Faroe Islands

So this is the Faroe Islands: complete fog so that you cannot see a thing, a drizzling rain that soaks you in five minutes and the gradual cold that seeps in through your coat, or… on the rarer occasion, the sun light in patches on the mountains brightening the grass.

I’ve seen the fog mostly but it is still a beautiful place.

Rough turf roofs, panels of wood coated red or black, windows set in against the wind. These are the original parliament buildings of Torshan the capital of the Faroe Islands. Coloured warehouse buildings surround the harbour containing all sizes of fishing boats, a few passenger ferries and the on off cruise ships.

I spend a good couple of hours exploring the town and even enjoy a brief interlude of sunshine.

I book three day tours around the island with the same company, MMTours.

Day 1

Golden Circle

We explore some little villages and turf topped churches; all shrouded in fog. There are beautiful waterfalls and gorges.

Day 2

Mykines “Puffin Island” – Whole Day Tour

A bumpy boat ride, more fog, plenty of rain, slippery mud, fish soup and some puffins. Although I enjoyed the trip, the weather and the state of the paths meant we didn’t go up to the lighthouse or see the puffin colony; we had to be content with the few puffins that we did see.

Having said that, of course, the puffins were still fabulous.

Day 3

Highlights of the North – Six Islands In One Day

Among the islands of the Faroes, there are several single track tunnels. There are a few lights but it is incredibly dark in here. The headlights from an oncoming vehicle flash in the distance and Magnus, our driver pulls over into a passing place. He does this several times. I’m glad I’m not driving; I think I would panic. In one of the passing places we stop and get out, using our iphone torches to illuminate the ground in front of our feet. We cross over the road and walk into a small tunnel set at 90 degrees to the road. Careful to avoid stepping in the puddles, we shuffle towards the light at the end. We come out on a ledge above a small valley, overlooking the sea. Magnus says that the tunnel was built to enable the farmer to move his sheep more easily; without the tunnel he would have to go by boat.