On top of the Faroe Islands: Climbing Slætteratindur at 880 m

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On Good Friday, we were blessed with a blue sky and the most beautiful light here on the Faroe Islands. Solveig, Mikkel and I decided to drive up to the northern part of Eysturoy, where we toured the mountain road connecting Eiði with Gjógv. Midway, we stopped to climb to the top of the Faroe Islands – to the summit of Slætteratindur, the highest mountain in the country at 880 meters. I’ve attempted to climb that mountain multiple times, but every time I got there, it was foggy. But this day was perfect!

The mountain road is incredibly beautiful, and one of the best places in the Faroe Islands to see many sights on one stretch. We stopped several times to take pictures of beautiful landmarks, before approaching Slætteratindur and the hundreds of people who had also chosen to hike up the mountain on that glorious day.

It was rather windy that day, but we figured we’d be more sheltered once we were closer to the mountain, so we didn’t let it stop us. We set off at the beginning of the trail at 12 AM and started walking up, passing many tourists on the way. The path goes literally straight up the mountain, so it was a tough but rather quick hike. We took several breaks during the hike, but I think we were pretty fast!

The hike is classified as one of the easier hikes on the Faroe Islands (despite it being the tallest mountain!), and we saw several children and parents carrying babies hiking up. We also saw people in sneakers, although they didn’t seem to enjoy themselves too much!

The light on the mountains surrounding us was astonishing, so beautiful and pale in the soft haze. It couldn’t have been a more perfect day for photography.

After pushing ourselves up the mountain, we finally came to a ridge near the summit. However, the path seemed to end and the only way to get further up was to climb over some rocks. It was extremely windy, so we were worried it would be too dangerous to go all the way to the summit, but I thought it would be a shame to get so close and then not complete the climb.

So I decided to follow a local girl who knew the way and assured me it would be safe, while Solveig and Mikkel waited for me below the summit. The climb up to the summit was surprisingly easy and the wind not too strong, so I managed to get up there with the help of the local girl! I don’t know if I would’ve dared to go without her, but I’m so glad I actually got there in the end. I have a dream of climbing all mountains on the Faroe Islands, and to me it doesn’t count if the summit is not reached. Now I can cross another one off the list. The view from the summit was amazing despite the haze. I could see many islands, although I didn’t have time to study the map like I usually do as I had to hurry back to Solveig and Mikkel so they wouldn’t freeze while waiting for me.

Once I got back down to them, we started climbing back down the mountain. The wind had gotten stronger, so we often had to stop to hold onto rocks in order to not be blown off the mountain side. Solveig had a little incident where she almost fell, but managed to keep herself on the trail – thank goodness for that!

Thankfully, the trail is quite large and very well-trodden, so we never really felt any danger despite the strong wind. The climb back down was very fast – we could almost run down the mountain towards the end! 2 hours and 24 minutes after we had started the climb, we were back in the car! It wasn’t a long hike at all, despite being at the very top of the country.

How to climb Slætteratindur

Drive to the parking lot on the mountain road between Eiði and Gjógv. It’s quite easy to find, especially on a good day where there’ll be many cars parked. Climb over the fence on a small ladder and follow the path up. The path is very well-trodden and easy to follow.

Just before you get to the summit, you’ll reach a ridge where the path ends and you’ll have to climb some rocks. Be very careful especially in windy and/or wet weather. The summit itself is a large flat platform with cairns, so you won’t be in doubt when you reach it!

Climb back down the same way and be careful not to slip on the pebbles.

For a guided tour up Slætteratindur, see here!