I was very much looking forward to this Baltic adventure as I would be travelling aboard Stena Nautica dating from the mid 80's - they don't make ships like this anymore!
Although I do like modern day ferry travel owing to their comfort and luxurious facilities, I find it very refreshing and humbling to travel aboard an older generation of ship.
On this whistle stop tour I would be travelling from Grenaa (Denmark) to Halmstad (Sweden) a journey of around 4hrs.
Stena Nautica may be best known to those in the UK as the former Isle of Innisfree of B&I Line - a vessel which once operated between Pembroke & Rosslare and Holyhead & Dublin however, for those of you in Scandinavia she may be more familiar as the former Niels Klim.
It should be noted Stena Nautica has a sister ship, the Color Line vessel Color Viking as shown below. A blog link can be found at the end of this post.
Let's start at the beginning; getting to Grenaa....
Flying from London Stansted Airport, the journey to Aahrus takes approximately 90minutes.
Once through passport control a bus was directly outside the terminal which took me to Aarhus City Central Station - the driver persuading me to pay by credit card then went on to say his card machine was broken therefore, "hop aboard". What a nice man!
The journey to the city took just over an hour, ironically only slightly shorter than the flight! To be fair it was 'rush hour' on the roads and heavy snow and black ice did slow traffic.
Arriving in the city and not really knowing which way to go I followed the carpet of overhead fairy lights which took me down the main shopping street of Aarhus.
At the end of the shopping street I turned right at the building depicted below and made my way towards the waters edge where the tram station at Skolebakken is located.
If only I had time to spend in Arhus as it looks like a wonderful place to spend a long weekend, alas I was determined to catch the next tram to Grenaa to prevent a wait of one hour for the next one.
The Aarhus tram station at Skolebakken can be reached in around 25min from Arhus Central Station if on foot.
Using the self service ticket machine I was able to obtain a ticket to Grenaa at the cost of
112kr, approximately £13. The machine was easy to use and once I discovered what 'zone' Grenaa was located in, the ticket purchase was very swift. NOTE, Grenaa is in zone 11 and all major credit cards are accepted to obtain a ticket.
The journey from Aarhus to Grenaa took one hour and eight minutes.
Below: The end of the line - Grenaa Tram stop. Once passengers disembark the tram returns to Arhus
Upon arrival in Grenaa walk to the front of the train.
Ahead of you, just to the right, you will find a narrow foot path which will take you in the direction of the port.
The walk to the port is around 3km - approximately 30min; just follow the canal all the way through Grenaa to the port - you will see some wonderful wildlife enroute.
My accommodation for the night was at the Hotel Grenaa Strand, directly opposite the ferry terminal - a comfortable establishment with a very friendly and courteous member of staff, though I'm sure I heard a few expletives when he couldn't open the front door to let me in as it had frozen into the frame owing to the extreme low temperature - a funny moment where I wasn't sure if I should help by pushing it from the outside or film it for YouTube!
So, with the background information done with, let's go to Sweden!
The Stena Line terminal building is actually a single desk within the reception of the port - the only obvious building so you will not get lost. NOTE, this is not the passenger check-in but more of an information point/booking office.
If you arrive early you may wait in the adjacent seating area which consists of two tables, six chairs and a WC - no hot beverage vending machines are available although a member of port staff took pity on me as I had arrived around 4hrs early and made me a complimentary coffee to warm up; what great customer service!
The extreme friendliness of the Danes was evident from the moment I landed at Aarhus Airport and at no time did I encounter anyone who was 'offish' or rude to me.
If you do arrive early you will find several roadside cafes nearby where you can purchase a hot drink and something to eat and if the mood takes you, perhaps take a stroll around the fishing quay to watch Stena Nautica arrive from Sweden.
Around thirty minutes before departure, if travelling as a foot passenger, you can proceed to "the tower" by following the painted blue line on the road (if you can see it beneath the snow) which will take you around the port from the Stena Line reception towards the ship, passing under the ships' linkspan and around to her port side.
It is a fairly lengthy walk therefore wrap up warm and ensure you have a head covering in the event of snow or rain but, to be fair I was just excited to be on holiday so I didn't mind the weather.
The "tower" is actually a very high staircase / elevator shaft next to the check-in building where you ascend to gain access to the main passenger deck of Stena Nautica,
Deck 7. NOTE, this area is firmly locked until 30min before departure therefore please do not make your way here until you are advised too by the personnel at the port reception.
