Heather gets a First while studying for a degree on her Arctic adventure

Posted on 22 January 2026 • Science, Science, maths, computing and technology, Student stories

Graduate Heather Gunn struck out on a campervan adventure of a lifetime while studying for a degree in Norway’s Arctic Circle in the company of just her 15-year-old Jack Russell. Now she’s got a First.

And the Cheltenham-based photographer has officially celebrated her achievement gaining a BA in Environmental Studies at a ceremony in Birmingham’s Symphony Hall.

The mother of two adult sons now has a memory stick full of stunning landscapes along the way and many tales to tell, but her learning journey wasn’t without a few roadblocks.

For the 58-year-old, who began her part-time degree in 2018 after a gap of more than 30 years from education, had to put her studies on hold for a year in 2022.

“Life took a very difficult turn. I went through a period of major personal upheaval, including having to sell our family home and support my family through a challenging time.

“Balancing those pressures with my studies eventually became overwhelming, and completing the degree felt almost impossible,” she said.

With assistance from the OU’s student support team, she decided to defer so she could focus on getting life back on track.

By April 2023, she was ready. She packed her laptop in Stanley, her 40-year-old VW campervan, and slammed the sliding door behind herself and four-legged friend Ruby for the long journey to check out the Norwegian fjords.

Together, the duo travelled for nine months across northern Europe, through Denmark and Sweden to reach the final destination, and ended up 200 miles north of the Arctic Circle at Andenes in Norway’s Vesteralen islands.

Along the way they encountered single-lane highways lined with walls of snow created by snowploughs, which she travelled in the knowledge that, if she met another vehicle, she might have to back up for miles:

“Not knowing what was coming towards me was quite hairy.”

She often had to ascend and descend the mountainous regions in first gear, but the pay offs were stunning scenery. Heather confesses that sometimes it took an entire day to travel just seven or so miles because of lingering to take in the views.

She mostly wild camped and took time out to open up her laptop to study in valleys with beautiful backdrops as Ruby lounged on Stanley’s back seat.

The Open University is the largest academic institution in the UK and a world leader in flexible online learning, which made studying for her degree accessible.

Heather bought an E-SIM while in Norway “and that meant that I had Wi-Fi everywhere, so I had no problem with connecting to the net while I was travelling in Norway”.

Although there were many places without service when she navigated the picturesque NC500 in Scotland during a short trip there to comply with Europe’s visa restrictions.

She got around it simply by driving until normal service resumed, which was often on the edge of a loch or the sea and another amazing view. Many of which she captured and sold on to picture agencies.

Would she recommend studying and travelling to others?

“Absolutely! Yes. I was able to stop wherever I wanted.” She added: “And I didn’t have any kind of time pressures. So, I could say, ‘right, I’m going to get this week’s studying done in two days’.”

The hard work paid off, and it was her sons plus her parents who got to experience the proud moment of seeing her collect her degree.

She said:

“One of the reasons for starting the degree was to try and inspire my children to know they could learn at any time during their lives.”

She said the seclusion while on the road allowed her to concentrate on her studies stopping only to take Ruby for a walk or to make some food. “There were no other distractions.”

Now she’s aiming to pick up voluntary work on another adventure, this time to the Antarctic.

So why Norway for this last trip?

“It’s always been on my bucket list. I run hot so cold countries are appealing. I also thought that if I was going to do this it had to be something a bit epic.” She added: “And where would be more epic than the Arctic Circle in the camper van on my own?”

Picture caption: Heather at the wheel of her VW camper called Stan, with 15-year-old Jack Russell dog, Ruby on the back seat

Pictures all by Heather Gunn Photography.