Documenting the Faroes day 1 - Gjogv and Bøsdalafossur waterfall
In October 2021 I had the pleasure of revisiting the Faroe Islands for the second time and what a trip this was!
We’ve arrived in Tórshavn on the evening of 13th of October. The wind was quite strong that day so it took the pilot three attempts to land the plane, but that’s pretty normal in Faroe Islands so don’t be surprised if this happens to you. The next day we got straight into it by waking up early in the morning and traveling to the gorgeous village of Gjogv.
On the road to Gjógv
Now please remember that this was October. In theory we knew what we were doing when choosing this time of year, but in reality the weather was way more dramatic then expected. It was crazy windy and raining a lot of the time. I’m not sure how about Iain and Chris, but I had a great time nevertheless. Along the way to Gjógv we’ve already had few opportunities to admire the gorgeus landscapes of the Faroe Islands and no rain was going to stop us from taking photos!
Let me be clear about one thing: I don’t know what led you here and what are you looking for in Gjógv, but it’s not a party town. Although we had a great time, for a casual everyday traveler there might not be that much to do. We went there for the old Viking port. This is definitely the highlight of the village (though we’ve stumbled across another one by accident) and I highly recommend visiting it.
Viking port in Gjógv
It’s a great idea to not rush your visit in this village. There are three great viewpoint surrounding the port and it takes probably a bit over an hour to see and enjoy all of them properly. There’s the obvious one inside the port, pictured above. There’s one above the port, where it exits into the sea. That spot gives you a fantastic view of the ocean, port and the whole village itself!
View of Gjógv from above the harbour (photo taken in 2018)
And then there is the viewpoint at the very end of the village… a viewpoint that I personally never got to and I don’t think it’s that dramatic, but maybe you will and you’ll be able to share a photo of it with me! ;)
Map of Gjógv including information on where to park (red) and where to walk (blue)
As you can see above the views were incredible and totally worth getting wet a bit!
After we’ve finished admiring the picturesque harbour, we’ve started making our way towards the car with the though of driving almost straight to Trælanípan, but on our way through Gjógv we’ve stumbled across a shed where a farmer was making his winter preparations and slaughering some of his sheep for winter supplies for himself and the family. In the interest of full disclousure I’m a country boy myself, I grew up in a small town in Poland and this was something very familiar to me. It kind of made me feel at home. Even more so as the farmer in question allowed us to have a walk around, take some photos and started explaining the entire process and reasoning behind it. He owned a lot of sheep, but as the winters in the Faroe Islands tend to be quite strong and it might be difficult to get supplies, every year he needs to sacrifice few of them to feed his family and friends. Quite incredible!
I was really hoping for more situations like this one to happen! It was quite amazing how opened the people were to us during this trip.
As such after this encounter we’ve started making our way towards the hike to Trælanípan and the Bøsdalafossur waterfall stoping numerous times along the way!
When we’ve finally arrived at the parking spot for the Trælanípan hike, I was quite surprised by the fact that nowadays you have to pay for it. It’s not expensive, just 200 kr (which is about £20), but it took me by surprise due to the fact that this was all publicly accessible land the last time I was there. I have to honestly say that this hike is worth the price. When we got there the sky started clearing up a little and we’ve enjoyed the incredible views of the Faroe Islands.
The way to the Trælanípan and Bøsdalafossur waterfall
The hike towards the lake and waterfall is not a challenging one and should take longer then and hour and a half. Plus it ends with some incredible views which make the journey worth it even more! Now when you’ll arrive there do take the time to go up the stairs first and enjoy the view from the top of the 142 meters tall cliffs of the Slave Mountain (that’s what Trælanípan means) and then make your way down towards the waterfall. The views across both are incredible!
View from Trælanípan
towards the Sørvágsvatn lake
At the Bøsdalafossur waterfall
That’s it for our day 1 in the Faroe Islands! On day 2 we’re making our way towards Kalsoy, Mikladalur and the gorgeous area of Saksun so stay tuned and don’t forget to sign up for that newsletter!
I’ll see you on the trail!
Simon