Northern Islands
The Northern Islands (Faroese: Norðoyar or Norðoyggjar) are part of the Faroe Islands.
Understand
Islands
| Borðoy The largest and most populous of the six Northern Islands, which includes Klaksvík. Borðoy in many ways acts as the hub for the other five islands. |
| Fugloy The easternmost island of the Northern Islands. Fugloy translates to "bird island" in English, which is indeed true as the island's cliffs remains a large bird haven. |
| Kalsoy One of the larger islands not connected to the rest of the road network by bridge or tunnel. It is famous for Kallur Lighthouse and the James Bond Tombstone, the filming location of No Time to Die. |
| Kunoy One of the Faroes' more pristine islands in terms of vegetation as sheep has never been grazed here. |
| Svínoy Another relatively isolated island with no tunnel or bridge connection. Like Fugloy, its cliffs are an important area for seabirds. |
| Viðoy The northernmost island of the Faroes, home to Enniberg Cliff (elv. 750 m), which is Europe's second-tallest sea cliff. The mountains of Viðoy are also in general taller than their counterparts on other islands. |
Settlements
- 1 Klaksvík – a large town in Borðoy and the regional centre of the Northern Islands.
- 2 Hvannasund – ferry port. Together with Norðdepil across the sound it has some 400 inhabitants.
- 3 Trøllanes
(lit. Troll Peninsula) – the meat capital of the Faroes, found at the northern tip of Kalsoy. - 4 Viðareiði – a village in Vidoy, the northernmost settlement in the Faroe Islands
Visitor information
- visitnordoy.fo (official tourism website)
Get in
The road to the Northern Islands goes through the long Northern Islands tunnel (Norðoyatunnilin) from Eysturoy to Klaksvík on Borðoy. For cars, there is a toll for the tunnel (100 kr for a return trip).
Buses connect the islands with Tórshavn.
The road from Tórshavn to Viðareiði makes for the longest journey possible on the Faroe Islands without using a ferry. It involves several tunnels, including the Northern Islands Tunnel and two long single-carriageways ones with lay-bys for letting oncoming traffic pass.
Svínoy and Fugloy can be reached by a regular helicopter service from Klaksvík or by ferry from Hvannasund on the island Viðoy. Hvannasund can be reached by car or bus from Klaksvík via two mountain tunnels.
Get around
By bus
Buses connect Klaksvik with Viðareiði.
By ferry
In order to get to Kalsoy you need to take the car ferry M/F Sam from Klaksvík to Syðradalur. No advance reservation. During summer it is advisable to queue in the lane at least 1 hour prior to departure as the morning routes are very popular and the ferry can only accommodate around 12 cars. If you don't make it onto the ferry by car, you may leave your car in Klaksvík and enter the boat as passenger, since there is a public bus connected to all ferry arrivals and departures on Kalsoy. The ferry ride to Kalsoy takes around 20 minutes one way.
The small islands of Fugloy and Svínoy are connected to Hvannasund on Viðoy by a passenger ferry. The round trip (40 kr) lasts about 2 hours and is quite popular as it offers splendid views of the islands and their cliffs. You should make an advance reservation by calling ☏ +298 343000 (not possible on the day of travel).
Strandfaraskip Landsins, the Faroese public transport service, publishes an annual timetable (Ferðaætlan) containing details of all ferry and bus schedules.
See and do
Kalsoy
- 1 Kallur Lighthouse and the nearby 2 James Bond Tombstone are popular hiking destinations on the northern tip of Kalsoy, with the trail starting at Trøllanes. The James Bond Tombstone is where the scenes of No Time to Die were filmed. Be sure to have good hiking boots (ideally waterproof) and sticks, as it is very easy to trip and fall.
- 3 Kópakonan (The Seal Woman), Bakkavegur 16, Mikladalur (requires descending a set of stairs – this site is not wheelchair-accessible). A stature of a seal woman, which has a lot of significance in Faroese folktale.
- 4 Borgarin. Perhaps the most prominent mountain in northern Kalsoy and also the most easily accessible one, this mountain, with an elevation of 537 m (1,762 ft), gives excellent views of Trøllanes immersed in a sea of green.
Kunoy
Although Kunoy is road-accessible, it is rather mountainous yet very narrow, which has resulted in only two active settlements on the island today. Haraldssund on the east coast and the settlement of Kunur on the west coast. They are connected via a 3100-metre one-lane road tunnel.
- 5 Kúvingafjall, with an elevation of 830 m, is the highest peak on Kunoy.
- 6 Skarð. An abandoned settlement accessible via a 3-hour hike from Haraldssund or via a mountain pass from the settlement of Kunoy. It lies as-is today because a snowstorm killed 7 able-bodied men on the Christmas Eve of 1913, which forced the town's remaining residents to move to either Kunoy or Haraldssund.
Viðoy
- Moorings on both sides of Viðareiði – what a contrast! On one side, where the church is, the Atlantic is placid; on the other it's like – the Atlantic!
- 7 Viðareiði Kirkja (Viðareiði Church), Kirkjugøta 10, Viðareiði. Although this is similar to most other churches on the islands, it's worth seeing for its silver, which includes a salver presented by the British Government for help to sailors rescued from a wreck in the mid-19th century.
- 8 Cape Enniberg , one of the highest sea cliffs in Europe, 754 m, by Viðareiði.
- Villingardalsfjall - Enniberg hiking trail – starting at the northern tip of Garðsvegur in the town of Viðareiði, Vidoy, it's a small off-the-beaten-path hiking trail.
Eat and drink
The only places where you can eat at an establishment is in Klaksvík. Viðareiði had two eateries, but they both permanently closed. Café Eðge in Mikladalur (on Kalsoy) is, as of April 2024, temporarily closed; it is expected to reopen on 3 May 2024.
Sleep
Cottages. Hotel Klaksvík (see Klaksvík#Sleep).
- 1 Hotel Norð, Eggjarvegur 1, Viðareiði, ☏ +298 451244, booking@hotelnord.fo.. The main hotel of Viðoy, the northernmost of all islands of the Faroes. The hotel itself is not that large, but it's also situated in a small town. 900-2500 kr per night.