Tórshavn and Kirkjubøur
The Faroes (Føroyar = Sheep Islands) are a partly autonomous Danish group of islands in the North Atlantic between Iceland, Norway and Scotland. One third of the approximately 48,000 inhabitants live in the capital Tórshavn. The landing place of the "Norröna" (Smyril-Line) is in Tórshavn. In summer, the ferry runs weekly to Norway (Bergen), Denmark (Hanstholm) and Iceland (Seyðisfjörður). Some buses and ferries of the local transport company (SSL) connect the towns and settlements of nearly all the eighteen islands.
South of the capital Tórshavn is Kirkjubøur, the medieval center of the Føroyar. There you can see the ruin of the Magnus-Cathedral (built in the 13th century) and a grass-roof timber building more than 900 years old.
The Islands Streymoy and Eysturoy
We went by bus from Tórshavn on the island Streymoy to the other large island Eysturoy. In Oyrarbakki, a bridge connects these two largest islands of the Faroes. In the northwest of Eysturoy is the village Eiði and the little peninsula Eiðiskollur. On the other side of the sound you will see the rock Tjørnuvíksstakkur standing in the Atlantic in front of the mainland. Today tourists can take a former cableway for sheep to reach this column.
The village Gjógv
Finally, some pictures and impressions of Gjógv, the village in the north of Eysturoy: Gjógv has approximately seventy inhabitants, a church with a cemetery, a post office (approx. 2x30 minutes open per day), a shop with food, a concrete element factory, a port, a small park, a helicopter place, a bus stop (running on working days two times and on Saturdays one time), a Youth Hostel with a campground and something more. But the 400-year-old village is shaped much more by the green mountains and the blue Atlantic.
Gjógv Youth Hostel "Gjáargarður"
In 1998 the Youth Hostel "Gjáargarður" with some rooms, inexpensive sleep boxes and a small campground at the mountain slope was the only accommodation place in Gjógv that we saw. From Tórshavn there is almost daily a bus connection to Gjógv. The bus journey takes you about two hours and costs for one direction 50 DKK (7 EUR, 1998).
Hiking Tours around Gjógv
The forestless grass mountains around Gjógv invite you to many hiking tours: There are hiking paths into the north and the west across some parts of the Gráfelli (856 meters high) down into the Ambadalur and farther to the Búgvin. The Búgvin is a 188-meter-high rock column in front of the coast with thousands of breeding birds. In the east of Gjógv you can hike and climb on the Tyril or the somewhat higher Middagsfjall (601 meters high). From both mountains you have a great view down into the Funningsfjørður.
In a distance from Gjógv you find the highest mountain of the Faroe Islands: the Slættaratindur with 882 meters over sea level. It is not far away from the road to Eiði. If you have good clear weather you should see all the islands of the Faroes. But we had only clouds around the top.
Finally, some information on the weather. Because of the Atlantic Ocean the average temperatures are well balanced: 3°C in winter and 11°C in summer. The ALWAYS blowing wind can change the weather very quickly. For example, after one gale night with a lot of rain the sun was shining the next morning.
It was my intention to visit the Faroe Islands again at the latest in 2008 (ten years later) - but I have not had enough time for that. I keep it in mind...
Link Tips
- Faroe Islands official tourist office
- SSL public transport with buses and ferries
- Gjógv official website of the local authority area, Faroese website
- Gjáargarður accommodation in Gjógv, Faroese website
- Smyril Line ferry on the Northern Atlantic
- Faroe Islands at Wikipedia
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... more Atlantic around Iceland:
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... more Atlantic around Spitsbergen:
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... more Atlantic around Scotland:
