Page 126 - WINE DINE AND TRAVEL WINTER 2024 SCOTLAND

modation. “You need the right night, the
right place and a good portion of begin‐
ner’s luck”. But surely, given that the valley
gets no sunlight for two months during
winter, the long nights must increase the
odds tremendously.
But before my fourth try for luck starts,
I’m taking part in a Viking Sauna Ritual and
it is as tough as it sounds. After warming
up or better breaking out a sweat in an 85
degrees hot sauna, I am invited to trudge
through the snow and icy winds to plunge
myself in a 3 degrees cold pool. I need two
attempts, and suffice to say there won’t
ever be a third.
The night’s forecast is cloudy yet again
but the next day begins with bright blue
skies. Snowmobiling, snowshoeing, fat bik‐
ing, spa treatments - I’m making the most
of the offerings at Deplar Farm and the
day passes in the blink of an eye. Over din‐
ner Norwegian fellow guest Christine Ce‐
cilie Gaffney assures me that tonight is the
night and shows me a red cloud forming
over Sweden and Finland on her phone.
“They will be here in about one hour”, she
says, and is right. I finally see the northern
lights dancing in the sky and it is every bit
as magical as I thought it would be.
My final day dawns and I visit Gunnar
Eyfjörð Omarsson who offers various dog
sledding experiences. As we race through
the winter forest pulled by eight beautiful
huskies, he reveals his number one rule:
“Never let go. You need to keep hold of the
sled and the dogs”. In some way, it feels
metaphorical to my hunt for the northern
lights: Never let go. Keep hold of your
dream. One day, you’ll see them.

Above: Snowmobiling is a popular activity at Deplar Farm
Top: Gunnar Eyfjörð Omarsson owns 21 huskies and runs
sledding tours
Opposite: Finally - the Northern Lights seen from Deplar
Farm (top); snowshoeing on the Troll Peninsula (bottom)

126 WINE DINE & TRAVEL MAGAZINE WINTER 2025