In the Faroe Islands people don’t just take taxis or regular buses. Up here in the North Atlantic Ocean, they also stop by their local heliport, board a helicopter and, after a few dizzying minutes flying over the spectacular scenery of its 18 islands, are dropped off at their destination. The price? Only £25 each way.
It may seem a little extravagant, but this is an extravagant place. It feels like being on the edge of the world: an archipelago, between Scotland and Iceland, where jagged cliffs rise above the waters like witch’s fingers and where sheep outnumber people.
It has been an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark since 1948.
Fishing is the main industry. The controversial whaling, known as grindadrap, is practiced. It is also famous for puffin colonies and oyster fishermen.
Getting here has become easier thanks to Atlantic Airways’ new direct flight from Gatwick, offered weekly from June to the end of August, but you can go at any time via Edinburgh or Copenhagen.
On a tour of the Faroe Islands, an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark, Laura Sharman visits the town of Klaksvik on the island of Bordoy (pictured)
Getting to the Faroe Islands is easier thanks to new direct Atlantic Airways flight from Gatwick
Shortly after landing at Vagar Airport, my partner Thomas and I headed towards the capital, Torshavn, where almost half of the total population of 53,444 lives.
We cross from one island to another through a sea tunnel, before reaching a fjord where cows graze on moss-covered slopes and solitary cabins cling to the periphery.
Our path is illuminated by what seems like dawn, but when we look at the clock, it is midnight. This leaves us speechless until we arrive at the thatched-roof Foroyar Hotel overlooking Torshavn Harbour.
“Wait until tomorrow,” the receptionist says. —Are you heading to the Northern Islands? They are the most spectacular.’
Torshavn (seen here) is the capital of the Faroe Islands, home to almost half of the total population of 53,444
Laura is staying at the thatched-roof Hotel Foroyar (pictured), overlooking Torshavn Harbour.
We discovered this ourselves the next day at 9 in the morning when we took another sea tunnel to the island of Bordoy.
At the end stands the world’s only underwater rotunda, known as “the jellyfish” for its dancing blue lights and domed roof.
Leaving the town of Klaksvik, we prepared for the 1,355-foot climb up Klakkur Mountain. This 90-minute trail offers spectacular views, and when you reach the top you’ll almost be left speechless.
Towards the northern end of Bordoy is the abandoned town of Muli, from the 14th century. Today it attracts more visitors as a ghost town than as a living community when, even at its peak, it had only 25 residents. In the 17th century, it was the home of an alleged magician who was called upon throughout the archipelago to perform his magic.
Laura follows a trail to Slave Cliff, seen here, which “supposedly got its name from the Viking Age, when sick slaves were pushed into the abyss,” she says.
Laura says being in the Faroe Islands “feels like being on the edge of the world”
The villagers of those days raised sheep and lived by fishing, the only access being by boat or a nine-mile walk to the next village. That was until the government built an access road to prevent depopulation, but this backfired when residents mainly used it to leave in 1992.
From Muli, we embarked on another hike, with views across the fjord to Cape Enniberg, a mountain with the highest vertical cliff in the world, at 2,474 feet. Some tourists come simply to look at the town’s 10 deserted houses, where there are still vases on the window sills, dining chairs stacked on the tables and toys abandoned on the floor.
“There was no disaster that forced people to leave, they were just fed up,” our waiter tells us over dinner in Tórshavn. The next day we returned to Vagar Island and completed the 1.6 mile trail to Slave Cliff, which is supposedly named after the Viking Age when sick slaves were pushed over the edge.
From above, Lake Sorvagsvatn appears to float on the ocean.
On our return, we drive a few kilometers to have dinner in the village of Miovagur, where we meet a complete stranger, Solvi, who welcomes us into his cabin.
Take part in ‘heimablidni’, a Faroese tradition of homely hospitality.
Above: Muli on Bordoy Island, an abandoned 14th century village. “Today it attracts more visitors as a ghost town than as a living community,” writes Laura
Laura (above) enjoys the outdoors in a land where sheep outnumber people
“For us, spending time together happens at home,” he says, serving us a home-cooked meal of cod crumble with potatoes, rhubarb jam and Black Sheep stout from the local brewery.
“People come from all over the world to see the waterfall behind my house,” says Solvi. ‘They always tell me how beautiful it is, but for us it’s just a sign that it’s been raining.
“We are learning to appreciate the beauty of our homeland through the eyes of our guests.”