October was an incredible month for me. I spent the entire month on the Faroe Islands and hiked more kilometers than ever before, 455,5 km in all to be precise. It was a slow month, but in a good way. I experienced so much in such a short amount of time that the beginning of the month feels like an eternity ago!
My first Coronaera flight
As much as I wanted to avoid flying during this pandemic (and generally want to limit my flights because of emissions), I had some vouchers from Atlantic Airways from a cancelled trip back in April that I needed to use. And because I was flying to the Faroe Islands where all travellers are required to take a Covid-19 test upon arrival, it was a safe option for me.
It was a strange experience though. The airport was almost empty. And we’re not talking some small airport in the middle of nowhere. This was Copenhagen Airport, the (usually) busiest airport in Northern Europe, deserted. I went through security straight away and then just spent my waiting time wandering around the quiet airport where most of the shops were closed.
The plane was quite empty too, and I think I was the only tourist. I only heard Faroese being spoken. It was strange to be up in the air again, something I haven’t done since March (I know that’s not a big deal for most people, but for me that’s a long time). Arriving at Vágar Airport just after a gorgeous sunset, I picked up my luggage and went to the queue for testing. It took seconds. A local woman stuck a giant swab down my throat and then I was off. I received my result in the night – negative, as was everyone else on the flight.
Six days later, I had another test in Tórshavn, also negative. This one isn’t mandatory but is recommended for those staying more than a week due to the incubation period of Covid-19, which is on average 5-6 days.
Settling on Vágar – my home for the month
This was my 11th visit to the Faroe Islands. Crazy right!?
With two negative Covid-19 tests behind me, I was free to do whatever I wanted for the rest of the month. This time, I’d decided to focus on the island of Vágar. I wanted to see everything, explore every village in depth, hike every trail and climb every mountain. I almost succeeded – I climbed 35 out of 41 mountains and hiked all trails except for two. But I don’t mind – it’s just a wonderful excuse to spend more time on the island next time I’m on the Faroe Islands!
I’ve decided that I want to explore all of the 18 Faroese islands in depth, and I plan on spending at least a month on each inhabited island (maybe except for Koltur and Stóra Dímun as these are only home to one family each). The choice this month fell on Vágar for two reasons. 1. It’s one of my favourite islands with lots of spots I’ve always dreamt of visiting. 2. It has the cheapest hostel in the entire country!
That hostel is Giljanes Hostel, located at the edge of Sandavágur. I paid just 95 DKK per night and the rate included A CAT! Could it be any better?? Felix and I became the best of friends, and I also met wonderful people at Giljanes and saw some incredible sunsets from my bedroom window! Giljanes was the perfect base for my explorations of Vágar.
Endless adventures on Vágar
Going to the Faroe Islands in off-season and during a pandemic, I was expecting to be alone at the hostel. I thought I would hike alone every day, but boy was I wrong. I did go for some solo hikes and mountain climbs, but for the majority, I was joined by some of the amazing people that Giljanes Hostel introduced me to plus Johanne who I met on the trail between Miðvágur and Vatnsoyrar!
Choosing a favourite adventure is difficult. They were all incredible, honestly. I discovered new gorgeous spots at the edge of Lake Leitisvatn, hiked above the heart-shaped lake of Vatnsdalsvatn – twice, attempted to climb the highest mountain on the island (and failed! *will return*), climbed the steep mountains above Miðvágur, hiked the old postman’s trail from Bøur to Gásadalur, kayaked on Lake Leitisvatn, hiked out to the Dunnesdrangar sea stacks, hiked the popular trail to the Drangarnir sea stacks FOR FREE, discovered snow and ice as I climbed the five mountains above Trøllkonufingur, hiked the cairn trail from Oyrargjógv to Sørvágur and went waterfall chasing during a storm.
But I will say that the biggest achievement was trekking 50 km with Lars from Gásadalur to Slættanes to Sandavágur over two days (incl. camping in the wilderness!), closely followed by a 26 km hike with Lucy along Lake Fjallavatn and across six mountains (a personal record for both of us!) and a 21 km hike from Gásadalur to the abandoned village of Víkar and back again all by myself!
Visiting friends on Streymoy and Eysturoy
While I definitely spent over 90 % of the month on Vágar, I did take a few trips to the two biggest islands in the country, Streymoy and Eysturoy, to visit some of my friends. I spent a lovely evening with the Bahá’í community in Toftir, spent an afternoon with Ása and Erling in their new apartment in Tórshavn (with the best view in the city, not kidding!), attended 10-year-old Karstin Otto’s birthday party in Strendur and visited his family and crazy dog Alex for an overnight stay.
I can’t go to the Faroe Islands without visiting these incredible people. I’ve known most of them for years and I love catching up whenever I’m there!
Destinations visited in October 2020
- Hov and Copenhagen Airport, Denmark
- Vágar, Streymoy and Eysturoy, Faroe Islands
Highlights
- Just about every hiking adventure I had on Vágar – seriously, all of them were highlights of this month! If I have to pick three (less is impossible), I’d say the Slættanes trek, the six mountains hike and the Víkar hike!
- Seeing my Faroese friends again after 1,5 years!! I’ll never let that much time pass again before I return to the Faroe Islands!
- FELIX! Oh, how I miss that big boy!
- Meeting Lucy, Daniel, Lars, Johanne and John. They truly made this month one of my favourites yet!
Challenges
- The second Covid-19 test HURT and made me cough like crazy, haha! I could hardly feel the first test, but that second one… Ouch!
- I overstrained my legs a few times – but it’s no wonder! Thankfully, it went over quickly so I could continue my endless hiking!
Most popular post
- Welcome to Vágar: I’m spending October on the Faroe Islands – A very popular post about my experience with flying during a pandemic and settling into hostel life on Vágar
The other posts
- My September 2020: A perfect trip to Helgoland – Another wonderful month was September, back when Germany was still open to Danes!
- The pastel city: Discovering Lisbon, Portugal’s charming capital – The long-awaited post about my summer 2019 visit to Lisbon!
- Mountains above Lake Leitisvatn: Finding the undiscovered in a touristy area – My first hike in October was a looong one, across four mountains and a hill!
- Stralsund and Dänholm: Hanseatic charm on the Baltic Sea – All about the gorgeous city that my family and I stayed in for our summer holiday this year!
- A rainy day on the mountain slopes: Hiking from Miðvágur to Vatnsoyrar – The shortest hike I did this month!
Most popular Instagram picture
This series of pictures from my first of two hikes above the heart-shaped lake of Vatnsdalsvatn received lots of love!
Coming up in November 2020
I landed in Denmark yesterday!
I’m spending the first two weeks of the month at home with my family in East Jutland (including – hopefully – an adventure with my mum!), and then I’m making a big move. I’ve got a new job and a new place to stay (an Airbnb, but I’m hoping to find an apartment soon) on Lolland, a Danish island which is about as far away from my home as you can get!
I’ve never been to Lolland or the many tiny islands around it, so I’m very excited to explore this part of Denmark! I also can’t wait to start my new job. I’ll be working on an excavation and getting paid for it for the first time in my life (before it’s been volunteer work). It will be such an exciting move!
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