28-Day Arctic Circle & British Isles: Edinburgh & Belfast

Honningsvag/North Cape, Norway Welcome to the top of the world! The village of Honningsvag is the northernmost community in Europe, set in a land of vast forests, dramatic fjords and crashing waterfalls, bathed in the eerie light of the Midnight Sun. Just up the coast is the North Cape, Europe's northernmost point, with breathtaking views towards the Barents Sea and the polar north.

The municipality´s centre of administration and trade, with about 1,600 inhabitants and well-developed services, including a hotel, cafes, restaurants, auto repair shops, specialty shops, a pharmacy, bakery, movie theatre, swimming pool, and other services. The newspaper "Lofot-Tidende" is published here.

The Shetland Islands are Great Britain's most northerly islands, situated nearly fifty miles northeast of the Orkneys. Lerwick is the capital of the principal island of Mainland and is Britain's most northerly town. Founded on the fishing industry and with strong Viking connections, little now remains of the old village of Lerwick. Features of interest include the Cromwellian Fort Charlotte and annual Norse fire festival, Up-Helly-Aa, held every January. On the southern tip of the island is Jarlshof, site of ruins of several Stone Age and Bronze Age dwellings as well as wheel-houses from the Iron Age. Elsewhere on the island is Clichimin Broch, another prehistoric site containing a Bronze Age fort.

South Queensferry still offers an environment that can transport visitors back to an earlier time more readily than most places in Scotland. South Queensferry offers one of the most interesting collections of buildings anywhere. The oldest is St Mary's church, which dates from 1441. "Black Castle", built on the High Street in 1626 is the oldest house in South Queensferry, which was built for a sea captain who was lost with his ship. The nearby Tollbooth was built in the 1600s, though the tower dates back only to 1720. The High Street itself has an unusual stepped cross section designed to cope with the town's steeply sloping site above the shore. This has led to elevated pavements on the inland side of the street, which add to the atmosphere. For very obvious reasons, plus proximity to Edinburgh, South Queensferry is an extremely popular place. It is worth making an effort to try and catch it at a quiet time: that way visitors can still catch glimpses of the South Queensferry of the 1700s Robert Louis Stevenson featured in "Kidnapped".

South Queensferry still offers an environment that can transport visitors back to an earlier time more readily than most places in Scotland. South Queensferry offers one of the most interesting collections of buildings anywhere. The oldest is St Mary's church, which dates from 1441. "Black Castle", built on the High Street in 1626 is the oldest house in South Queensferry, which was built for a sea captain who was lost with his ship. The nearby Tollbooth was built in the 1600s, though the tower dates back only to 1720. The High Street itself has an unusual stepped cross section designed to cope with the town's steeply sloping site above the shore. This has led to elevated pavements on the inland side of the street, which add to the atmosphere. For very obvious reasons, plus proximity to Edinburgh, South Queensferry is an extremely popular place. It is worth making an effort to try and catch it at a quiet time: that way visitors can still catch glimpses of the South Queensferry of the 1700s Robert Louis Stevenson featured in "Kidnapped".

The Orkney Islands are different from mainland Britain and reflect the original 9th century Viking settlement. In addition to Norse heritage are remains of prehistoric monuments such as Stenness Standing Stones at Finstown. Steep-roofed stone houses line streets winding around medieval St. Magnus Cathedral. A museum featuring Orkney artifacts is housed in 16th-century Tankerness House. Other attractions include Maes Howe, Britain's best-preserved megalithic tomb, and the stone-age village Skara Brae. Rock circles, cairns, standing stones, ancient tombs and prehistoric villages are scattered about, gaining these islands international recognition. Only the walls and tower of the 12-century residence, Bishop's Palace, stand. The top of the tower affords a great view of the cathedral and across Kirkwall rooftops. Earl's Palace dates from 1600. Its style blends medieval fierceness with elements of French Renaissance architecture - featuring dungeons, massive fireplaces and magnificent central hall. A good mile south of town is Highland Park - the "most northerly legal distillery in Scotland."

The Shetland Islands are Great Britain's most northerly islands, situated nearly fifty miles northeast of the Orkneys. Lerwick is the capital of the principal island of Mainland and is Britain's most northerly town. Founded on the fishing industry and with strong Viking connections, little now remains of the old village of Lerwick. Features of interest include the Cromwellian Fort Charlotte and annual Norse fire festival, Up-Helly-Aa, held every January. On the southern tip of the island is Jarlshof, site of ruins of several Stone Age and Bronze Age dwellings as well as wheel-houses from the Iron Age. Elsewhere on the island is Clichimin Broch, another prehistoric site containing a Bronze Age fort.

The name Stornoway comes from the Norse for "Steering Bay", an indication of the early origins of the town. As the best natural harbor in the Western Isles it was a focus for development, and Stornoway Castle was built as early as 1100 by the MacNicol family. Today's Stornoway is a busy, attractive town and the largest settlement in the Western Isles. The shape of the town is defined by the harbour, which partially surrounds it. Visit an interesting range of shops pleasantly different from the usual outlets colonising most UK High Streets. Visitors to Stornoway should be aware that Sunday observance is strong here. Most transport links to Lewis and Harris, and within them, do not operate on a Sunday. Most shops, petrol stations, cafes, pubs, visitor attractions are closed on Sundays, as are at least some public toilets.