Chasing the Sun

In Short

R. M. Ballantyne’s Chasing the Sun is a brisk nineteenth-century travel adventure following Fred Temple, a hard-working English gentleman, and his two companions as they sail his schooner into the Arctic Circle. Escaping the routine of commercial life, the party braves North Sea gales, explores mountain glens, fish for record salmon, and meets the Indigenous Lapps under the perpetual daylight of northern summer. Part travelogue and part spirited juvenile yarn, the book has endured for its cheerful celebration of physical vigor, honest camaraderie, and enthusiastic fascination with the natural landscapes and traditional culture of Norway.

The Story

Overworked by his senior managerial duties in a prominent Liverpool business, five-and-twenty-year-old Fred Temple decides to take a extended holiday. A gentleman of quiet manners concealing a deep passion for physical exertion, Fred equips a small yacht, the Snowflake, and invites his close friends—Grant, a studious naturalist, and Sam Sorrel, an easygoing artist—to join him on a voyage to Norway. Guided by Captain McNab, a weathered sailor from the Orkney Islands, the party sets out across the North Sea, battling a severe tempest before sighting the island-guarded coast of their destination.

Upon anchoring in Bergen, the travelers immerse themselves in local life. They struggle amusingly with short Norwegian beds and heavy feather quilts, explore the bustling fish market, and observe the town’s romantic intrigue. Moving inland, they traverse wild glens and steep mountain passes in single-horse carioles, narrowly escaping a rockslide that crushes a wooden shed in a remote mountain hamlet. As they continue sailing north beyond the Arctic Circle, the disappearance of night disorients the crew, leading to confusion over days and hours, but opening up endless time for exploration.

The party witnesses local churchgoers rowing across glassy fjords in traditional dress, attends outdoor services, and ventures across high, desolate plateaus to visit a Lapp encampment. There, they share trinkets, sketch portraits, and demonstrate mechanical pocket watches to the fascinated inhabitants. The sea offers its own wonders, including a close encounter with a giant whale that playfully dives beneath the Snowflake’s keel.

Reaching a remote northern fjord, Fred spends weeks salmon fishing in untouched rivers, landing massive fish to the astonishment of local villagers who have only ever used simple cod-hooks. Meanwhile, Fred secretly conspires with a young pilot named Hans to reunite Hans with his beloved Raneilda. Fred arranges for Sam to paint Raneilda dressed in the traditional, community-owned bridal regalia of gold and silver. The journey culminates in a lively local wedding complete with high-spirited dancing, music, and festivities. Their summer of endless daylight concluded, the travelers weigh anchor at midnight, leaving the northern shores behind and returning across the open ocean toward England.

How It Unfolds

The voyage begins Fred Temple leaves his Liverpool office and commissions the yacht Snowflake, inviting his friends Grant and Sam Sorrel to join him on an Arctic expedition.

Surviving the gale Under the steady hand of Captain McNab, the small vessel battles a terrifying North Sea storm before safely navigating the rocky island barriers guarding Bergen.

Arrival in Bergen The travelers explore the ancient Viking city, struggling with undersized wooden beds, visiting the active fish market, and following a young Norwegian fisherman and his tearful sweetheart up a mountain path.

Into the mountains Journeying inland by single-seat carioles, the friends ride through wild glens and narrowly escape a massive rockfall that sweeps through a mountain village.

Under the Midnight Sun Crossing into the Arctic Circle, the crew loses all track of time under perpetual daylight, observing local congregations rowing to fjord churches in colorful traditional dress.

Meeting the Lapps The party travels across barren, snow-spotted mountain plateaus by horse cart to visit a Lapp village, exchanging trinkets, sketching portraits, and demonstrating a pocket watch.

Encounter on the fjord While sailing clear northern waters, a massive whale circles the Snowflake and dives beneath its hull, prompting Fred to fire a shot to scare the playful giant away.

Sport in the north Fred discovers an untouched river full of salmon, astonishing the local villagers with his fly-fishing tackle and landing an eighteen-pound fish after a half-hour struggle.

