Awe

This is going to be very difficult to put into words.

During the day time yesterday, we enjoyed a late start and a stroll into Ersfjordbotn, a village at the end of the Ersfjorden on the island of Kvaløya near Tromsø, northern Norway.

After realising the sun began its golden glow at 2pm yesterday, we set off for a walk just before. Two hours later, we were still enjoying blushing light on the mountain tops and candyfloss pink clouds reflecting in the water.

Dinner was rather rushed as we found out we had to leave for Tromsø ready for our Northern Lights chase at 5.15 instead of 6.15 so all thoughts of a quick nap were out of the window. I was hopeful but we hadn't seen anything from the balcony last night so wasn't going to get over excited about seeing them tonight.

We travelled north for about an hour and our guides found a place to stop. After a quick recce, they came back to tell us it was suitable and that the Northern Lights were beginning in the sky. We clambered out and added on the layers, rapidly fumbling with zips not wanting to miss anything. I thought they might have gone by the time we were ready!

The night was utterly exceptional.

The aurora began in front of us over the fjord. About an hour later, the lights had moved behind us over the mountains. An hour on again, the only way to experience the incredible sights was to put the camera aside and lay on your back looking up. The lights filled the sky completely with the most dramatic colours, brightness and movement.

The aurora just got better and better with curtains, streams and waves of light dancing in the sky. Not in my wildest dreams could I have imagined this. The overwhelming feeling is pretty impossible to explain as we lay on our backs watching the converging rays shimmering and whirling above our heads.

This trip had been planned for a long time and we were extremely lucky to have clear skies and a good aurora forecast on the one night we were going spotting.

Whoever is out there, I thank you for that.