Oyggjarvegur, the old mountain road from Torshavn, the tiny capital of the Faroes, towards the northern islands, is spectacular. But then, nothing less is to be expected in the world’s best island-destination. In places, there are no barriers between us and a 1000-foot drop into the chilling waters of the North Atlantic fjord. We edge slowly towards the deliciously dizzying chasm.
Taking a step back, I almost stumble over a ram’s skull, tufts of grass protruding through the cavities where its eyes once were. All along the road, sheep graze, oblivious to traffic. This is the Faroe (meaning sheep) Islands, after all.
With verdant, stunning scenery, shaggy sheep in the middle of the road and plunging gorges; these ancient Viking isles are quite literally drop-dead gorgeous.
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Beautiful photos! Nice to see a peaceful area like this. Crazy that you stumbled upon that skull!
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Never heard of these islands. Do they belong to Norway?
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How do you pronounce the name of this town? Entirely too many consonants in there for me
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Wow, that’s pretty special! No idea they were rated as one of the best islands by Nat Geo.
Christina recently posted..Spotlight on Canterbury: Lake Tekapo
the tiny capital of the Faroes, towards the northern islands, is spectacular.
I’ve only vaguely heard of the Faroe Islands. Looks green and gorgeous. Are they Norwegian?
@Sonja and @Kim The Faroe Islands were Norwegian once, then remained with Denmark after the break-up of the kingdom of Denmark-Norway. Today, they remain a self-governing part of Denmark, much like Greenland. The Faroese do feel a very close link with Norway, though, and the Faroese language is the only remaining language that is still very close to the Old Norse spoken by the Vikings. When we were there, and they heard we were Norwegians, the locals would insist on speaking Norwegian with us, rather than English. Very interesting.
Boy those Vikings understood real estate, didn’t they? Location, location, location.
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Mesmerizing landscape – hard to believe that the Faroa Islands are (for now at least) part of Denmark.
@Italian Notes – it is, in a way, isn’t it? They do look much more Norwegian than Danish, almost as if they fell off our Western coast once – which I suppose they might have done
What an intriguing place. I’d love to visit these islands one day. Are there many traces of the Vikings, like buildings, tombs, etc?
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Gorgeous shots!Reminds me a bit of Iceland. I really love green coastlines like these.
Wow, Sophie! Another place I’ve never heard of until now. Some of the photos kinda reminds me of Ireland’s mystique and romance; particularly that one of the sheep. Seems like a truly fascinating place.
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Thanks for your comments everyone!
@Ana – yes, there are remnants of the Viking past in the tiny settlement Kirkjubøur.
@Randy and Sherry – Yes, I agree. It is reminiscent of both Iceland and Ireland. And Scotland and Norway as well. Green and misty.
Love the alliteration in the title.
The top photo showing the headland in the distance is very inviting. Are they strata of rock I can see running around the hillsides? If so, it adds to the specialness of the place – somewhere I would really like to visit.
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Thanks guys
@David – The Faroes are volcanic, and more than 50 million years old, so I’m sure that would be rock strata.
I too like the alliteration!
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Wow! You have some beautiful pictures. I can imagine me standing where the sheep and feeling on Top of the world.
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We spent a memorable week travelling across Iceland and we were told that the landscape there is similar to the Faroe Islands so it must be a wonderful place to go. You can certainly get away from it all there, just a shame that the weather is unreliable.
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@Bill – Thanks for your comment. Re the weather: It does tend to surprise you, wild torrents of rain, then some sunshine, then a mad storm… The only thing you can rely on, is that it will rain.
Beautiful pictures, what a dream-like place!
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Sophie, great photos. How did you travel there and where did you stay? Can you provide approximate costs?
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@John – Thanks
We drove from Norway down to Hanstholm in Denmark, then travelled by boat from there to Torshavn – on Smyril Line. Got a last minute deal which included the boat round-trip as well as two nights at Hotel Hafnia in Torshavn. I think we paid about 5000 NOK (that’s about 500 pounds) for all 3 of us (my two kids and I). From the UK, you could take the ferry from Harwich to Esbjerg in Denmark. Hanstholm isn’t too far from Esbjerg.
However, there are direct flights from Stansted to Torshavn as well – on the Faroese airline Atlantic Air. Might be a better deal from the UK.
Stunningly beautiful!
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