We board the Sea Adventurer after out morning tour of Aberdeen.

Fair Isle has a National Trust Bird Observatory. A key destination in Viking times, it now hosts a hospitable population of some 70 people who happily combine a respect for tradition with a modern outlook. Great skuas greet visitors seeking puffins, while a charming museum is devoted to island heritage.

Sumba is in the south of the island or Suoroy and is the village where the Faroese chain dance has had a particular stronghold. We’ll be treated to a cultural presentation here and those looking to stretch their legs can hike to the Beinisvørð Mountain formed as a long grass slope that ends in a dramatic drop on the opposite side with beautiful panoramic views.

Tórshavn is the capital and largest town of the Faroe Islands with a population of 13,000. The Vikings established their parliament on the Tinganes peninsula in 850 thus Tórshavn was made capital of Faroe Islands and has remained so ever since. All through the Middle Ages the narrow peninsula jutting out into the sea made up the main part of Tórshavn. Early on, Tórshavn became the center of the monopoly trade, thereby being the only legal place for the islanders to sell and buy goods. We will have a chance to explore the town in the morning.

In the afternooon, we’ll have a chance to visit the island of Mykines, designated an Important Bird area by Bird Life International. Large numbers of puffins and gannets inhabit Mykines and Mykineshólmur. On the rocks at the waters edge there are colonies of cormorants while the eroded tuff layers in the cliffs make perfect nesting ledges for guillemots and Razorbills. On the grassy slopes above the bird cliffs, thousands of puffins have their burrows, and their guano fertilizes the slopes. Northern fulmars, kittiwakes and Ccommon guillemots are also routinely spotted here.

We will enjoy lectures and seascapes en route to Iceland.

Jökulsárlón (literally “glacial river lagoon”) is a large glacial lagoon in southeast Iceland, on the borders of Vatnajökull National Park. Situated at the head of Breiðamerkurjökull, it evolved into a lagoon after the glacier started receding from the edge of the Atlantic Ocean. The lake has grown since then at varying rates because of melting of the Icelandic glaciers. The lagoon now stands 1.5 kilometres (0.93 mi) away from the ocean’s edge and covers an area of about 18 km2 (6.9 sq mi).

Reykjavik, which aptly means “steamy bay”, a cosmopolitan capital city and as much a part of the Icelandic experience as the midnight sun or the fire and ice that creates the island’s landscape. Entirely powered by geothermal energy harnessed from the Earth below, the city boasts air that is crisp, clean and pollution-free. We’ll have a full day to explore Reykjavik and the famous Blue Lagoon.

During these two days, we will be on the lookout for marine life, and be treated to lectures, musical performances and cocktail parties. As we near Greenland we will be greeted by the icebergs moving down the east coast.

Today we continue on the trail of the Vikings, making an expedition stop at Herjolfsnes, an important first landfall of the Norse upon reaching Greenland. A landscape of gothic peaks will surround us as we sail through Prince Christian Sound.

Ivittuut, is an abandoned mining town near Cape Desolation in southwestern Greenland. Its site is on the ruins of the former Norse Middle Settlement. We’ll have a chance to explore this abandoned, but eerily beautiful community.

Nuuk is the oldest town in Greenland, but this world’s smallest capital city is bustling in Greenlandic terms with 15,000 inhabitants. A short walk up from the harbour is ‘the Brodtet’ where the day’s catch of seal, birds and fish is offered for sale. We have a chance to explore the Katuaq Cultural Centre and its collection of traditional kayaks (Greenland’s best-known invention) and the Greenland National Museum where the famous 600-year old mummies from northern Greenland are housed.

We will make our journey down spectacular Sondre Stromfjord to Kangerlussuaq, where we will board our charter flight to Toronto. If the day is clear, it is possible to see the largest ice cap in the world from your airplane window