59-DAY WILD SCOTTISH ISLES, ICELAND & GREENLAND IN DEPTH

Scotland's showcase capital of Edinburgh has a magnificent geographical location, perched on a series of extinct volcanos and rocky crags above the flatlands. The setting is wonderfully striking, as the modern city is often said to be built on seven hills. Both a historic and modern city, this metropolis is home to the largest arts festival in the world. Read more about Edinburgh, Great Britain

Invergordon is a deepwater port near the entrance of Cromarty Firth, "the seaway to the Scottish Highlands." Inverness, where shopping is great and visitors can see tartans being made, is the capital of the Highlands, and is a half an hour drive from Invergordon. Loch Ness, home of the elusive monster, is just a few kilometres beyond. The town of Invergordon itself is small and modern, and now specialises in the construction of large offshore wind turbines. Read more about Invergordon, Great Britain

The Orkney Islands, an archipelago of more than 70 islands, graced with temperate weather warmed by the Gulf Stream, feature some of the most dramatic coastal scenery. There are sea cliffs, some over 300m, descending to sooth white-sand beaches. Yet even more fascinating are the more than 1,000 prehistoric sites that have been found here. Read more about Orkney Islands, Great Britain

Fair Isle is a small island in northern Scotland, lying around halfway between mainland Shetland and the Orkney islands. It is famous for its bird observatory and a traditional style of knitting. The permanent bird observatory was founded in 1948, because of its importance as a bird migration watchpoint and many rare species of bird have been found here. Read more about Fair Isle, Great Britain

Mousa is a small island just a few kilometres offshore from east coast of Mainland Shetland, about 24 kms south of Lerwick in far north Scotland. It has been uninhabited since the nineteenth century, and is known for an Iron Age round tower and the large Storm-petrel breeding colonies, now a Special Protection Area. Read more about Mousa, Great Britain

Noss is a small island off the east coast of the Isle of Bressay in the Scottish Shetland Islands. It lies 200km NE of the northernmost tip of Scotland, and 200km W of Norway, in the North Sea. Uninhabited, the Isle of Noss has been run as a sheep farm since 1900. Read more about Isle of Noss, Great Britain

Lerwick is the capital and main port of the Shetland Islands, Scotland, located more than 160 km off the north coast of mainland Great Britain. Open to shipping in all weathers, it operates around-the-clock. Lerwick has strong ties with Scandinavian countries, particularly Norway, and this is reflected in the street names of the port. Read more about Lerwick, Great Britain

Lerwick is the capital and main port of the Shetland Islands, Scotland, located more than 160 km off the north coast of mainland Great Britain. Open to shipping in all weathers, it operates around-the-clock. Lerwick has strong ties with Scandinavian countries, particularly Norway, and this is reflected in the street names of the port. Read more about Lerwick, Great Britain

The Faroe Islands lie NW of Scotland midway between Iceland and Norway. They constitute a self-governing island territory of Denmark with a language and culture of their own. Due to their volcanic origin, the 18 islands are rugged and rocky. Read more about Faroe Islands, Denmark

The Faroe Islands lie NW of Scotland midway between Iceland and Norway. They constitute a self-governing island territory of Denmark with a language and culture of their own. Due to their volcanic origin, the 18 islands are rugged and rocky. Read more about Faroe Islands, Denmark

The Faroe Islands lie NW of Scotland midway between Iceland and Norway. They constitute a self-governing island territory of Denmark with a language and culture of their own. Due to their volcanic origin, the 18 islands are rugged and rocky. Read more about Faroe Islands, Denmark

Seydisfjordur - aka Seyðisfjörður - is a small village in the Eastfjords of Iceland at the end of the fjord of the same name. The village is a scenic 27 km drive from Egilsstaðir. It is surrounded by mountains on three sides and there are many waterfalls around the town, which is well-known for its old wooden buildings. Read more about Seydisfjordur, Iceland

Siglufjordur (Siglufjörður) is a small fishing town situated on the shoreline of the 7 km long fjord of the same name. On both sides of the fjord snow topped mountains rise 600 – 800 m. The 2.3 km of colourful homes and buildings lie on the road that runs the periphery of the northern part of Iceland. Read more about Siglufjordur, Iceland