A bride's portrait Fred secretively arranges for the local maiden Raneilda to pose in a traditional golden bridal outfit so Sam can paint her, setting the stage for her marriage to young Hans.

The wedding and departure After celebrating the young couple's marriage with energetic local dancing, the party sets sail at midnight, bidding farewell to Norway as they head home across the ocean.

The People

• Fred Temple, the five-and-twenty-year-old leader of the expedition, wants relief from his heavy managerial duties in Liverpool and craves physical adventure. Cool, deliberate, and fair-haired, he conceals a daring spirit beneath a quiet manner. Over the course of the trip, he directs the voyage, masterfully fishes northern rivers, and thoughtfully orchestrates a marriage for his young pilot.
• Sam Sorrel, an artist traveling with Fred, wants to sketch the picturesque scenery and people of Norway, though he is constantly confused by the endless daylight. Easygoing and good-humored, he copes with short beds and bad luck, eventually achieving success by painting local portraits and capturing the region's vivid color.
• Grant, a practical and studious companion, seeks quiet observation and specimen collecting, such as stuffing an eagle and gathering rare plants. He sleeps through chaotic incidents—including rockslides—and provides a grounded contrast to Sam's comical complaints.
• Captain McNab, the grim, weather-beaten master of the Snowflake, wants only to navigate his vessel safely. Born at sea, he speaks rarely and smiles grimly, but earns the complete trust of the party through his fearless seamanship during violent gales.
• Hans and Raneilda, a young Norwegian pilot and his sweetheart, want to marry despite local obstacles. Through Fred’s encouraging intervention, Raneilda poses in full traditional wedding regalia, leading directly to their joyful nuptials.

In Its Own Voice

"The sky was black as ink, and the sea under it was ruffled with cold white foam."

Captain McNab and the crew watch a sudden, violent squall bear down on the small schooner as she battles her way across the North Sea toward the Norwegian coast.

"Toes these elements into some chamber of your brain; shake them well up,--don't be timid about it,--then look at the result, and you will behold Norway!"

The author directly addresses the reader, summarizing the chaotic dramatic landscape of crags, pine woods, fjords, and snow-capped peaks that characterises the country.

"The males and females separated into two distinct bands and walked slowly and sedately towards the church..."

The travelers stand on the deck of the Snowflake, watching local families dock their rowboats along the shore to attend Sunday services in a remote fjord bay.

What It's Really About

Beneath its lightweight episodic plot, Chasing the Sun examines the restorative power of natural wilderness against the exhausting demands of modern industrial life. Fred Temple's journey is an explicit remedy for urban burnout, asserting that rigorous physical exertion, open air, and simple living are essential to human well-being. The narrative also explores cross-cultural curiosity and warmth. Whether interacting with Norwegian boatmen, village churchgoers, or Indigenous Lapps, the book emphasizes shared humanity, good humor, and mutual respect over distance or language barriers. Through its lively accounts of salmon fishing, sailing, and mountain travel, the text celebrates an unpretentious, energetic engagement with the natural world.

Why Read It Today

Chasing the Sun offers a charming, lighthearted window into nineteenth-century Arctic travel writing. Readers who enjoy classic Victorian juvenile fiction, classic sea stories, or historical accounts of Scandinavian culture will appreciate its sunny energy and vivid descriptions of Norway's landscape. Ballantyne writes with contagious enthusiasm for outdoor pursuits, rendering scenes of rough mountain carriage rides, North Sea storms, and midnight salmon fishing with rhythmic, accessible prose.

Modern readers should expect the standard conventions of Victorian juvenile literature, including episodic pacing, mild period stereotypes regarding foreign cultures, and simplified characterizations. The humor relies heavily on gentle ribbing, language barriers, and minor physical discomforts like short beds or confusion caused by the perpetual daylight. Yet the book's genuine warmth, lack of mean-spiritedness, and sincere admiration for the Norwegian countryside make it an inviting, swift read that leaves a lingering impression of cool northern air, clear fjord waters, and light that never quite fades.