THE NORDIC SERIES, DAY 5
FAROE ISLANDS
The Faroe Islands has me. My posts are honest but not too serious. With the effect the Faroe Islands had on me, I’ll try my hardest to do it justice in the next few posts. This place is a different world, its magical!
IT’S LANDSCAPE IS ON STEROIDS
Flying into the Faroes, I knew I’d be impressed, but that became the understatement of my 2019 travels by far! The landscape was rugged and although a very small country it still felt very imposing!
WHERE IS THE FAROE ISLANDS?
FLYING IN
The flight had clear skies, and we flew over Trælanípan, a hike I would do just an hour later. The airport was small but modern with only one other plane, I could see there wasn’t going to be many tourists getting in the way.
CAMPERVAN
I rented a car, which is essential in the Faroes, but next time, I would rent a campervan for flexibility. it’s a small country which takes approx. 2hrs to drive from the airport in the south island to the north island, Vidoy, so between stops drives are usually short.
FAROE ISLANDS….
- It was formed by volcanic activity 30 million years ago.
- There is no McDonalds anywhere on the island.
- They won their first football match against Austria in 1990, which prompted a huge party.
- There are only a handful of traffic lights on the Faroe Islands.
TRÆLANÍPAN
Since the weather was unusually clear, I decided to do one of the hikes I had planned. This is why I didn’t book any accommodation before arriving, to see what the weather would be like. Fortunately it’s just a 5 minute drive from the airport and although almost 10km it was easy even for a novice. Here I got my first taste of what I would be in for, I was literally on cloud 9!
FAROE ISLANDS….
- There are no prisons on the islands.
- The Faroese language is similar to Icelandic.
- It covers 545 square miles, is 70 miles long and 46 miles wide.
- The population is around 50,000
FEES
Most of the land is privately owned so it is common that a fee is charged for each hike, usually 200DKK, which believe it or not is £30! Although expensive it’s a hike you must do. There’s a visitor hut with “free” tea, coffee, snacks (after paying £30), useful if you forget to bring some.
OPTICAL ILLUSION
At the end, you see the sea in the foreground, river Sørvágsvatn in the background, which we flew over when arriving. From the viewpoint, the river seems to sit on the cliff, several hundred meters above sea level, it’s only 40meters. I have seen many photos of this online and it was great to finally see it with my own eyes.
I met Daniel from Melbourne, who rented a motorhome. It turned out to be the right choice. After the hike, I set off to the north island, hoping for clear weather tomorrow, and stayed in Leirvik.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Although I got my eyes open to the beauty of The Faroes, it was only a taste of what was to come!
NEXT UP
Getting blown away on Mt Villingdalsfjall – literally and figuratively Click to read.
SAFE TRAVELS, DS x
137/229
This post is part of The Nordic Series, click to explore or for episode 1 click here.
To watch the video of my trip, head to my highlights on my Instagram.
Question Time
- Have you been to The Faroe Islands?
- What did you think?
- Did you do the Trælanípan hike?
Let me know in the comments below . . .
