Faroe Islands Sagas of Sandoy

Our first stop is Kirkjubø, the old cultural center of the Faroe Islands and one of the few places that can make you feel as if you’ve stepped back into the Middle Ages. We’ll take a short walk around this charming village and share stories about its historical events, myths, and legends that have connected Kirkjubø and Sandoy through the ages.

Skopun, only 9 km2, is the smallest municipality in the Faroe Islands. It was once famous for having the world’s largest mailbox. The record has been broken since, but the big 7.42-meter-tall blue mailbox is still a sight to see. It stands out in the village with its narrow streets. Before the tunnel, the harbor was the main connection between Streymoy and Sandoy. On a clear day, you can see the ferry port on Streymoy and Kirkjubø.

Between Sandsvatn, the third-largest lake in the Faroe Islands, and the sea, there’s a beautiful white sandy beach covered by mystical dunes. The area is home to several rare plants and insects not discovered elsewhere in the Faroe Islands. It’s a protected area, but we can still walk around. Research and excavations around Sandur suggest it could be the oldest village in the Faroe Islands, dating back to 200-300 AD, perhaps even earlier. On clear days, it is possible to see the island Skúvoy, known for its rich and varied bird population and designated a Ramsar area.

On the west side of the island, there’s a secluded and peaceful cove often occupied by seals. But when the weather turns bad, the waves crash fiercely against the bird cliffs. Several ships have run aground on the reefs off Søltuvík. On the single-lane road between Sandur and Søltuvík, we’ll encounter some interesting sights, like petrified imprints of bark and tree trunks in the basalt stone and a large rock dressed in colourful knitwear.

A 5-kilometer drive on a narrow road takes us to Skarvanes, Sandoy’s smallest village with about 10 residents. People have lived here since the 1400s, working the land and collecting driftwood. It’s also where Faroese visual art was first taken up. The view west towards Skúvoy and south to Stóra and Lítla Dímun are quite extraordinary, accompanied by rich bird life.

The small village of Dalur lies beautifully in an isolated valley, surrounded by high mountains. To get there, we must again navigate about 5 kilometres along a long, narrow, single-line road high up on the steep mountainside. Sometimes, however, the road is closed due to rockslides. It’s a beautiful place, but visiting depends on the weather and road conditions.

Long before we can see the village of Húsavík, we are greeted by its hallmark stone walls that mark the boundary between infields and outfields. In the village we find several old, stone-built houses, ruins, and plots that testify to settlements dating back to the Viking Age. In the centre there are remains of the farm that belonged to the powerful Guðrun Sjúrðardóttir, who also owned land as far away as Shetland. The village also has a charming east-facing beach, a popular playground for both the young and the old.

Skálavík is known for its large fields and scattered houses. It has a boarding school and will soon have a big salmon hatchery. The harbor area has a cozy café in an old building that used to be a store and post office. In summer, the village gets busier with people staying in caravans, summer houses, or the guesthouse, and kids playing along the stream.