Patreksfjordur is a small fishing village in NW Iceland, with a population of around 680 persons. Spread along a shoreline of 220m, it has an artificial harbour for its the fishing fleet, and a fish processing plant. Other industries, like fish farming and services, are also increasingly important. Read more about Patreksfjordur, Iceland

A majestic waterfall located in the Westfjords region, known for its wide, tiered cascade. Dynjandi is often regarded as Icelands most beautiful waterfall and is a popular stop for scenic photography and hiking. Read more about Dynjandi (Fjallfoss), Iceland

Grundarfjordur is a growing community on the Breidafjordur fjord in Iceland. The town is considered unusually beautiful and well-kept, and has received several awards for its neat appearance. The region also has a reputation for a unique climate and unusually beautiful surroundings, as it is situated in front of an impressive mountain range with an alpine look. Read more about Grundarfjordur, Iceland

Reykjavik, the capital and largest city of Iceland, is the gateway to Iceland's stunning natural wonders, which range from ice fields to boiling thermal pools. The landscape on the island seems to be in a continual process of transformation much like its society, which blends Nordic tradition with sophisticated technology. On the waterfront see the open-air history of shipping disasters. Read more about Reykjavik, Iceland

Heimaey is the largest island (13.4 sq.km.) in the Westman Islands or Vestmannaeyjar cluster, 7.4 km off the south coast of Iceland. The Landnáma Icelandic record states it was first settled in about 900. It is the only island in Vestmannaeyjar that is populated, with around 5000 inhabitants. Read more about Heimaey, Iceland

Located on the southernmost tip of Greenland, the largest island in the world, is Prins Christian Sund (Danish), 500m wide and 100 km long, with mountains either side rising 1000m above sea level. A scenic cruise through this channel is one of the world’s best day-scenes from a cruise ship. It is awe-inspiring, with its rugged beauty of narrow passages, dramatic rock formations, steep fjords, drifting ice floes, and towering glaciers marking the southern tip of the massive Greenland ice field. Read more about Prince Christian Sound, Greenland

Qaqortoq is a town in the Kujalleq municipality in southern Greenland. It is the most populous town in the region and the fourth largest town in the country. The oldest standing building of Qaqortoq is a black-tarred log building from 1797. Read more about Qaqortoq, Greenland

Read more about Hvalsey, Greenland

Read more about Qassiarsuk, Greenland

Lanse aux Meadows – aka L’Anse aux Meadows – is an archaeological site on the northernmost tip of the island of Newfoundland. The settlement at L'Anse aux Meadows, where re-enactors perform in character, has been dated to approximately 1,000 years ago, an assessment that tallies with the relative dating of artefacts and structure types. The remains of eight buildings, believed to have been constructed of sod placed over a wooden frame, were located. Read more about Lanse aux Meadows, Canada

St John's is the capital and largest city in Newfoundland and Labrador. It is located on Canada's SE Atlantic Seaboard, where the Bay of Fundy meets the mouth of the St. John River. Read more about St John's, Canada

Sub-Arctic Monumental Island is situated off the coast of Baffin Island, located in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago in the territory of Nunavut. The island lies in Davis Strait, almost halfway between Lady Franklin Island and Little Hall Island. This rocky, remote island is completely uninhabited, but is a favourite haul-out for walruses, where polar bears are often seen patrolling for their next meal. Read more about Monumental Island, Canada

Lady Franklin Island is an uninhabited island lying 45 km east of the southern coast of Baffin Island, in the Canadian territory of Nunavut. It is situated 400 km south of the Arctic Circle. It lies in Davis Strait that separates Baffin Island and Greenland. Read more about Lady Franklin Island, Canada

Sisimiut is a town in central-western Greenland, located on the coast of Davis Strait, approximately 320 km north of Nuuk, and about 42km inside the Artic Circle (April 2017). It is the administrative center of the region and the second-largest town in Greenland. As the northernmost year-round ice-free port in the country, it is an important shipping hub for outlying settlements. Read more about Sisimiut, Greenland

Kangerlussuaq (Danish: Søndre Strømfjord) is a settlement in western Greenland in the Qeqqata municipality, located at the head of a fjord of the same name, and just inside the Arctic Circle. The town lies between glacial-fed Qinnguata Kuussua river to the SE, fjord to the SW, and hills rising sharply to 400m to the north. Russell Glacier and the Greenland ice sheet lie about 22km further east. Read more about Kangerlussuaq, Greenland

Sisimiut is a town in central-western Greenland, located on the coast of Davis Strait, approximately 320 km north of Nuuk, and about 42km inside the Artic Circle (April 2017). It is the administrative center of the region and the second-largest town in Greenland. As the northernmost year-round ice-free port in the country, it is an important shipping hub for outlying settlements. Read more about Sisimiut, Greenland

Nuuk is the capital and largest city of Greenland, as well as being the northernmost capital in the world, though 2 degrees south of the Arctic Circle. It’s a place where the old and the new are united in a unique and dynamic way. The missionary Hans Egede founded Nuuk in 1728 as the very first town in Greenland. Read more about Nuuk, Greenland

Read more about Qassiarsuk, Greenland

Qaqortoq is a town in the Kujalleq municipality in southern Greenland. It is the most populous town in the region and the fourth largest town in the country. The oldest standing building of Qaqortoq is a black-tarred log building from 1797. Read more about Qaqortoq, Greenland

Read more about Hvalsey, Greenland

Nanortalik is Greenland's southernmost town and is located in a scenic area with some of Greenland's most picturesque fjords, small woodlands and steep mountainsides. The town's name means ‘place of polar bears’, which refers to the polar bears that occasionally pass through the town in summer, together with the pack ice from the Arctic Ocean. It is a small town where everyone knows everyone else, and visitors appreciate meeting a friendly population of hunters who live in beautiful natural surroundings. Read more about Nanortalik, Greenland

Located on the southernmost tip of Greenland, the largest island in the world, is Prins Christian Sund (Danish), 500m wide and 100 km long, with mountains either side rising 1000m above sea level. A scenic cruise through this channel is one of the world’s best day-scenes from a cruise ship. It is awe-inspiring, with its rugged beauty of narrow passages, dramatic rock formations, steep fjords, drifting ice floes, and towering glaciers marking the southern tip of the massive Greenland ice field. Read more about Prince Christian Sound, Greenland

Located on the southernmost tip of Greenland, the largest island in the world, is Prins Christian Sund (Danish), 500m wide and 100 km long, with mountains either side rising 1000m above sea level. A scenic cruise through this channel is one of the world’s best day-scenes from a cruise ship. It is awe-inspiring, with its rugged beauty of narrow passages, dramatic rock formations, steep fjords, drifting ice floes, and towering glaciers marking the southern tip of the massive Greenland ice field. Read more about Prince Christian Sound, Greenland

Tasiilaq (meaning “the place with a lake”, and known as Ammassalik until 1997) is a town (population 2,000) in SE Greenland, just 106 km below the Arctic Circle, and 760 km due west of Reykjavik in Iceland. It lies on the southeastern coast of Ammassalik Island, lying tightly against the mainland. The research station Sermilik is located 15 km northwest of Tasiilaq on the west coast of the island. Read more about Tasiilag, Greenland

Grundarfjordur is a growing community on the Breidafjordur fjord in Iceland. The town is considered unusually beautiful and well-kept, and has received several awards for its neat appearance. The region also has a reputation for a unique climate and unusually beautiful surroundings, as it is situated in front of an impressive mountain range with an alpine look. Read more about Grundarfjordur, Iceland

Reykjavik, the capital and largest city of Iceland, is the gateway to Iceland's stunning natural wonders, which range from ice fields to boiling thermal pools. The landscape on the island seems to be in a continual process of transformation much like its society, which blends Nordic tradition with sophisticated technology. On the waterfront see the open-air history of shipping disasters. Read more about Reykjavik, Iceland