Six weeks on Nólsoy: Writing my BA thesis on a tiny Faroese island

Ever since beginning my bachelor in Prehistoric Archaeology in 2016, I’ve been set on doing my education my own way. Most people take their entire education in one place at one university, and while there’s nothing wrong with doing it like that, that option is not for me. I get restless if I’m in the same place for too long, and quite frankly, it was really hard for me to stay put in Copenhagen.

Even after spending a semester in Nuuk, I didn’t want to return to my former city life, so I decided to write my bachelor’s thesis elsewhere. I was supposed to take another course while doing my thesis, but I decided to postpone the other course to the autumn, so I could travel while writing my thesis instead!

This decision was one of the best I’ve ever made. First of all, I didn’t have to move back to the city, and secondly, I got to travel to Scotland, Ukraine and the Faroe Islands. I actually “moved” to the tiny island of Nólsoy in the Faroe Islands to finish writing my thesis, although I was “only” there for six weeks. But still, I had a routine, I stayed in one house and I got to know the locals – I call that living.

Back in Greenland, I went on Facebook and searched for accommodation in the Faroe Islands, with a special wish for the island of Nólsoy. Within a few hours, a local woman had contacted me, offering me to stay in her summer house on Nólsoy for just 3000 DKK per month (cheaper than living in Copenhagen!). It was perfect, and so I booked my flights and headed out there on April 1st.

Nólsoy is one of the small islands in the country that can only be reached by ferry. However, Nólsoy’s convenient location across from Tórshavn, the nation’s capital, makes it a popular place to live. It’s home to 227 people, many of whom are artists, musicians and bird enthusiasts.

I lived in a small house right in the middle of the village. It’s a very traditional Faroese house with old furniture and pictures, and it even has a small pantry. It had everything I needed and more. Most of the time, I was alone in the house, but occasionally the family would come for a day or two. I made friends with the daughter, Randi, who works at Kaffistovan, one of the cafés in town. She also introduced me to some of her friends when we hung out at Maggie’s, the local music bar.

Although Nólsoy is tiny, it has a lot to offer. It has three cafés/bars; Gimburlombini, a quaint coffee and cake café which is also home to Visit Nólsoy, usually open from 10 AM to 5 PM; Kaffistovan, a traditional diner, which is usually open until 11 PM; and Maggie’s, a music bar which is open until the early hours of the morning in the weekends. There’s something for everyone at these three cafés!

Nólsoy also has a small shop with groceries and souvenirs, a school, a minigolf course, a beach, a sauna, a small local museum, a private animal museum, hundreds of sheep and a pet llama. Oh, and 16 adorable cats!

And not to forget – the many amazing hikes! Nólsoy has four mountain peaks, Eggjarklettur at 372 meters, Uppi á Manni at 352 meters, Skúvafjall at 234 meters and Líðarfjall at 152 meters. There’s a public hiking path that leads from the village and all the way to the lighthouse at Borđan on the southernmost end of the island. And then there are short hiking trails near the village, such as the rocky east coast and the northernmost end of the island. Every corner of Nólsoy is worth exploring.

Most of my time on Nólsoy was spent in the sofa writing my thesis or in the kitchen preparing food and baking. I actually did A LOT of baking there, mainly because the local shop often runs out of bread – and it’s fun to experiment!

Otherwise, I would enjoy the cafés, visit the museums or the llama and its sheep friend. And once I even attended a church service, just to see how it’s done in secluded Faroese communities.

Occasionally, I would head to the mainland either to visit friends in Vestmanna, Hoyvík or Toftir or to go grocery shopping. The easy connection to Tórshavn is such a nice thing about living on Nólsoy.

And on sunny days, I would either go for a long hike or on a short sunset hike near the village. My most memorable hikes were climbing Mt. Eggjarklettur on my first day, discovering the rocky east coast, going bird watching with a local bird enthusiast on the east coast and hiking to Borđan.

In general, life is pretty chilled out on Nólsoy and I really enjoyed my time there. It’s a serious candidate for my future home, that’s for sure!

Although I didn’t finish my thesis completely, I had to head back to Denmark on May 13th after spending six wonderful weeks on the island. I’m forever thankful for my time spent there, all the memories made and the people I met!

So what’s the next step for me?

Well, I have an exciting summer ahead of me with an excavation in Russia coming up in a few days, a week-long Stone Age festival, a month-long trip to Southern Europe and Morocco, some time at home in Eastern Jutland and a few weeks in Nuuk. I will hand in my thesis in August, and will take my last course from September to November, a ten-week internship at Ammassalik Museum in Tasiilaq, East Greenland! And after that, I’ll be done with my BA!!