Faroe Islands (FI), a North Atlantic archipelago, comprises 18 major islands with an area of 1,400 km² and a population of 54,000 (as at June 2022). Located 320 km north-northwest of Scotland, 580km from Norway and 430 km from Iceland, FI made up of an approximately six-kilometres-thick succession of mostly basaltic lava, are rugged and rocky with spectacular coasts which are mostly cliffs. The highest point is Slættaratindur at 882m in northern Eysturoy. There is some evidence of settlement before the arrival of Norse Viking settlers in the ninth century CE. The territory as part of the Kingdom of Denmark, has been self-governing since 1948.
July 12: K and I were relieved when the plane touched down around 8:30pm. It was drizzling and grey. By the time K got the key of the rental car, it was approaching 10pm. K is a cautious driver not comfortable to drive in the dark. The 45km-drive from the airport to the Hotel 62N in Tórshavn on the Island of Streymoy, the biggest island the group. We arrived at the hotel around 11pm. What a long and arduous day!
July 13: First, we drove to the village of Kirkjubøur, 13 km southwest from Tórshavn. It is the only site in the islands with historical remains of imposing monumental character. The ruin of the St. Magus Cathedral (often just called the ‘Wall’) in association with the bishops’ seat from early 12th century to its abolishment in 1557, are impressive: the high walls were erected of stones laid in a local mortar and plastered.
Next to the Wall are some colourful and well-preserved medieval log-buildings that had been erected on top of the remains of the bishop’s residence. These farmhouses had been built in a log-building tradition and are not stave-built as was the custom in the islands.
In front of the Wall and the log-buildings is St. Olavs Church that is the only medieval church still in use in the islands. First erected in the 13th century as the cathedral of the island, it became a parish church after reformation and remains in use today. The church graveyard is atmospheric too.
Our second stop was Vestmanna where we had booked a boat ride to see spectacular coastlines and cliffs. The boat was packed with tourists and the sea was not too calm. We were told boat trips were canceled on July 11 and 12. Anyway, we only got close to one cove during the hour and a half cruise. I do not find the scenery and experience as spectacular as advertised. Tonight, we stayed at Hotel Djurhuus close to the port and the old town.
July 14: We headed west and stayed at the self-contained Lokkinn Apartment in the Island of Bordoy. On the way, we stopped first at Fuglafjørôur, which is a cultural centre in Eysturoy. There are a series of sculpture in the harbour.
Our second stop was Klaksvik, the second town in FI. We planned to drive along a dirt road to a car park and then hike to the top of Klakkur (413m), considered one of the best hikes in the islands. But the dirt road was temporarily closed to allow sheep to come down. After waiting for a while, we decided to leave and return later. We bought some food in a supermarket and then saw a fisherman selling fresh fish by the pier. I was overcome with joy and happily paid 40 DKK for a big haddock. We could see cars still waiting to drive up the dirt road to the car park. Hence, we dropped the idea and drove to the Island of Kunoy. We met and had a chat with a nice couple living in one of the few houses in Kunoy.
We had little difficulties in finding the Lokkinn Apartment and spent the afternoon exploring Muir, a deserted village at the end of the road. The deserted village is atmospheric. I was the chef for the only time on this trip and we had fried haddock and scallop for dinner.
July 15: We drove to Viôareiôi, the northernmost settlement on the Island of Viôoy lying on an isthmus with high mountains to both the north and south. It is the departure point for a strenuous hike to Mount Villingdalsfjall (844m) and Cape Enniberg (751m), the highest promontory in the world and the second-highest sea cliff in Europe.
We returned to Klaksvik and were able to hike to the top of Klakkur. We had excellent weather with blue sky. The panoramic views of Klaksvik and the island of Kalsoy and Kunoy are breathtaking.
In the afternoon, we were back on the Island of Eysturoy in order to visit a few picturesque villages namely Hellurnar, Oyndarfjørôur, Elfuvik and Funningur before arriving at Gjarrgardur Guesthouse in Gjógv. We had some difficulties in finding the ‘rocking stones’ in Oyndarfjørôur. Do they really move and rock? I wonder. I find the narrow Funningsfjørôur most atmospheric. As we had to reach our guesthouse by 7:30pm, we did not have time to stop at Funningur.
We arrived just in time to have dinner. The lamb chop was most delicious. After dinner, we walked a short distance to see a spectacular 200m-long gorge. There is also a steep path leading up the top of sea cliffs with plenty of puffins. K loves taking photos of flowers and birds. So, she spent over an hour in one spot to take photos of puffins. I tried to call her to tell her my plan to hike to the top of the cliffs to watch sunset without success. As a result, I gave up the idea and just watched it at a less advantageous point. We returned to the hotel after 10:30pm when the clouds were still rosy red in colour. If I were on my own, I would have walked to the top, and stayed on for another 15 minutes.
