To the north of Sandoy: A hike out to Trøllhøvdi

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Sandoy is the flattest island on the Faroe Islands, but in my opinion also one of the most charming and beautiful islands.

For our last Faroese adventure together, Amanda and I decided to go to Sandoy for a few days to visit an archaeological excavation and explore some of this beautiful island. I had visited Sandoy twice before back in 2015 and 2016, so it had been a while and going back sounded like a great idea.

On the same day that we had come back from our trip to Svínoy in the very northeast, we headed south on the ferry to Sandoy in the evening. The ferry docks in Skopun, the second-largest village on the island, but I had read online that there was a camp site in Sandur, so we decided to hitchhike to that village which is the biggest on the island. Hitchhiking went smoothly as it usually does on the Faroes and we were soon at the village church. There, we met a friendly inhabitant, a lonesome horse who we talked to for a while, before heading to the camp site by the harbour.

After our great camping experience on Svínoy, we didn’t expect anything to exceed that; but I must say that Sandur did! I mean, how awesome can a camp site be?! It had a warm and cozy living room, a kitchen with all facilities, toilets and shower and it was all FREE. We were stunned by how good (and free) it was!

We set up our tent outside the building and then spent the rest of the evening chilling in the warm living room while listening to the strong wind and rain on the outisde. At one point, we decided that since no one else was there and we would be sleeping in our clothes, it was okay for us to sleep on the sofas, so we did. We had our best night yet!

The next morning, we woke up to the sound of someone coming in. It turns out that the place is used for meetings every morning between all the elderly men in the village. How adorable is that!? They told us about the house which used to be a fishermen’s house but then was abandoned for several years before a couple bought it and turned it into a home. When they moved out, the municipality bought it and made it a public space for locals and travellers. I love the fact that they decided to do that for their citizens and the backpackers that make their way to Sandur, and all of it for free. It was so cozy there with our new friends that we almost didn’t want to leave!

But we had stuff we wanted to see and do that day, so after breakfast we headed to the excavation located beside the village church. My friend Andras worked there during the summer for several weeks with three other archaeologists, and since Amanda and I are both studying archaeology they invited us to join in for a while that day. It was fun trying to dig in Faroese soil – maybe one day that could be my job for the summer!

Next we wanted to explore the island further and head to the villages of Skálavík, Húsavík and Dalur, but hitchhiking to those tiny villages proved impossible as there were next to no cars going in that direction. Instead, we decided to hirchhike back to Skopun and go for a hike there instead.

I looked on the maps.me app to find a possible hiking trail and saw that it was possible to hike out to a viewpoint of the islet of Trøllhøvdi, which I’d only seen from afar before. We quickly got a ride to Skopun with a lovely couple who took us up to the north end of  the village so we could start our hike from there. We had to go directly north from there so it was easy to follow the route and there was no need for a map. After paying a quick visit to the world’s largest post box, which just happens to be located in Skopun, we set out for the hike.

We first came to a beautiful lake area with a few farms dotted across the land. One little turf-roofed house caught my attention as it was slightly hidden by the hills and looked like the perfect quiet spot.

We walked onwards, talking to the sheep that we met and dodging the birds that were trying to bite, warning us to stay away from their nests. The hike wasn’t long in km but it took quite a while because of the countless photo stops, as there were amazing views throughout!

But before we knew it, we were at the northernmost edge of Sandoy overlooking Trøllhøvdi. The view was just as great as I had hoped when I looked at the map!

On the way back, we went an easier and quicker way, although less scenic. We spent the time collecting sheep bones for Amanda’s interior decorating and actually found a skull and two jaws among others!

Sandoy had been a great time, but now it was time to head back to the mainland. We hitchhiked to Sandur to pick up our stuff and then back to Skopun just in time for the next ferry. Unfortunately, the day on Sandoy was Amanda’s last, so we headed to the airport on Vágar and spent the night camping right by the runway. That was quite an experience in itself! I, on the other hand, still had two more days left to visit my friends and hang out with another Danish friend on the island of Nólsoy, my favourite. Stay tuned for that story!

Guided tour of Sandoy

Sandoy is best explored by car or hitchhiking, but if that isn’t an option for you, you might want to consider going on this full-day tour of the island! It will take you to all the highlights and give you a unique insight into life on the island! Click here to read more!