char a whisky barrel before rolling it into long-term storage, where it will mature under the glow of the Northern Lights.
The distillery uses glacial water, Arctic-grown barley, and Norse mythology for inspiration. The result: whisky with a true sense of place and story.
Visit Aurora Spirit on our Culinary Voyage, or try their Bivrost whisky while sailing on board our ships.
Edible flowers from Myklevik Gård
You can also follow Lorraine to Myklevik Gård on our Culinary Voyage. It’s on this family run farm in Lofoten that she joins the family and friends for a delicious meal of Arctic food and edible flowers from the farm.
There’s even more to Myklevik Gård than microherbs and vegetables. We’ve partnered with them on our journey towards zero food waste. Any leftover food from The Coastal Express is turned into compost by a specially designed reactor in Stamsund, Lofoten. This new soil then goes to nearby Myklevik, where the family use it to grow the same herbs and veggies cooked for you on our ships!
Plan your own journey along Norway’s coast
If Lorraine’s encounters with local artisans, traditional ways of life and the Northern Lights has sparked your wanderlust, it’s time to plan your own Norwegian odyssey.
Our voyages bring you closer to the moments Lorraine experienced.
12-day Coastal Express (Year-round; Bergen-Kirkenes-Bergen)
15-day North Cape Line (September-April; Oslo-Tromsø-Oslo)
7-day Culinary Voyage (September-October; Bergen-Tromsø)
In case you missed it
Episode 1: Journey into the fjords
Lorraine begins her voyage in the Art Nouveau town of Ålesund, before setting sail into the fjords – a landscape of towering cliffs, still waters and centuries-old stories.
Episode 2: Above the Arctic Circle
In the second leg of her journey along Norway’s coast, Lorraine crosses into the Arctic Circle. With impossibly narrow fjords and reindeer herders to sea eagles and seaweed foraging, this is life on Norway’s wild northern edge.