Let's go aboard.....
Stena Nautica has a single deck housing the ships' main facilities (Deck 7) with three stairwells linking the decks together; fore ('yellow' stairs) and aft ('red' stairs) which gives access to all nine decks, plus the amid ship ('blue') stairs which gives access to decks 2 through to 7).
Having all the ships' amenities on one single deck with elevator access to all nine decks means if you have walking difficulties this ship would be ideal for you as you will not have any issues aboard.
It should be noted that prior to 2001 this vessel actually had TWO decks of passenger facilities however, the lower of the two was 'bulldozed' to create an additional vehicle deck. Here is a comparison of 'then' (Isle of Innisfree, mid 90's) and 'now' (Stena Nautica, 2022):
Below: publicity brochure and deck plan from the mid 90's (click to enlarge)
Below: 2022, the lower row of windows now covered over as this is now a vehicle deck.
Having ascended the "tower" up to Deck 7 we arrive at what is essentially the hub of the ship; a glazed roof foyer/atrium.
We will come back to this shortly however, as all the facilities are on one deck let's start at the bow and work our way aft.
Here we go...Stena Nautica....
At the very front of Deck 7 is the 'The Front View'.
Seemingly a café come lounge, Stena Line promote this area as a 'viewing lounge' where passengers can sit on one of the upholstered bench seats watching the passing vistas. The forward facing views are spectacular - rain and snow permitting.
There is a mothballed catering counter within this area which, I assume, is open during peak travel periods however, owing to only a minimal number of passengers aboard my sailing it was understandably closed.
All window lined benches are decorated in padded red material with an adjacent large table, excellent forward facing views and ample power sockets if you are in need of charging your phone or laptop - which I was.
The WIFI here, along with elsewhere on Deck 7, is excellent! Logging on with 'Internet at Sea' you have 45minutes free use and at the end of that period simply log in again.
To access the 'Front View' we walk forward along a fairly lengthy [port side] corridor, past the 'yellow' stairs, from the atrium with numerous doors leading off with 'restricted access/crew only' signage.
The starboard side corridor on the other side of the 'yellow' stairs however has access to the cinema (forward) followed by the Stena Plus Lounge and information desk (aft). All of these areas were closed on my crossing owing to the small number of passengers aboard - three foot passengers and a handful of cars. But, it's good to know these facilities exist for those of you who are considering travelling this route.
Walking aft we come back to 'the hub of the ship'.
Positioned behind the 'yellow stairs' beneath a row of clear glazed pyramid skylights is a comfortable lounge / bar, shopping area, gaming area and quiet lounge.
Being a double height space with the skylights actually in a void space of Deck 9 above, this area is actually very bright and airy even though it is in the centre of the ship.
A single member of (extremely friendly) Stena Line crew works between the bar come reception desk and adjacent shop. The bar is separated from the open plan carpeted lounge by a narrow aisle of hard flooring and a stainless steel and melamine half height divide, essentially creating an informal open plan zone where friends and family alike can relax.
Its gaming area, which is screened from the bar/lounge, offers an array of gambling machines though the rather annoying 'music' these type of machines play was thankfully turned off to ensure it does not upset the quiet atmosphere of the surrounding areas.
The Quiet Lounge on the ships port side has a more intimate atmosphere compared to the open plan lounge beneath the skylight owing to its 'regular' ceiling height (no skylight), royal blue coloured walls with oak coloured window surrounds and window blinds.
Two large flat screen TV monitors provide entertainment for those within.
Heading over to the shop on the starboard side next to the bar, we find a surprisingly spacious facility with an excellent array of products from wines and spirits to travel accessories.
A secondary seating area was just aft of the shop ahead of the 'blue stairs'.
Continuing aft the centrally positioned 'blue' stairs creates a corridor along the ships' starboard and port sides.
The aforementioned 'blue stairs' only allows access to the vehicle decks below and the cabins way down on Deck 2 - they do not ascend up to the exterior decks.
Let's go down and take a look.....
Venturing down to Deck 2 all cabin doors were understandably locked so I couldn't gain access however, it is safe to say none of them have a window!
The ferry crossing is a little over four hours therefore, if one did not want to hire a cabin one could easily find a nice quiet corner to curl up in on the main deck.
Going back up to Deck 7, either side of the 'blue stairs' is the (only) toilet facility for passengers (ladies to port and gents to starboard) with wide aisles either side giving access to the facilities aft on this deck.
