Solitude and fresh air in a pandemic on the Faroe Islands

My heart ached to go on a real trekking again after many months being unable to leave the Netherlands. We've got some beautiful nature too, sure, but those areas are small and quite busy and of course the mountains are far away. I longed for wide open space all around me. For quiet and solitude. For beautiful wild campsites to pitch my tent. After carefully considering my limited options in this pandemic, it became the Faroe Islands again, just like two years ago. These islands aren't big but there still was more than enough for me to discover. 

After a rather stressfull start thanks to test requirements and a lost backpack on the plane (Nightmare! Luckily I had it back one day later), I finally could enjoy two weeks of hiking, camping and photography. I walked in the mountains and alongside some of Europe's highest cliffs, hopped from island to island by bus and ferry, enjoyed the midnight sun, spotted sea birds, explored little villages, and had some fun conversations with fellow tourists and locals. Here are some of my favorite photographs and memories from this trip.

First evening at the youth hostel
Since all my camping gear was in my lost backpack, I decided to walk to the hostel I remembered from last time, located not very far from the airport. That evening I went for a walk. I was too tired to hike all the way to the end of famous Sorvagsvatn, but still enjoyed this peaceful sunset view over the sea towards some of the other islands. I would've made it a long exposure if I'd had my tripod.  

Grazing animals
What isn't bare rock on the Faroe islands is covered in grass and thus a good grazing ground, mainly for sheep. Disadvantage as a hiker: you'll have to jump quite some fences, because they even cross some official routes, and gates or steps are rare. But it's nice to have some animal companions on lonely hikes. They always made me smile.  

Mykines

The scenic ferry trip to this westernmost island is one of the best experiences the Faroe Islands has to offer. I took the afternoon boat and had one of those evenings on Mykines that just couldn't be any better. A nice camping spot in the tiny traditional village, beautiful light, and beautiful views - what more could you want? 

In lack of a proper foreground for your photo, add some sheep.

Spot the puffin. And the other hiker. 

 

Crossing Streymoy and Eysturoy on foot - three times 
I hiked coast to coast across Streymoy and Eysturoy, the largest islands of the Faroe islands, three times in three different places. These were nice hikes through remote terrain, about half a day each, and only the Saksun - Tjornovik crossing has a trail. Some parts of these routes are a bit steep, most notably the pass between the Sneis and Bolin mountains, but it's nowhere really difficult. I met barely anyone. These inland hikes are very reminiscent of the Lake District in England, with their sheep and streams and grassy slopes. You won't find the spectacle of the cliffs here, but it's very much worth your time.

Spot my little green tent. The weather turned in the course of the night - I woke up to storm, fog and rain.

A self-discovered view 
The Faroe Islands is home to quite a lot famous instragram photo spots, which sure are beautiful. But they're not the only places worth visiting. Personally, I think there's more satisfaction in the challenge of finding your own photographs. After doing an off-trail hike that wasn't even indicated on my map but looked promising, I was surprised and amazed by this gorgeous view.

Tjornovik and Gjogv
Two colorful, remote villages in beautiful surroundings.

Kalsoy
A famous lighthouse that I had all to myself by the light of the midnight sun. Rolling sea fog, often occuring after warm summer days, made the views even more spectacular.

You see the trail that leads down to the point from where I took this photo? The slopes on both sides of it plunge steeply down to the ocean below. It's very sketchy and very terrifying. The wind only made it worse.

Low sun behind sea fog. It was very late and I was tired, but too mesmerized to leave this color spectacle.

Looking out towards the steep sides of Kunoy and Vidoy. Alpenglow in the Faroes.

Sea cliffs of Sudoroy
The cliffs on the westcoast of Suduroy are mindblowing, much higher than the UK or Irish cliffs. Nothing beats the feeling of standing on that edge where the land plunges hundreds of meters down to meet the ocean. You see the circling birds, hear the waves, feel the wind, and solid ground under your feet suddenly becomes the most precious thing. 

A bit too foggy for the colors to really pop off, but a nice omnious glow nonetheless. 

These cliffed were so high they barely fitted onto my ultrawide lens.

Torshavn, the capital
Don't expect a buzzling city - Torshavn is rather quiet. It's spacely built between hills and by the sea, with some good shops and restaurants and a friendly campsite with nice facilities. The old destrict by the harbour is small but fun to explore. I was in Torshavn because it's where the ferry to Sudoroy leaves, and went for an evening walk to the top of one of the surrounding hills. 

View towards Nolsoy.

When I was visiting the most northeastern islands in the last few days of my trip, dense fog meant calm, quiet conditions but sadly too bad visibility for hiking. When the time of my return flight approached, the fog made place for sunny, warm, windstill weather and the midges got out full force. It was a relief to leave them behind. They crawl inside your ears, eyes, nose, it's horrible. If I ever return to these beautiful, remote island archipelago, it may have to be in another season! For now, however, I'm very much satisfied with the memory of another wonderful trip.