Bordoy Island to Suduroy Island

An early start this morning, we had to drive to the capital of Faroe Islands, Torshavn, to catch a ferry to Suduroy Island. We drove through the subsea tunnel network called Esturoyartunnil. It opened in December 2020 and at the heart of the tunnel, 72 metres below the surface is the world's first under water roundabout. Pretty amazing.

While we were waiting in the queue of cars to board the ferry I took a few photos as the water was so calm. And yes, it is a car ferry we waited for.

Pete and I remembered the last time that we had driven onto a car ferry...it was when Chris was 6 months old and we were in a hired camper van in New Zealand.

Thankfully there was a cafe on the boat where we could buy breakfast ....

It was pretty cold outside but great to be up close to the islands...This tiny island is called Little Dimun...it is uninhabited. It is the smallest of the main 18 islands. The lower third of the island is sheer cliff, with the rest rising to the mountain which reaches 424 metres. 

The ferry docked in the town Tvoroyri.

Our ferry on it's way back to Torshavn....

Some really cute boats in this little harbour .....

....one of the attractive houses...

Isn't this a stunning shrub...there are way more gardens in this town than we have seen elsewhere ...

Their church is up on a hill...it was the first thing we noticed when we were on the boat. It is Norwegian in origin and with a Celtic cross as its coat of arms, it harkens back to the roots of Christianity and Christian faith in the Faroe Islands. It was made in 1906 in a Norwegian factory and moved to the island, erected and completed in 1908.

It is beautiful inside. We noticed the two boats hanging from the ceiling...

Some attractive plants in the church garden....

After our wander around Tvoroyri, Pete and I drove to Vagur where we had accomodation booked for two nights. We were very happy to see it is a beautiful town close to many hiking trails. The coastline is breathtaking...

Pretty little flowers amongst all the rocks...and my $10 Kmart shoes that I bought in Melbourne because I'd forgotten my joggers. I have worn these shoes for ages now and even hiked in them in the rain yesterday (forgot to change into my hiking shoes)...they are so comfortable and still look good...might look at more shoes from Kmart.

The town of Vagur....and their soccer field (most bigger towns have one).

It is amazing how rarely we see  litter on the islands and have never seen any graffiti...You can see our grey car and one other in the photo, gives you an idea how huge cliffs and hills are.

I thought this a clever piece of art to remember those who worked as fishermen in days gone by.

After settling in at our bnb, Pete and I had dinner at a local restaurant....we bought an ice cream on our way home and admired this view....and yes that is how green everything is...I haven't edited the photo at all. And it was 7pm...sun sets tonight at 11.13pm.

 

Bordoy Island to Kunoy Island and Vidoy Island

Our first day of a little rain and very low clouds....but we put on our coats and drove to Kunoy and Vidoy Islands....over bridges and through subsea tunnels.

More rain, more waterfalls....see the sheep?

Both islands are smaller than the others we have visited ....

Where there is water there are seagulls....so many ...

The Kunoy church in the village of Kunoy....very quiet place on a Sunday...

Kunoy Island is on average the highest island in the Faroe Islands and has 6 of the 10 mountains that rise above 800 metres....which I guess is why they are in so much cloud.

I have never seen this before...a rainbow on water...

This photo was taken in the village Muli where there are no permanent inhabitants. Only a few houses remain which we think are used as holiday homes.

It was still only drizzling so we went for a couple of short walks...

The origins of this settlement can be traced back to the 14th century and it was the last community in the archipelago to receive electricity in 1970.

There were so many of these fences, they looked lovely against the very green grass.

Pete and I climbed up the slope to be closer to the mountain as it had this amphitheatre look to it...which we had seen before...it is awesome..

The stream running down from the mountains was one of the prettiest we have seen...

Not only are the sheep rather tame, they are very curious too...

We are now on Vidoy Island, another small island with only a couple of villages. Across the fiord are these massive, dramatic cliffs which we could just see in the fog.

I found out today that the word Faroe comes fro, old Norse which means "Sheep Islands". This name was given by Viking settlers who arrived from Norway back in the 9th century.

 Eysturoy Island to Bordoy Island

I was a little sad to leave this lovely little town, Gjogv....our stay has been most enjoyable. There was still a lot of fog and low clouds when we left.

Our first stop on our way to Klaksvik was Sydrugota...which is at the end of the Gothic Fiord. It is famous for its large music festival that is held on and around the beach, once a year.

Such a pretty place especially with the sunshine.

Not far from Sydrugota is Nordragota which is also at the end of the Gotuvik Fiord. Nordragota is known for its grass roofed Town Hall that crosses the stream near the ocean. The building is a piece of art by the local architect Osbjorn Jacobsen. You can walk on the Town Hall's roof.

Just love these fences....

Arrived in Klaksvik on Bordoy Island having travelled through another subsea tunnel. In the heart of Klaksvik stands the grand Christianskikjan (King Christian's Church) made of Faroese stones, timber and slates. It is the largest church in the Faroe Islands (1000 seats).

It is beautiful inside. There is a magnificent fresco painting by Joakim Skovgaard. Under the ceiling, suspended from the roof beams is an historic eight-person boat. The architecture is inspired by the ancient Viking halls.The church was built to commemorate the Faroese fishermen who lost their lives at sea during the Second World War.

Another interesting building...

After settling into our accomodation at the Hotel Klaksvik, Pete and I decided to explore the nearby town of Arnafjordur....one of the waterfalls in the town....

The town is surrounded by mountains....

....the church....

....and beach with lots of rounded edged rocks....and sea glass..

I've been collecting sea glass for a few years (mainly from City Beach on Saturdays) ....here I was thrilled to find heaps of pieces  (why here? I wonder)...

Pete chatting to a local....they usually have a lot to say...

Not only on the mountains and on the roads....today there were sheep on the beach!

Our view of Klaksvik from our hotel window...