Heading North to Norway

On Sunday we start rehearsals for North North North - a new touring show about the true story of an ill-fated polar balloon expedition to the North Pole.

Our set designers Bicat&Rigby have been preparing some props and materials for us to work with in the devising process and they have now been packed up and ready to be sent from the UK to Norway.

Alex and Martin are flying out from the UK, Margit from Denmark and Elke from Belgium and will all arrive before the packages do travelling by road.

We have three weeks in Oslo before coming back to the UK to work at the North Wall Arts Centre and Key Theatre in April for the final development.

Cat Moore - Producer

Last day in the town at the end of the world

North North North

It really feels like this town is at the end of the world - it is the last stop on the plane route - you can only go back from here or head out on foot for the north pole.

This is the hut on top of the hill behind Longyearbyen

And this is part of the glacier with a huge crevasse

This kern is at the top of the hill behind Ny Byen where we stayed.

We want back to museum this morning and I got a book about the various (and mostly disastrous) balloon missions the north pole.

Our plane has landed now so off we go back to Oslo.

At the top of the mountain

The view from the top was really worth the climb - we could see for miles and miles.

We stopped my this small hut at the top which had been used as a monitoring station - as everything older than 1949 is classed a cultural heritage and protected we were told not to take anything. The hut was locked but I suspected that there was a Starbucks inside that Inge didn't want to tell us about.

We also saw some Arctic Grouse at the top - they were not scared of us even though Maud the dog was very interested in them...

On the way down we saw some goose hunters going up the plateaux for an evening of hunting.

They took this picture of us near the bottom the first climb.

Oslo Airport - the first hop north

Well I made it to Oslo at least. The airport here is very busy for a Sunday afternoon - I guess its the end of the holidays here. My flight leaves at 20.50 and arrives close to midnight in Svalbard, but it will still be light there I think. I hope that SAS don't loose my bag, otherwise I will be cold and look Dumb Dumb Dumb.