People don’t just take regular taxis or buses in the Faroe Islands. Up here in the North Atlantic Ocean, they also drop by at their local helipad, hop on a chopper and, after a few dizzying minutes whizzing above the dramatic scenery of its 18 islands, get put down at their destination. The price? A mere £25 each way.
That might sound like an outlandish thing to do but this is an outlandish sort of place. It feels like standing at the brink of the world – an archipelago, between Scotland and Iceland, where jagged cliffs rise out of the waters like witches’ fingers and where people are outnumbered by sheep.
It has been an autonomous territory in the Kingdom of Denmark since 1948.
Fishing is the main industry. Controversial whale hunting, known as the grindadrap, is practised. It is also famous for puffin colonies and oyster catchers.
Getting here has been made easier by the new Atlantic Airways 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 in the Kingdom of Denmark, Laura Sharman visits Klaksvik town on the island of Bordoy (pictured)
Getting to the Faroe Islands has been made easier by the new Atlantic Airways direct flight from Gatwick
Shortly after landing at Vagar Airport, my partner Thomas and I drive towards the capital Torshavn, home to almost half the overall population of 53,444.
We cross from one island to the next via a sea tunnel, before being released into a fjord where cows graze on mossy slopes and solitary cabins cling to the periphery.
Our path is lit by what feels like daybreak, but when we check the clock, it’s midnight. This leaves us speechless until we reach grass-roofed Hotel Foroyar, overlooking Torshavn harbour.
‘Wait until tomorrow,’ says the receptionist. ‘You’re heading for the Northern Isles? They are the most spectacular.’
Torshavn (seen here) is the capital city of the Faroe Islands – home to almost half the overall population of 53,444
Laura checks into grass-roofed Hotel Foroyar (pictured), which overlooks Torshavn harbour
We discover this for ourselves the next day at 9am when we take another sea tunnel to the island of Bordoy.
Looming at the end of it is the world’s only sub-sea roundabout, known as ‘the Jellyfish’ for its dancing blue lights and dome-shaped roof.
Emerging into Klaksvik town, we prepare for the 1,355ft-climb up Klakkur mountain. This 90-minute trail delivers spectacular views and, reaching the top, you are almost blown off your feet.
Towards the northern tip of Bordoy lies the abandoned 14th century village of Muli. It attracts more visitors today as a ghost town than it did as a living community when, even at its peak, it had just 25 residents. In the 1600s, it was home to an alleged wizard who was called upon across the archipelago to work 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 off the edge’, she says
Laura says being on the Faroe Islands ‘feels like standing at the brink of the world’
Villagers in those days kept sheep and lived off fishing with the only access being by boat or a nine-mile hike to the next town. That is until the government built an access road to prevent depopulation – but this backfired when residents used it primarily to leave in 1992.
From Muli, we embark on another hike, with views across the fjord to Cape Enniberg, a mountain with the world’s tallest vertical sea cliff, at 2,474ft. Some tourists come simply to gaze into the village’s 10 deserted houses, where vases still stand on windowsills, dining chairs are stacked on tables and toys lie abandoned on the floor.
‘There was no disaster that forced people away, they had simply had enough,’ our waiter tells us over dinner back in Torshavn. The next day we return to Vagar island and complete the 1.6-mile trail to Slave Cliff, which supposedly got its name from the Viking Age when sick slaves were pushed off the edge.
From the top, Lake Sorvagsvatn appears to float above the ocean.
On our return, we drive a few miles for dinner in Miovagur village where we meet a complete stranger, Solvi, who welcomes us into his cottage.
He is participating in ‘heimablidni’, a Faroese tradition of home hospitality.
Above – Muli on Bordoy island, an abandoned 14th century village. ‘It attracts more visitors today as a ghost town than it did as a living community,’ writes Laura
Laura (above) enjoys the outdoor life in a land where people are outnumbered by sheep
‘For us, spending time together happens at home,’ he says, serving us a home-made meal of cod crumble with potatoes, rhubarb jam, and Black Sheep lager 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 has been raining.
‘We are learning to appreciate the beauty of our homeland through the eyes of our guests.’