How did Örjan, a gruff, weathered man in his 50s, explain his system for rating northern lights displays? A one out of ten, he said, was a faint smudge in the sky. A perfect ten was when the lights hung around you, 360 degrees, shimmering and cascading like a celestial waterfall. “It only happens every four years or so. And if I see them I don’t tell anyone. People would lose their minds.”
I nodded sagely. To the local Sámi, the lights represent the spirits of ancestors; pointing at them was regarded as bad luck. “Not the Sámi!” he replied, incredulously. “The tourists!” That would be the people spending thousands of pounds to catch a glimpse of such a wonder. I was in Abisko on the cheap – and I’d still be teed off if he didn’t tell me.
The blue hole
Stocking up
Snow patrol
Aurora-ish
And the sky came to life
Aurora for under £250 – Did we do it?
Yes – almost… The author travelled to Swedish Lapland at his own expense, flying via a budget airline, staying in a hostel and largely cooking his own meals. He hoped to do the entire trip for £250, but ended up spending £267.74 after treating himself to a night out at the local pub for a plate of reindeer linguine and a half pint of beer.
Main image: Northern Lights over trees (Shutterstock)
