Three hundredmetres up.Not a sound.
Velaria sails one airship with twelve cabins over the Norwegian fjords, Iceland, Patagonia and the Scottish Highlands. When the fans stop and she drifts, you can hear a waterfall from above.
Slow enough to follow a river. Quiet enough to hear it.
A ship at sea shows you the coast. A plane shows you the weather. An airship at three hundred metres shows you the land itself: the glacier's blue seams, the stag on the ridge, the one farm at the end of the fjord. There is no engine room under your bed and no wake behind you. Most guests say the first thing they notice is that they have stopped raising their voice.
- 300 m
- Cruising height. Above the treetops, below the cloud, close enough to count the sheep.
- 28
- Guests at most, in twelve cabins, looked after by a crew of fourteen.
- 35 km/h
- Our usual pace on four electric fans. With the wind behind us they stop, and so does every sound.
Loading the airship…
The ship
A rigid hull of carbon ribs under a silver skin, with the gondola slung low so every cabin looks down as well as out. Turn her around: drag the model with a finger or the mouse.
- Length
- 96 m
- Lift
- Helium, 38,000 m³
- Propulsion
- Four electric fans
- Cabins
- 12, for 28 guests
- Crew
- 14
- Cruising height
- 300 m
Aboard
Three rooms belong to everyone. The days have no programme: the ship goes where the light is good, and the steward rings a small bell when there is something below worth leaving your book for.
The observation deck
Nine panes of glass under your feet at the nose of the gondola. It takes most people a minute to step onto it and an hour to leave.
The lounge
Open all night, with four hundred books, a telescope and a bar that keeps aquavit from every valley we cross.
The dining room
One table for everyone. Dinner is at eight, wherever we are, and the menu follows the country below.
Four kinds of cabin
Twelve cabins in all, every one with a window you can look straight down from. Choose one to see inside.
A round porthole beside the bed, a fold-down desk, wool and pale ash.
5 aboard
- Double bed under a porthole 90 cm across
- Rain shower
- Breakfast brought to the cabin
Six voyages in 2027
Prices are per cabin for the whole voyage, with every meal. Seats are counted live from the bookings.
13–21 Feb 2027
Towers and ice
Patagonia, 8 nights
Counting seats…
9–14 May 2027
First light on the fjords
Norwegian fjords, 5 nights
Counting seats…
12–19 Jun 2027
Fire and ice
Iceland, 7 nights
Counting seats…
3–7 Jul 2027
Glens and isles
Scottish Highlands, 4 nights
Counting seats…
17–23 Jul 2027
Lofoten in the long light
Norwegian fjords, 6 nights
Counting seats…
13–21 Nov 2027
The end of the map
Patagonia, 8 nights
Counting seats…