The Faroe Islands - Kalsoy
One of my favourite days spent touring the Faroe Islands was on Kalsoy, a small northern island that is only accessible by ferry. End to end, the island is only a 20-minute drive, making it perfect for a leisurely day trip, exploring the small villages and hiking to some epic vistas.
The famed ferry “Sam” shuttles a maximum of about 12 cars at a time from Klaksvík, the second largest city on the Faroes, to Kalsoy, a journey which takes only 20 minutes. Because the ferry had such limited capacity, I had read that it was paramount to arrive early (at least an hour before). I hurriedly made the 45-minute drive from Tórshavn, and mercifully, we were the first to line up for the 9 am ferry. We bided our time walking dockside and enjoying the colourful harbour of Klaksvík. Soon enough, we carefully edged onto the boat, with ferry workers expertly directing cars into a tight configuration.
Mikladalur
Our first stop was Mikladalur, a short drive from the ferry pier. With a population of 42, it is the largest of Kalsoy’s four villages. I was utterly charmed by the rugged, grassy cliffs and waterfalls dotting the landscape. We made our way down a steep set of stairs to pay homage to the seal woman statue. One of the most famous folk stories on the Faroe Islands is that of Kópakonan (Seal Woman).
Seals were believed to be humans who voluntarily sought death in the ocean. One night a year, they were allowed to come on land and amuse themselves as humans again. Legend has it that on one such a night, a fisherman glimpsed a seal girl divested of her seal skins; he stole her skin and locked it away, forcing her to stay with him. They married, and she bore him two children. One day, when the fishermen were out at sea, she found the key, retrieved her skins, and jumped back into the sea, re-uniting with the bull who had been her mate. Sadly, this folktale does not end happily here—years passed, and the fishermen made plans to enter a cave to hunt seals. The seal woman came to the farmer in a dream and asked him to not kill the bull in the front of the cave, for he was her husband, nor the two pups inside, as they were her children. He did not heed her words, and all were slaughtered. Enraged, she paid the men of Mikladalur a visit, promising revenge on them: “Some will drown at sea, others will fall from the cliffs, and so it shall continue until as many have perished as can link arms around the whole island of Kalsoy”.
Adjacent to the statue, I was pleasantly surprised to find a couple waterfalls, and so we scampered across the rocks and over pools of water to check them out.
Kallur Lighthouse Hike
One of the most famous views of the Faroe Islands is Kallur Lighthouse, perched on the northernmost promontory on Kalsoy. I was excited to tackle the relatively short 4.8 km out-and-back trail. As this was to be an uphill climb for the majority of the trail, I parked my parents in the nearby village of Trøllanes to relax and have a spot of lunch. The initial path, barely more than a sheep trail on the side of a mountain, rose steeply from the village. As it was a gloriously sunny day, it was easy to follow the flattened grass up and upwards.
Eventually, the tiny white and red lighthouse came into view, a mere speck amidst the austere, dramatic landscape on what felt like the edge of the world. A series of paths presented themselves, and I chose to first walk along a narrow ridge, looking back at the lighthouse and the other surrounding islands, hazy in the distance. You could easily get vertigo looking down at the sharp drop-offs on either side of the path, and I was grateful my visit was sans fog and wind.
The best view was one that was definitely somewhat precarious to reach. I passed the various hikers sprawled around the lighthouse, eating their packed lunches, and made my way across a narrow ridge path to a rocky outcropping. Though not a far distance, the trail was steep and slippery from loose rocks, so careful foot placement was key. But it did yield fantastic views of the lighthouse with the sheer rock face of Mount Borgarin, looming above it. The harsh midday sun leant particular dramatic contrast to the scene.
From there, it was a short ways to pay homage to the recently-erected James Bond tombstone (Daniel Craig’s Bond meets his end in No Time to Die on Kalsoy). It was engraved with “The proper function of a man is to live, not to exist”, which seemed an apt reminder of how important it is to break free from our usual routines, get out and explore new places likes this one.
After making my way back down the trail to Trøllanes, I rejoined my parents, who had managed to discover a puffin colony next to the small eatery serving waffles and other (expensive) snacks. We hopped in the car and drove the 20 minutes back to the ferry dock, through four dim, narrow tunnels, only to find a distressingly long line of cars had already amassed. Sadly, this meant at least a 2-hour wait, as we wouldn’t be able to get on the next available ferry. Nevertheless, we relaxed in the car, sampling some fish and chips from a spot at the ferry dock and hunkering down with our books. Eventually, we boarded a ferry, where the folks amused themselves by shooting the many seabirds diving and swooping past the boat.
