The Faroe Islands - Eysturoy
By some witchcraft, the notoriously rainy and foggy Faroe Islands were not playing true to form. We took advantage of the gloriously sunny skies by journeying to Eysturoy, the second largest island in the archipelago. It was a beautiful, scenic coastal drive, with a multitude of pull-outs for us to ogle the mountain views and inlets.
Our first stop was Funningur, a small village on the northwest coast of the island. Nestled in a valley on the bay, it was known for its charming turf-roofed church (one of the 10 oldest wooden churches in the Faroe Islands).
Hvíthamar
We drove a serpentine road up the mountain—steadily climbing, with Funningur shrinking in the distance—until we came across a cluster of cars at the side of the road. We had happened across the trailhead for the Hvíthamar viewpoint at the Gjáarskarð mountain pass. This turned out to be an easy, fairly flat 2 km out-and-back trail along the ridge line, making it a perfect walk for my parents.
For our relatively minimal effort, we were afforded a stunning, panoramic viewpoint—complete with a small railing to prevent people from falling off the cliff (only at that specific spot)—of Funningsfjørður fjord and the surrounding mountains.
Gjógv
It was only a short drive further to the village Gjógv, which literally translates as “gorge” in Faroese. So named for its famed natural harbour—a 200 m long sea-filled gorge. This charming village, population 50, was a pleasant walk-about, replete with colourful buildings and dotted by tiny bridges spanning creeks running down to the sea. A paved walkway guided visitors through the village all the way to a lookout point at the mouth of the gorge.
We stopped in at the Gjógv Guesthouse Restaurant for a spot of lunch, feasting on halibut carpaccio, warm goat cheese salad, and halibut risotto, which were excellent. A surprisingly elegant restaurant for what seemed like the middle of nowhere.
