TO the mediaevals it was Ultima Thule - literally the end of the world. The towering cliffs of North Cape, jutting into the icy waters of the Arctic at the extreme north of Norway, is as forbidding and magnificent as the description suggests.

Shield your eyes against the biting wind and look north, and there is nothing but stormy sea between you and the pack ice.

To the south lie nothing but craggy, snow covered wastes and no sign of human habitation apart from the single track road that brought you to this desolate spot.

Before we get too carried away, this is the 21st century and there is a well equipped visitors' centre, but then Finmark is not short of contrasts.

In fact, one of the most striking is that between the extreme conditions and wild country of Norway's most northern province and the modern comforts available in the midst of the icy wastes, making Finmark the ideal destination for softies with a sense of adventure.

Visit in February or March, after the darkness of the Arctic winter relents but before the snow releases its grip, and you'll see Finmark at its best - plus stand the best chance of witnessing the spectacular Northern Lights.

Despite modern roads and communications, Finmark is more than 90 per cent wilderness and home to Europe's last nomads, the Sami - though these days they live a semi settled existence while preserving their reindeer herding traditions.

No visit to Finmark is complete without a visit to the Sami. Sit in a traditional shelter or laavu and sample reindeer stew while learning about their unique culture.

Samis - once known as Laps, a racist term no longer used - have faced discrimination but today have their own parliament and guaranteed rights to herd their reindeer between summer and winter pastures.

For the ultimate in cold comfort though, try the Snow Hotel in Kirkenes. Built each year as winter approaches, the self styled coolest hotel in the world really is made of snow and is a real work of art.

Beds, light fittings(!) even the bar are frozen to order, and even though the temperature outside can drop to -14, inside it stays a toasty -4. If that still sounds a bit chilly, don't worry - each guest gets an expedition quality sleeping bag and I can testify as to just how comfortable it really is. In fact, I had one of the best night's sleep of my entire trip.

One tip though - trust your sleeping bag. Don't overdress when you go to bed to allow a pocket of warm air to develop inside the bag, and make sure you do the hood up to stop that precious heat escaping.

By the way, the Snow Hotel sees itself as an experience rather than mere accommodation - requests to stay more than one night will be greeted with bemusement and a suggestion that you try the more conventional establishments down the road for the rest of your stay.

Refreshed after your night's sleep, why not experience the great outdoors, Arctic style?

Snowmobiling is easy to pick up, great fun, and the most convenient way to get out and about in the breathtaking wilderness of Finmark.

The controls are as basic as they come - with no gears to worry about it's just a case of twist the throttle and go.

Snowmobile safari operators will provide basic instruction and safety gear including helmets and thermal suits. The machines themselves are very manoeuvrable and extremely stable - just as well as I managed to get stuck in a snowdrift at a very interesting angle at one point. But such mishaps are easily dealt with and I was soon on my way.

Worked up an appetite? As wide a range of food as you would expect anywhere in Europe is available in major centres, but regional specialities revolved around reindeer - steaks or stews - and seafood.

The former is lean, tasty and only slightly gamey and the latter is plentiful and sometimes surprising. Stockfish, the extremely flavoursome Norwegian-style salt cod, is a fixture on many menus, as is - disconcertingly for some - whale.

Just as unusual, but less controversial, is another salt water delicacy, the king crab. For the full king crab experience (see panel) watch as a scuba diver slips under the ice on a frozen fjord to catch the spider-like crabs - not something anyone but the most experienced cold water divers will want to try for themselves.

Next, sit down in comfort and enjoy the fruits of his labours with a little garlic mayonnaise.

Truly Arctic exploration for softies!

Fact file

  • Specialised Tours ( specialisedtours.com, 01342 712 785) and Scantours ( scantours.co.uk , 0207 554 3530) offer a variety of trips to Norwegian Lapland, including, Sami adventures, dog sledging, snowmobiling and king crab fishing.
  • SAS, Scandinavian Airline System, flies direct to Oslo from Aberdeen, Birmingham, Dublin, Glasgow, London, Manchester and Newcastle. SAS operates daily onward flights from Oslo to Alta and Kirkenes and return economy class fare in to Alta and out of Kirkenes starts from just £314 including tax. Go to flysas.com or call 0870 60 727 727.
  • Hurtigruten offer a number of winter packages to Northern Norway. Go to hurtigruten.co.uk or contact 0208 846 2666.
  • Further information about Norwegian Lapland is available at visitnorthcape.com or contact Innovation Norway (the Norwegian Tourist Board) on 0906 302 2003 or log onto visitnorway.com/uk
  • Engholm Husky offers a variety of dog sledging packages. See engholm.no
  • For Kirkenes snow hotel see kirkenessnowhotel.com and for information about the Sami Park in Karasjok go to sapmi.no
  • Zuba Ski arrange packages to Norwegian Lapland. For further information go to zubaski.com or call 08701 622 273.