Back on the Faroes: A sunset hike to Klovningur on Vágar

I left my job on Lolland behind on June 30^th, and two days later, I was off to the Faroe Islands for my 12^th visit. If you haven’t guessed it by now, I am totally and utterly in love with the Faroe Islands. So much that I can’t imagine a year going by without setting foot in the country, without climbing some of its many mountains, without drinking the cleanest water on earth straight from a stream, and without seeing the friends that I’ve made there over the years. So, it was only natural that the Faroe Islands was my first destination when I could finally travel again. When the world had finally opened up slightly.

It was my first time flying in eight months. Not that I’ve missed flying or spending hours in airports, but I have missed the feeling of arriving at the destination, the feeling of seeing fresh horizons and breathing in unfamiliar air. Okay, maybe I can’t call the Faroe Islands unfamiliar anymore, but to me, it’s still as magical as ever when I land there. It still makes me excited, so much that I jumped for joy when I left the airport after the mandatory Covid-19 test. We had just had an almost cloud-free landing, revealing the beauty of these isolated and rugged islands in the North Atlantic, and now I was heading into the sunny lands with a heat I’ve only rarely experienced in the Faroe Islands before. 15 °C! It doesn’t sound like a lot, but combined with no wind and full-on sun, it was definitely t-shirt weather!

I caught the bus to Giljanes Hostel, my favourite hostel in the world, where my friend Lucie was waiting for me with Felix the Cat in her arms. Felix lives in the hostel and Lucie is his best friend. She used to work there, which is how I got to know her last October when I stayed in the hostel for a month.

Kristjan, the owner of the hostel, has become a friend of mine, and welcomed me to stay for however long I want. I love the place so much; it’s got a special atmosphere you won’t find elsewhere on the Faroe Islands.

I spent that first day hanging out with Lucie, Kristjan and Felix, and sitting outside in the sun, something that is impossible most days of the year here. When the clock struck 10 PM and it was still light out, I spontaneously decided to go for a hike, my first of (hopefully) many on this trip. The sun was going to set 1,5 hour later, and I knew the perfect place to see day turn to dusk. That place is called Klovningur, and it’s a small sea stack near the famous Trøllkonufingur.

It’s a rather unknown spot, in fact, I’ve never seen pictures of it before. I discovered it in October together with Lucie after looking at a map in search of Vágar’s sea stacks. We weren’t sure it would be possible, but we decided to try to get as close to it as possible. It required some steep downhill climbing, but we did manage to get right up close to it for a very unique view that was much better than expected. We could see Trøllkonufingur from there as well, from a different angle than we’d been used to seeing it. It was truly special.

Well, for my sunset hike, I returned to that spot. I walked slowly through Sandavágur, taking in the views of the prettiest church in the Faroe Islands – the Lego Church, as the locals call it – which was reflected beautifully in the tiny lake in front of it.

As I hiked further up above the village centre, the sun disappeared beneath the mountains in the distant west, and pink and purple colours emerged on the sky. The island of Koltur in front of me was beautifully bathed in soft sunset colours, as were the islands of Sandoy and Skúvoy in the distance beyond Koltur.

Shortly after 11 PM, I started hiking down towards the sea stack with just fifteen minutes to go before sunset. But it didn’t really matter as it never truly gets dark during the summer in the Faroe Islands. So I took my time.

I watched every step as the way down is steep, and it was slippery from recent rain. And then the sea stack revealed itself in all its glory. I grabbed my new camera and changed the lens to a wide-angle, and it made all the difference for my photos. I spent a while capturing the sea stack and enjoying the ocean views as the pink and purple colours disappeared and were replaced by dark blue hues.

Then it was time to return to the road and head back to the hostel. But what should’ve been an easy hike back with only a little ascending, became rather difficult due to my own stupidity. I’d left my jacket and scarf in the grass halfway down the hill as I was hot, and now I couldn’t find them again…

It took some attempts, going up and down the hill, tiring myself out and swearing at myself for not noticing where I’d left them, but I was eventually reunited with my outerwear. And thank goodness for that, because the beautiful sunshine disappeared the next day, and instead, the country was engulfed in thick, cold fog.

As I headed back through Sandavágur and towards the hostel, I thought to myself how grateful I am for my curiosity. Without it, I never would’ve found this spot, and I would’ve missed out on a pretty special sunset.

I arrived back past 1 AM and it was still light out, but dreamland was calling.

How to find the Klovningur sea stack

The Klovningur sea stack is often overlooked as people flock to the nearby Trøllkonufingur, but getting to the sea stack is even more of an adventure!

The hike begins on the highest road in Sandavágur, Traðarvegur, which becomes the footpath Úti á Trøð. Follow the path almost to its end to a bench ca. 50 metres from the gate that leads to the viewpoint for Trøllkonufingur. Then hike down towards the ocean. You’ll be able to stand right above the sea stack and watch the waves crash against it. Just take care as it’s steep and slippery, and don’t go too near the edge.

For a faraway view, the sea stack can be seen from the pier at Giljanes, on the way up Ravnsfjall (for directions, see here) or alternatively from above by climbing halfway up Krosstindur, the mountain above Trøllkonufingur (for directions, see here).