Below: the gents toilet facilities on the starboard side of deck 7. The foot passenger gangway for Halmstad (Sweden) is to the left.
Below: the ladies WC facilities on the ships' port side opposite the 'blue' stairs to the left of the gaming arcade.
Within the port side corridor we have the extremely large children's playroom consisting of faux gangplanks on blue coloured hard flooring to give the impression of a floating gangway with a mock ferry for children to clamber on.
Astern of this facility is the Taste Restaurant.
Taste is the main dining area aboard Stena Nautica where, at a reasonable, cost one can indulge in a hearty meal and unlimited hot and cold beverages.
The servery counter is located at the far stern and is essentially an 'island' as it is shared by the commercial drivers who have their own dining room on the starboard side; a mirror image of the Taste Restaurant.
For the cost approximately 13Euro the meal I sampled was tasty and consisted of large pieces of beef, rice, potatoes, salad, bread and unlimited drinks.
The passenger seating for Taste is large and spacious and has somewhat a décor of a 1980's ferry owing to the large amount of dark wooden panelling and dim lighting which I found quite refreshing as you don't tend to see this on ferries these days.
During capacity crossings an additional seating area located behind a curtain can be used and is located at the extreme far end of the dining room.
Walking forward along the ships' starboard side we pass the entrance to the Commercial Drivers Restaurant opposite the
'red' stairs .....
..... followed by a pet friendly family lounge.....
..... before arriving back at the ships' hub; the 'blue' stairs, shop / skylight bar & quiet lounge.
Stena Nautica has a large amount of exterior deck space around the funnel up on Deck 9, which can be access via the 'yellow' stairs forward, the amid ship 'blue' elevator (which is actually inside the funnel) or the 'red' stairs aft.
Let's get some fresh air
Below: access to the exterior deck from the 'blue elevator', which is actually within the funnel casing.
Smoking is permitted on the starboard side of the deck adjacent to the 'red' stairs beneath a canopy or, if the weather is poor, there is an inside smoking room on the starboard side of the 'yellow' stairs.
An exterior bar can be found at the extreme aft end of Deck 9 which benefits from having a roof and wind breaks around the seating area to protect passengers. However, understandably on an extremely cold December night with only a handful of passengers aboard this bar was closed at the time of my crossing.
Although slightly raised by several steps compared to the rest of the exterior deck, a ramp is available to assist those with mobility issues.
If venturing outside one should take extreme care as the decks can become extremely slippery, not least due to the snow and ice.
An interesting feature of Stena Nautica is the attractive 'Toblerone' shaped glazed panels of the skylight which is directly above the bar, two decks below.
For those of you who like to be on the exterior deck to view the ships' arrival in port BEWARE - disembarkation is EXTREMELY swift (a good thing) however, you do not want to miss the foot passenger courtesy coach which will take you from the gangway to Halmstad Central Station, like I did!
Having watched our arrival into a snowy Halmstad......
.....I thought the ship was a little empty when I descended the stairs back down to Deck 7 having filmed our arrival from the exterior deck, though to be fair there were few passengers aboard anyway.
Wandering around and not seeing any other passengers I asked a crew member where I should go - the foot passenger gangway is on the starboard side of Deck 7 within the 'hub' adjacent to the shop.
The crew member asked if I was travelling back to Grenaa (as a round trip) to which I said no. She then advised me to descend the walkway down to the quayside.
Arriving at the bottom of the walkway I LITERALLY found myself walking in circles as other than access to a narrow piece of quayside next too the mooring lines I couldn't find the exit as the video below shows.
I opened several doors only to find a WC and a storage cupboard behind - I felt like a hamster stuck in a maze!
Fortunately an extremely friendly member of Stena Line staff said I had missed the courtesy bus and if I was to wait 45min he would personally drive me to the city centre. FANTASTIC customer service!!
I did say I would walk however, the employee said NO - the weather at the time was far too extreme with heavy snow, a biting wind and the walk would easily take me well over an hour.
As I was driven to Halmstad I completely agreed with the gentleman - the weather was far too extreme.
In closing I had a thoroughly enjoyable crossing aboard Stena Nautica; a tasty meal, a good browse around her shop, a drink at her bar, plenty of fresh air and managed to catch up on work using the excellent (free) WIFI.
The Stena Line personnel I encountered at Grenaa, Halmstad and aboard were truly exceptional and went above and beyond.
Here is a walk about tour of Stena Nautica filmed for YouTube channel 'A2B via Sea on TV'.
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