The rain islands
FAROE ISLANDS

Article published in Mototurismo magazine in 2009.

Beautiful, solitary, lost in the middle of the North Sea, the Far Oer Islands, for the locals Føroyar, in Danish Færøerne, are an alternative and uncommon destination. The only drawback, they are probably among the rainiest places on earth even if the play of colors, the chromatic contrasts and the breathtaking scenery will certainly not leave the visitor indifferent, even on the grayest days.

Read the story published in the magazine.

We take a deep breath, fill our lungs and from all directions the clear sea air comes towards us, within us, through us. Shocking! Amazing! Stunning! The inhabitants of the Faroe Islands themselves admit that it is difficult to have more than 5 days of sunshine a year. And we are enjoying a wonderful day riding our motorcycles along one of the countless scenic fjords of this archipelago made up of 18 islands that were inhabited for the first time more than a thousand years ago by some Irish, in search of a lonely life far away. by the totalitarian governments of the time. The name was later attributed to them by the Norwegians who when they arrived they found numerous sheep, the only ones that survived the continuous raids of the Viking pirates: faer, in ancient Nordic means sheep! And even today things have changed little: this sheep, in terms of presences, far beats the inhabitants, who are just 48,000, even if demographically the population is growing quite sensibly. To realize this, just take a walk through the streets of its capital or one of its small towns distributed on this archipelago: children everywhere, but the thing that amazed me and my travel companions most is the very high percentage of twins ( a secret in the diet or particular reproductive skills, of these descendants of the Vikings of Norwegian origin?).

However, the islands are beautiful, and more and more people are transforming them from a simple passage point to the more distant Iceland, into a destination for their holidays. A concentrate of nature, immersed in the North Atlantic, away from the mighty tourist flows that frequent the Scandinavian peninsula or begin to consider the beautiful land of ice further north. The road system is almost perfect, with a well-kept asphalt and in excellent condition. Although the temperatures are not very rigid, just think that even in winter the thermometer never drops below 3 °, for a healthy motorcycle practice the biggest problem is certainly due to their rainfall, even if the scenarios are always spectacular.

However, the problem can be solved with a good raincoat and some warm clothing!

Are you ready?

The arrival can take place from different directions, Great Britain, Norway or Denmark but the landing point will always be Tòrshavn, the capital of the archipelago, as well as the main and most populous city, located on the largest island, that of Stremoy. The town of about 15,000 inhabitants is located in the southern part, in a sheltered bay, of the island of Streymoy. The oldest part, very well preserved, is collected, needless to say, near the port, among ancient colored wooden houses and narrow streets. The first to arrive there were the Vikings, but it soon became an important market that greatly influenced its development. The seasonal trade area soon became permanent and the situation continued even under Danish rule which established a commercial monopoly that lasted until 1856, the year in which a free trade area was opened. This led to a very rapid development, transforming the village into a real city. A very interesting feature is that the historic buildings are original, as they have never been destroyed by natural disasters or fires, making it unique not only in the Faroes, but in the world.

It must be said that the 3 major islands (to which Eysturoy and Vagàr must be added), are connected by a bridge and an underground tunnel (paid and expensive! Dearest !!), so they can be easily visited.

Although not very large, you can collect and grind several kilometers, traveled by visiting its numerous villages sheltered in spectacular fjords.

Surely one of the most fascinating areas for the beauty of the roads and views offered, is the northern one of the island of Eysturoy. The narrow strip of asphalt that goes from Eidhi to Gjògv is one that leaves its mark in the memories of touring motorcycles: you travel high in the clouds, between blinding green meadows, lake basins with fjords that, several hundred meters further down, they push the North Sea inland for several kilometers.

Gjògv, among other things, will be our base, in the welcoming hostel of this tiny fishing village, famous for its cliffs in the north of the country, among the most beautiful in the archipelago (almost 200m), where it is also possible to admire different species of birds.

From here you can only go back to the dizzying crossroads from where, on the left, the colorful houses of Funningur look like polychromatic encrustations in defense of the greenery, at the entrance to the Funningsfiordur, much further down. The dive will be rapid and panoramic, but we would not want to inflate the term, to get to this handful of houses and travel the entire length of the fjord.

Another place that really impressed me and that I already knew from a previous visit was the small village of Saksun, located in the northern part of Streymoy.

In a small sheltered bay, reachable by a road which in terms of width is a real record even here in the Faroer, it is so narrow, a few houses with the typical roofs covered with peat, blend in with green meadows.

The Dùvugard farm, which also preserves original furnishings, has become a museum. The bay communicates with the open sea by means of a very narrow channel, and taking advantage of the low tide it is possible to walk up to the entrance.

Further north is Tjornuvik, the northernmost village on the island. Very close as the crow flies you will of course have to go back from Saksun to skirt the narrow Sundini channel that separates the 2 islands (Steymoy and Eysturoy) and at times it seems almost a calm river. If you want, you can visit Hvalvik, on the street, the oldest wooden church in the archipelago

Before arriving and entering another, yet another, spectacular fjord, it will be good to stop and turn towards Eidi, to see the two rocks of Risin and Kellingin. According to legend, 73 and 75 meters high respectively, they would be the remains of a failed attempt to tow and drag the islands to distant Iceland by a giant from those distant lands and his troll wife. Struck by the beauty of the places, the 2 decided to tow the promontory but discussed the ways until the sun captured them turning them into cliffs. Apart from the legends, this hidden corner is also of absolute scenic beauty, with the road that reaches it from above offering a superb view of the village surrounded by mountains from which dozens of waterfalls flow. The reflections of the lights on the water are truly incredible.

If you decide to also visit the island of Vagar, before taking the tunnel it is advisable to turn right towards Vestmanna, to visit (near Kvìvik), the interesting and well-preserved remains of a Viking farmhouse and be able to admire with a mini cruise the famous cliffs of the same name, 600 meters high.