Scottish Islands & Norwegian Fjords — Self-Launched: Edinburgh to Tromsø

Land in Edinburgh and settle into a hostel near Waverley or Leith. Use the day to sort out what the cruise would have handled for you: buy your NorthLink Ferries ticket (Aberdeen–Lerwick–Kirkwall) and your Norway ferry/bus legs online in advance, and check the Flåm Railway and Geiranger timetable. Spend the evening wandering the Royal Mile and Calton Hill for sunset, then eat on Leith Walk — much cheaper than the Old Town.

🚌Airlink 100 bus from Edinburgh Airport to Princes Street ~£5.50; tram ~£7

🛏Castle Rock Hostel or Kick Ass Hostels (dorm £22–30)

• →Calton Hill sunset walk
• →Royal Mile and Grassmarket wander
• →Leith Walk dinner

Morning train from Waverley up the east coast to Aberdeen (2h40, ~£20–35 if booked in advance). Spend the afternoon around Aberdeen's old harbour and Footdee, then board the NorthLink ferry from Aberdeen in the evening. Book a reclining seat or a shared berth; the ship sails overnight toward Shetland — the closest you'll get to the original's 'at sea' rhythm without the price tag.

🚌ScotRail Edinburgh–Aberdeen ~£20–35; NorthLink Aberdeen–Lerwick overnight ferry ~£45–75

🛏NorthLink ferry reclining seat or shared cabin (~£45–75)

• →Footdee fishing village walk
• →Aberdeen harbour

Arrive in Lerwick in the morning. Take the local bus south to Sumburgh Head (RSPB reserve) for puffins and seabird cliffs — the self-launched equivalent of the operator's 'Puffin Bus'. En route stop at Jarlshof, a 4,000-year-old archaeological site with Norse and Bronze Age remains (Historic Environment Scotland, ~£7). Back in Lerwick, browse the Shetland Museum (free) and the lodberries along the harbour.

🚌Local bus Lerwick–Sumburgh ~£4 each way

🛏Islesburgh House Hostel or Lerwick guesthouse (dorm £25–35)

• →Sumburgh Head puffin colony
• →Jarlshof archaeological site
• →Shetland Museum

Take the NorthLink ferry from Lerwick to Kirkwall (about 5.5h, some sailings via Fair Isle in summer) — or fly Loganair if you're short on time. In Orkney, hire a bike or take the local X1/T11 bus out to the Heart of Neolithic Orkney: the Standing Stones of Stenness, the Ring of Brodgar and the superb Skara Brae village. Book a Skara Brae slot in advance with Historic Environment Scotland (~£10). Evening in Kirkwall with a stop at the Highland Park or Scapa distillery if inclined.

🚌NorthLink Lerwick–Kirkwall ferry ~£30–40; local bus ~£4; bike hire ~£15/day

🛏Orkney hostel or Kirkwall guesthouse (dorm £25–35)

• →Ring of Brodgar
• →Standing Stones of Stenness
• →Skara Brae
• →St Magnus Cathedral

Options: Loganair Kirkwall–Bergen summer flight (fastest, ~£120–180), or ferry back to Aberdeen and take the direct overnight ferry/cheap flight to Bergen. Once in Bergen, check into a hostel in the Sentrum or Nordnes area, then ride the Fløibanen funicular up Mount Fløyen for the classic view (~£12) — the original's Bergen highlight done for a fraction. Evening at the fish market and Bryggen's wooden wharf houses.

🚌Loganair Kirkwall–Bergen ~£120–180, or Aberdeen–Bergen ferry/flight ~£60–120; airport bus ~£12

🛏Bergen Hostel Montana or Marken Guesthouse (dorm £30–40)

• →Fløibanen funicular
• →Bryggen wharf walk
• →Fish market

Do the famous 'Norway in a Nutshell' route independently: train Bergen–Voss, bus Voss–Gudvangen, fjord cruise Gudvangen–Flåm, then the Flåm Railway up to Myrdal and back — or just the Flåm Railway return, exactly what the cruise excursion covers. Book the railway direct with Vy (~£45 each way) well in advance in summer. Overnight in Flåm or Aurland — the fjord-side campsite cabins are the budget option.

🚌Bergen–Voss train ~£20; Voss–Gudvangen bus ~£12; Nærøyfjord cruise ~£40; Flåm Railway return ~£90

🛏Flåm Camping cabins or hostel in Aurland (£35–55 shared)

• →Flåm Railway
• →Nærøyfjord fjord cruise
• →Stegastein viewpoint (optional bus)

Travel from Flåm via Sogndal and Stryn to Olden by bus (a long but stunning day, or split with a night in Stryn). From Olden, catch the local Briksdal bus or shuttle to the glacier car park (summer only, ~£12), then walk 45 minutes to the Briksdalbreen glacier lake — the trolley option mirrors the operator's easier alternative. This is the moderate walk flagged in the original itinerary. Stay in a lakeside campsite cabin or Olden guesthouse.

