The Beauty of the Faroe Islands

Imagine an archipelago, separated with slabs of black rock and tall waterfalls; surrounded by plains of the greenest grass and hordes of sheep; encompassed in the fresh, cold air of the ocean. That’s the Faroe Islands, a series of small islands in the North Atlantic Ocean and part of the Kingdom of Denmark.

It was July of 2022 when I first visited the islands with my family. When we landed at the airport, it was cold and pouring rain, yet there was no mistaking the beauty of the islands. Despite only being at the airport, pastures of luscious grass stretched on for kilometres and waterfalls cascaded down tall cliffs. It was then we truly realized the beauty of where we were.

Enlivened, we picked up our bags, rented a car, and headed out to begin our journey. 

When you visit the Faroe Islands, you’re there for two reasons: to enjoy your surroundings and to hike. That’s exactly what we did on our first day. By eight o’clock the next morning, we were out the door and on our way to Sørvágsvatn or what we eventually called “the floating lake.” It had been raining again so when we arrived, the trails were muddy and the air was damp. However, we lifted our hoods and began our first hike of the Faroe Islands. It was spectacular, and when we got to the halfway point, we were speechless. The trail wanders through tall slopes of grass all leading to a final destination, the floating lake. In truth, the lake doesn’t actually float, it’s an optical illusion. The lake rests on the edge of a large cliff. On one side, the rock gives way to the ocean, and on the other side, fields of grass spread out for kilometres. Had you not known it, you might’ve thought it was actually floating. So, in the face of all this beauty, all our qualms about the wind and rain disappeared, and our first day was made into something we could never forget. 

The next day, I was reading a Faroe Islands brochure when I stumbled across something funny. In bold text on the front page it read, “No picture is worth dying for.” I told my family, and we laughed, then went on with our day. It was only later, climbing at the edge of a cliff that we finally understood. It was probably the most dangerous hike we went on. Dangerous because we were walking on a razor thin pathway. On one side, the grass ended abruptly, cut off by sheer black rock that fell into the ocean. On the other side was a steep slope slick with rain that slid all the way down to the water. Yeah, as you can guess, we stayed close to the middle of the path, clinging to one another’s hands. However, it didn’t stop us from taking pictures at safer locations nor did it stop us from noticing the gorgeous waterfalls that plunged into the sea. 

Over the next few days, we continued hiking, wandering through the unexplainable beauty, snapping photos, and having the best times of our lives. Until soon enough, we were nearing the end of our journey. 

It was the second to last day when we hiked to a beautiful black sand beach in the village of Tjørnuvik. Like all the other days, it was cold and rainy. It was so windy that some of the waterfalls were even getting pulled upwards with the gale. Nevertheless, this beach was like no other. It wasn’t a beach to swim at or make sandcastles with. It was a beach in the centre of a large fjord. Giant cliffs ran along either side, and the tide was occasionally high enough to flood the entire beach. When we arrived, the sand was unmarked by footprints and it shone in the sunlight. At the edge of the beach, the sand made way for a thin stream that rushed into the ocean. Of all the hikes, I must admit, the view here was one of my favourites. Maybe due to the weather, and maybe because it was a beach, but it was absolutely breathtaking. 

By the time the end of the vacation finally struck, I was speechless, thoroughly shaken, and awed by my surroundings. As I boarded the plane home, I remembered the tagline I had seen when I first learned of the Faroe Islands. “Unspoiled. Unexplored. Unbelievable.” It was then I could confirm that the tagline was absolutely and unfailingly true.