Experiences

Hiking

Hiking on the Faroe Islands

Culture and wildlife
In the outskirts of the Faroe Islands you can see how our ancestors lived and survived. Stone houses, boat houses, old agricultural land (teigalendi), peat fields and stone hidings for peat (kráir) tells us, how close to nature they lived. There are old stone walls that marked the land, ruins of houses (geilar), sheep folds, sheep houses and fransatoftir, which are small houses where people hid when pirates were in the area.

In the outskirts you will always find a rich variety of birds, as well as free range sheeps, gees, an abundant of plants and perhaps even a few hares.

Roads between the villages
The trips described in this leaflet are all guides by stone cairns (varðar), and was the ancient road between the villages. Before the roads were built, people travelled by foot, or on horseback to other villages to trade, to visit the closest church for services, for baptizes, weddings – or for your last trip in a coffin. The path is guided by cairns, to make sure the travllers don’t get lost.

Bøsdalafossur isn’t guided by stone cairns, but through designated paths.

The length and duration of each trip is calculated, by normal walking speed one way.

Take care of the nature
Nature is sensitive, which is why it is very important to treat it well and protect it for future generations.

  • Follow the cairns or other marks and do not go off the paths out into the meadow or outfield
  • Close the outfield gates behind you.
  • Treat the cairns, fences and walls well.
  • Do not disturb the sheep, birds and plants.
  • It is prohibited to pick plants or to take stones, eggs, or chicks.
  • It is customary to pick up loose wool that the sheep have shed.
  • Do not leave your rubbish behind.
  • Beware of loose stones, especially when there are several of you together.
  • Beware of not walking out into marsh land, as it can be deep.
  • Dogs must not be taken out into the outfields.
  • Tents may not be put up in the outfield without permission from the land owners.
  • It is prohibited to travel by bicycle or motor vehicle in the outfields or along the cairn paths.

Weather dependent

  • Listen to the weather forecast to hear if conditions are favourable for walking.
  • Do not walk in case of fog.
  • If fog arrives whilst on a walk, it is advisable to keep to the cairns. If it is so dense that you cannot see between the cairns, it is best to wait by a cairn and keep yourself warm.
  • Turn back if all is not well. There is no shame in not finishing the walk.
  • Dress yourself well, preferably with several layers of clothing – “layer on layer”. The weather can quickly change.
Klaksvík – Hálsur – Klakkur

Klaksvík - Hálsur - Klakkur
Duration: 3 hours both ways from the ferry landing, 1½ hours from Hálsur to Klakkur and back.
Difficulty: Easy
Length: 10 km
Height: 0 m - 413 m

Bøur – Gásadalur

Bøur - Gásadalur
Duration: 2½ hour
Difficulty: Difficult. The hill Gásadalsbrekkan is steep and difficult to walk up. It is also steep down to Gásadalur. Beware of loose stones on the path.
Length: 3,5 km
Height: 100 m - 434 m

Tórshavn – Kirkjubøur

Tórshavn - Kirkjubøur
Durations: 2 hours
Difficulty: Easy
Length: 7 km
Height: 100 m - 230 m

Fuglafjørður – Hellurnar

Fuglefjørður - Hellurnar
Varighed: 2 hours. 40 minutes extra up to Altarið.
Difficulty: Average. Even slope up to Skarðið.
Length: 9 km
Height: 0 m - 353 m (Altarið is located at 483 m)

Kambsdalur – Skálafjørður

Kambsdalur - Skálafjørður
Durations: 2 hours
Difficulty: Average. Somewhat difficult to come up from Kambsdalur. The path then runs level until you walk down towards Skálafjørður.
Length: 3,5 km
Height: 0 m - 373 m

Lamba – Rituvík

Lamba - Rituvík
Durations: 2 hours from the village of Lamba, 1½ hours from the stone quarry..
Difficulty: Easy. A bit difficult from Lamba and up to the top. Later, the trip becomes easy.
Length: 5,3 km
Height: 30 m - 243 m

Skálafjørður – Selatrað

Skálafjørður - Selatrað
Duration: 3 ½ hours
Difficulty: Average/difficult. It is steep from the road upwards, difficult and long to walk. On the top, the walk is reasonably flat. Down to Selatrað it is grassy.
Length: 7 km
Height: 0 m - 360 m

Hvalvík – Vestmanna

Hvalvík - Vestmanna
Duration: 3 1/2 hours
Difficulty: Average. From Hvalvík, it is a little difficult to walk up the mountain. Otherwise, the path is easy to walk.
Length: 10 km
Height: 0 m - 385 m

Kollfjarðadalur – Leynar

Kollfjarðadalur - Leynar
Duration: 2½ hours
Difficulty: Easy - average. From Kollfjarðadalur it is a little difficult up the slope to the cairn, which is in view. The rest of the trip is easy.
Length: 4,4 km
Height: 0 m - 260 m

Miðvágur – Bøsdalafossur

Miðvágur - Bøsdalafossur
Duration: 2 hours there and back
Difficulty: Easy. The walk is level, but it is possible to climb up some 40 m to a viewpoint out at Oyrar.
Length: 5 km there and back
Height: 30 m - 100 m

Nólsoy – Borðan

Nólsoy - Borðan
Duration: 5 hours
Difficulty: Average. Up to Hvíliplássið (rest place) it is steep and a bit difficult to walk. On the top, it is level right out to Borðan. Avoid the soft ground in Langabrekka.
Length: 6 km
Height: 0 m - 200 m

Guðrunarløkur – Skarvanes – Dalur

Guðrunarløkur - Skarvanes - Dalur
Duration: 3½ hours
Difficulty: Easy to Skarvanes, average to Dalur.
Length: 7,5 km
Height: 0 m - 100 m (300 m to Dalur)

Hvalba – Trongisvágur

Hvalba - Trongisvágur
Duration: 2 hours
Difficulty: Average. It can be a little difficult to walk up along the cleft Káragjógv, otherwise the path is easy. Be careful as some areas are steep.
Length: 6,5 km
Height: 0 m - 350 m

Øravík – Vágur

Øravík - Vágur
Duration: 4 hours
Difficulty: Difficult. It is difficult to walk to the top of Mannaskarð and Vágsskarð. The rest of the trip is easy.
Length: 6,6 km
Height: 30 m - 420 m