🚌Flåm–Sogndal–Stryn–Olden buses ~£30–40; Briksdal shuttle ~£12

🛏Olden camping cabin or guesthouse (£30–45 shared)

• →Briksdalbreen glacier hike
• →Oldevatnet lake walk

Bus from Olden/Stryn via Hellesylt to Geiranger, ideally taking the Hellesylt–Geiranger ferry so you sail the fjord rather than just see it (~£35). In the afternoon hike up to Skageflå (steep, ~4h return, spectacular fjord views from above — the self-launched version of the operator's 10km Dalnibba hike) or take the easier walk to the Fjord Centre and the Ørnesvingen viewpoint. Stay in the Geiranger camping cabins or a Hellesylt guesthouse.

🚌Olden/Stryn–Hellesylt bus ~£15; Hellesylt–Geiranger ferry ~£35

🛏Geiranger Camping cabins or Hellesylt guesthouse (£35–50 shared)

• →Geirangerfjord ferry crossing
• →Skageflå hike or Ørnesvingen viewpoint
• →Norwegian Fjord Centre

Bus Geiranger–Åndalsnes (summer route, ~£25), then the Raumabanen train Åndalsnes–Dombås–Trondheim — one of Norway's most scenic rail lines. Arrive in Trondheim in the late afternoon; walk the Nidelva riverside wharves (Bryggene), the old town of Bakklandet and Nidaros Cathedral exterior (interior ~£10). Evening at a student-priced café in Bakklandet.

🚌Geiranger–Åndalsnes bus ~£25; Raumabanen train ~£25; local tram ~£4

🛏Trondheim Vandrerhjem (HI hostel) or Trondheim Hostel (dorm £30–40)

• →Raumabanen scenic rail
• →Nidaros Cathedral
• →Bakklandet and Nidelva walk

Morning hike in Bymarka nature reserve — the local tram to Lian drops you at the trailhead, and the loop up to Gråkallen gives city-and-fjord views (free). Afternoon at Sverresborg Trøndelag Folk Museum with its stave church and historic farm buildings (~£12). Free evening; Trondheim's co-op supermarkets (Rema 1000, Kiwi) keep food costs sane.

🚌Tram to Lian ~£4 each way

🛏Trondheim Vandrerhjem (dorm £30–40)

• →Bymarka / Gråkallen hike
• →Sverresborg Folk Museum

Take the train Trondheim–Grong and bus onward to Brønnøysund (or a direct NOR-WAY bus, ~7h total), then the local ferry to Torget. Hike the short, famous trail up through the hole in Torghatten mountain (~1h, free) — exactly the operator's highlight. In the afternoon catch the ferry to Vega Island, a UNESCO World Heritage fishing landscape; rent a bike or walk between the fishing villages and join the local eider-down farm visit if open. Stay in a rorbu-style guesthouse or Vega camping.

🚌Train + bus Trondheim–Brønnøysund ~£45; Torghatten ferry ~£8; Vega ferry ~£10

🛏Vega camping cabin or Brønnøysund hostel (£30–45 shared)

• →Torghatten hole-in-the-mountain hike
• →Vega Island fishing villages
• →Eider down farm visit

Bus or Hurtigbåt north to Bodø. Take the local bus to Saltstraumen, the world's strongest tidal current, for the whirlpool spectacle (free, best at tide change). Then head to the Svartisen glacier area near Ørnes — the glacier boat and a short guided walk give you a taste of the operator's Svartisen landing without the Zodiac. Alternatively stay in Bodø and ride the ferry to the Lofoten gateway the next morning.

🚌Bus Brønnøysund–Bodø ~£35; local buses ~£10; Svartisen glacier boat ~£30

🛏Bodø Vandrerhjem or Ørnes guesthouse (£30–45 shared)

• →Saltstraumen maelstrom
• →Svartisen glacier walk
• →Bodø harbour

Ferry or Hurtigbåt from Bodø to Moskenes or Svolvær, then use the Lofoten local buses to string together the highlights: the dried-fish museum at Å or Nusfjord's preserved fishing village, lunch in Reine or Henningsvær's art galleries, and the classic photo stops. In the evening take the summer Trollfjord sightseeing boat from Svolvær (~£40) for the same dramatic narrow fjord the expedition ship sails into. Stay in an Å or Svolvær rorbu hostel.

🚌Bodø–Moskenes ferry ~£15 (or Hurtigbåt ~£35); Lofoten local buses ~£12; Trollfjord boat ~£40

🛏Lofoten Vandrerhjem or Svolvær rorbu hostel (dorm £35–50)

• →Nusfjord fishing village
• →Henningsvær
• →Trollfjord sightseeing boat
• →Reine viewpoint

Bus or ferry north to Harstad/Evenes, then bus or Widerøe flight to Tromsø. Cross the Arctic Circle en route (the operator's Vikingen globe marker) — buses pass the circle marker between Bodø and Fauske, or you can detour to the Arctic Circle Centre. Arrive in Tromsø, wander the harbour, cross the Tromsø Bridge for the classic view of the Arctic Cathedral, and finish with a Northern Lights hunt (Sept–Mar) booked through a local operator (~£70) or the midnight-sun walk in summer.

🚌Lofoten–Evenes bus ~£35; flight or bus to Tromsø ~£40–90

🛏Tromsø Activities Hostel or Anemone Guesthouse (dorm £30–45)

• →Arctic Circle crossing
• →Arctic Cathedral and Tromsø Bridge
• →Northern Lights chase or midnight sun walk