July 16: We had poor weather today. After a nice breakfast, we planned to continue the hike to the top of the sea cliff. As it was too windy, we gave up the idea. K wanted to take photos of the puffins. I said I would take a walk near the gorge. But after waiting for a long time near the gorge, I did not see her. My clothes were soaking wet, and I decided to return to the hotel to wait for her. Alas, we seemed to miss each other. While I was waiting in the restaurant, she was sitting inside the car. We wasted the morning and did not set off till 12:30pm.
The weather had improved slightly. We drove to Eiôi before returning to the Island of Streymoy. We visited three spots before returning to Torshavn for the night.
Tjørnuvík one of the iconic villages in FI. This village with traditional houses with grassy roof is known for its moody atmosphere and its view of the iconic sea stacks of Risin & Kellingin. We truly experienced its charm as it was drizzling with occasional bright moments. We had coffee and waffles for 50 DKK each in one of the old houses. Really wonderful!
Fossá Waterfall (140m) which cascades down in two sections. The waterfall in its entirety can only be seen from a far.
Saksun. Lying in the bottom of what used to be an inlet of the sea, it is surrounded by high mountains. The inlet formed a deep natural harbour until a storm blocked it with sand. The old harbour become an inaccessible seawater lagoon, but accessible during high tide. The church standing on top of a cliff with lagoon or harbour depending on the tide is one of the attractions of FI. Unfortunately, it was late and grey, we did not walk down to the beach.
It was well after 8 pm when we checked in Hotel Brandan where we also had a sumptuous 3-course dinner for 500 DKK which is considered value-for-money for its presentation and high quality.
July 17: Our plan was to take a ferry to the Island of Mykines to see puffins. As I had not checked emails, I missed an email from the ferry company informing me of the cancellation of the ferry. When we arrived at the harbour in Søvágur without a ferry, we decided to drive to see the village of Bour and then Gásadalur to see the waterfall. At the same time, we tentatively booked two places on a private boat for a trip at 4:30pm to see the rocky islet Tindhólmur, Gáshólmur and the two ‘drangar’ (sea stacks).
Things worked out well. We had a most enjoyable time in the picturesque and atmospheric old village of Bøur with narrow lanes, traditional houses, a church built in 1865, graveyard and a black sand beach. Above all, it offers fantastic views of the icon rocky islet Tindhólmur with its many peaks, Gáshólmur and the two ‘drangar’ (sea stacks). We left when loads of tourists arriving in coaches.
We then drove to the remote village of Gásadalur and walked to the nearby Múlafossur Waterfall. This village was the last settlement in the islands to be connected to the rest of the country in 2006. We enjoyed excellent panoramic view over the westernmost island Mykines, the splendid scenery and landscape. We had a drink in a crowded café.
We returned to Søvágur to cancel the boat trip. But the lady who had helped us in the morning was no longer helpful. Suddenly a young Chinese girl speaking Cantonese came to our rescue. She offered to make the phone call for us. Furthermore, she told us to follow her car and led us to entrance for a hike along the Lake Leitisvatn (also known as Srøvágsvatn) to reach Trælanípan (Slate Cliff), to see the Bøsdalafossur. The self-guided hiking fee is 200 DKK.
This hike is a top attraction for landscape photos. One can have 360-degree view of the sea, the Trælanípan, a 142m-high perpendicular basalt rock wall rising out of the sea with the expansive backdrop of the lake which is about 30m above the sea level and a waterfall from the lake into the Atlantic Ocean. The trail is well-signed. Fit hikers take an hour for the round trip. But we spent some two hours stopping every two minutes to enjoy the views and take photos. From Trælanípan, we had the optical illusion where the lake looks like floating high above the sea. We also had good views of the southernmost part of Streymoy, Hestur, Koltur, Sandoy, Skúvoyand Suôuroy as the weather had improved. We dared not get too close to the edge as it was very windy. An accidental fall would cost one’s life.
After checking in Hilton Garden Inn, we walked a short distance for dinner at Hotel Brandan. We were too tired to go for a traditional dinner to the old town.
July 18: After a sumptuous breakfast, we had a 20-minute whirlwind tour of the old town before heading to the airport. I manged to have a whirlwind tour of Tinganes. Before returning the car at the airport, we drove to the Pouls Airport Guesthouse where we had booked for July 11. As we could not turn up owing to the flight cancellation, Pouls kindly waived the room charge. I gave him a box of chocolate as a token of appreciation.
Our flight to Edinburgh would depart around 2:30pm. This time, I checked in without problem. But it was K’s turn to have problem. The Atlantic Airways staff said that her ticket had been used and she had no ticket in their system. What happened? The flight was yet to depart. How could her ticket had been used? The staff advised K to check with the agent in Hong Kong and the agent Hans that issued her ticket. There was no reply from Hans and nothing could be done. At the end, K paid some 1600 DKK for a ticket in order to get on the flight. She had to seek refund later. It was incredible what had happened to both K and myself. The flight was delayed for half an hour. After a flight of 90 minutes, we landed safely at the Edinburgh airport after an amazing and most memorable journey.