A sunset walk in Strendur, perhaps the prettiest village on Eysturoy

Eysturoy, the second-largest island of the Faroe Islands, is a popular roadtrip destination, but for some reasons, people seem to flock to the north and forget about the south. Villages like Gjógv, Eiði and Funningur are overrun with tourists, especially in the summer season, and I am no better myself. I’ve visited these villages up north countless times. I have of course also visited some of the villages in the southern part of the island but until two years ago, I’d never set foot in Strendur – and I still haven’t been to Selatrað! You’d be surprised by the beautiful of these villages. Sure, the mountains are lower than in the north, but that just means you’ll have better vistas.

A family I’ve known for many years moved to Strendur a few years ago, and although they have since moved across the fjord to Toftir, I did get to visit them twice while they still lived there. Last summer, I spent an evening walking around Strendur with their dog Chelsea. We walked all the way out to the peninsula Raktangi which marks the southern end of the westside of the Skálafjørður fjord. With a population of around 800 souls, Strendur is the largest village on this side of the fjord. It has recently been connected with the capital city of Tórshavn and Runavík on the other side of the fjord with a tunnel that is famous for having the world’s first underwater roundabout. Driving through is a very special experience indeed!

It was a beautiful evening for a walk, calm and bathed in sunset colours. We made it all the way out to the edge of Raktangi before the sun bid farewell. Nólsoy out in the distance looked gorgeous from this fresh angle, as did the low mountains on both sides of us.

The fact that it took me ten trips to the Faroe Islands to finally visit Strendur is beyond me! I love that the country keeps on surprising me with its beauty. Some may say that the sceneries aren’t very varied, and in some ways, they are right, but if you look beyond the typical beaten track, you might just be amazed. Strendur, for one, is definitely worth a visit. In fact, I think it’s even more beautiful than its more famous siblings up north!