The Faroe Islands: The Most Beautiful Place I Have Ever Been

Halfway between Iceland and Norway, rugged islands rise up out of the northern Atlantic. Three hundred miles south of the Arctic Circle, the Faroe Islands are isolated, harsh and beautiful beyond words. The Faroes are famous for salmon fishing, legal whale hunting and what we came for, the beautiful landscapes. Neither words nor photographs will ever do justice to how unique and beautiful the Faroe Islands are. It is a place that must be experienced first hand.

Flying overhead, massive mountains rising out of the ocean offered our initial greeting. The giant sea cliffs are difficult to explain. I’ve been to Iceland, Alaska and Ireland, and have seen very large cliffs, but those of the Faroe Islands dwarf the others by comparison. They are some of the tallest in the world. There is one on the northernmost island of Viðoy that stands 2,500 feet tall. The day we visited Viðoy, the wind was howling at over fifty miles per hour, and the waves were some of the largest I’ve ever seen. We battled sideways rain (which makes it difficult to keep a lens dry), and experienced every kind of weather in one day. The Faroes have over 700 miles of coastline where there are small fishing villages and a couple small cities. On the eighteen main islands and hundreds of islets, there are over 350 mountains - the tallest reaching nearly 3000 feet straight from the ocean.

The people who live in the Faroes are a hearty and traditional people, mostly of Viking descent. While mostly English is spoken, they also speak the old Viking language Faroese. When landing at the airport (which resembles a small, quaint bus station), there are people greeting with happy smiles, proudly welcoming travelers to their country. Most people outside the cities live simple lives marked by hard work. They work the land and sea with pride as their Viking ancestors did. Nearly every home in the Faroes is picturesque and taken care of well. Many of the houses beg to ask who chose to build a house in such a beautiful but rugged location. Whether they are stone houses or barns with grass roofs, they are evidence of the pride taken in keeping things pristine. Even the older isolated cabins and barns - far from roads - are unique and built with craftsmanship. It was beautiful to see such care for their environment and pride for their homes. Every house made me wonder about the story and history of the people by whom they were built.

Driving in the Faroes is fun, unique and the recommended way to explore the islands. The Faroese people and Dutch government have tunneled through mountains and under the ocean to create a chain of islands that are well connected and driveable. Where there isn’t a bridge or tunnel connecting islands, ferries and government-subsidized helicopter rides are available for the price of a taxi ride. While driving, waterfalls can be seen cascading down mountains every minute. Other sights include ocean fjords, tunnels, mountains, bridges and towns. The beauty in every direction will do drivers no favors in trying to keep their eyes on the road.

Our goal in the Faroes was to explore and discover. We had a plan for each day, but the unpredictable weather changed things. We had to either be flexible, or willing to battle the elements to see more. The climate is mostly mild and similar to the Pacific Northwest, but wind is the variable. The wind is nearly constant, and with that comes unpredictable weather. A sunny day can quickly turn into a sideways snow storm. It’s in that unpredictable weather that we found even more of a sense of adventure and awe. Our goal was to experience something unique during a quieter time, so we decided to go in the winter, but that meant short days with only five hours of daylight. This shortened the potential to see everything, but gave us the opportunity to see many beautiful places alone.

Every photo from the trip has a story. Whether that story is facing fifty mile per hour winds for hours, dangerous hikes in the dark on icy cliffs or meeting new friends in remote places, the photos remind us of that journey.

A story that comes to mind is the day we hiked to Drangarnir on the island of Vágar. It’s a long hike with almost no established trail, markings or widespread information. The journey requires research, talking to locals and navigational skills. The three hour hike (one way) goes along the cliff edge of a fjord and out to otherworldly sea stacks and cliffs. The hike starts near a large warehouse on the waterfront of Sørvágur. There are two paths to the cliffs - a higher trail and a lower trail; both are small trails. The lower trail goes along the waterfront, weaving along cliff sides and large drops into the ocean. We brought traction cleats to wear over our boots since most of the trail was very icy and dangerous. The trail is a combination of goat paths and places where there is no path. This is where some skill and understanding is required, because there are river crossings and steep cliffs without a set path. Near the end of the hike, there is a long and steep goat trail above some cliffs. This is where both the sea stacks of Drangarnir and the island of Mykines can first be seen. The last thirty minutes go by quickly because of the beautiful view. When arriving at the end to witness the sea stacks of Drangarnir, the difficult goat path is easy to forget! The view looks like another planet - rugged jagged cliffs with no comparison. There are many things to explore out at the point, and climbing further up the mountain offers some unique perspectives on the stacks and cliffs. Glad as we were to have made the trek, getting there was only half the journey. We stayed until sunset, then hiked our way back in the dark. The amount of camera gear we carried created an additional challenge, but it was worth every second of pain. Drangarnir captures the imagination, and the journey to experience its beauty inspires further exploration.

Another highlight of our adventure was the hike to Trælanípa. Trælanípa is more accessible than Drangarnir; the hike takes only about an hour and is also located on the island of Vágar. It’s a much easier adventure with a more established trail, and it isn’t any less incredible. This hike goes alongside the largest lake in the Faroe Islands, Sorvagsvatn. The lake is unlike any other lake in the world. It sits above the ocean, separated by massive cliffs. Once at the top of the hike, overlooking the lake, cliffs and ocean, the view is beautifully unique and overwhelming. We left before sunrise with hopes of catching the beautiful light on the cliffs. The weather looked promising on the forecast, but storms kept pressing in. The wind was brutally cold, but we waited for the sun to peek over the horizon. I saw a storm coming, and we prepared for the worst. It snowed sideways for twenty minutes. Eventually, although the wind persisted, the snow storm lifted. The sun peeked over the ocean lighting up the cliffs with beautiful light. The effort doesn’t always pay off with photography, but this time, in that moment, everything lined up perfectly. We continued to explore the area to see all of what the cliffs had to offer. We made our way down, leaving the cliffside. There is a one hundred foot waterfall called Bøsdalafossur where the lake drains directly into the ocean. We waited again for the light, and a beautiful rainbow appeared. Then I saw another menacing looking storm approaching so we decided to work our way back to the car. The wind picked up and a downpour started. We faced an hour of sideways freezing rain that would sting our faces and chilled us to the bone. These harsh weather conditions make what would be a stroll by the lake, quite the adventure. The Faroes are a wild place.