Faroes

Ever since hearing the shipping forecast with ‘Faroes South Easterly force 7 increasing to 10’ there has been an inclination to visit these far flung islands half way to Iceland. We were fortunate to be joined by Michael (who had been picked as part of a refereeing squad for an international touch rugby competition in Nottingham) and Natalie (who was undestandaby keen not to be left behind). As a result we had a beautiful new 4 bedroom unit where wooden finishes were the order of the day together with a spectacular view over the capital Torshavn and nearby island Nolsoy. 

The first couple of days were glorious with blue sky and sea as well as green mountains dominating the greyer town. However, weather changes were frequent and these colours quickly gave way to grey when 5 metre visibility fog descended.

Helen had undertaken some planning and ensured our first trip was to a distillery so we could pick up something for our evening aperitif. After our third sampling sitting was appropriate.

One unusual aspect of this distillery were the conference tables that had been imaginatively sculptured and interwoven into a simple10 piece jigsaw.

We then moved down the road to a museum. This was fascinating and covered a wide range of topics including the various minerals that make up the basalt rock. One which I had not previously encountered was Mesolitt. The crystals are so fine.

The Faroes comprises 18 islands of which 16 are inhabited with a population of 54,000 (and half as many again sheep!). Many of the islands are joined by (in some cases) long road tunnels which although expensive has ensured connectivity. This in turn has made tourism more attractive and stopped the exodus of younger people.

One claim to fame is the only subsea roundabout in the world! (©Michael Halling photography – I was driving!)

A second ‘must’ was to see puffins. There was a small boat tour on offer which left from Vestmanna on the West coast of the main island. Hydro and fishing were clearly a foundation of this town.

There is a strong current between the islands of Streymoy and Vagar which was ideal for testing a prototype power generator. Although colourful we were reliably advised testing was not going so well….

The puffin trip included a few visits to some grottoes. This from my experience was quite a hairy experience as the swell was high and entering, turning around and exiting did not include much clearance to the adjoining 100-metre-high cliffs. I could have taken a movie but the other team participants with lesser sea legs would not appreciate the movement!

Sailing through this arch was a unique experience.

Although puffins were in abundance and easily differentiated in flight given their frenetic flapping, the best close ups were when we were on firm ground.

There were thousands of them – on land

And at sea.

After all that movement some down to earth shore entertainment was needed and we took the short ferry ride to Nolsoy.

and walked to Maggies where we enjoyed dinner with some jazz.

A major reason to visit the Faroes was to undertake some walks. The first was a short one to a waterfall on the NW of Vagar. Michael had brought along his latest toy – a drone. It was an exciting trip as the wind was strong and its small size ensured it was quickly out of sight. Nowadays that is not an issue as the sophisticated software included a welcome return to base button.

Our first serious walk was to the lighthouse on Kalsoy. We left the village of Trollanes (population 10) and started a quite steep climb.

After a few muddy and slippery sections, we ended up at the lighthouse and were rewarded with a wonderful rainbow springing from the headland.

Walking slightly further along the SW cliff edge we arrived at James Bond’s tombstone (No Time to Die). Michael looks particularly pleased at visiting this given he has the whole suite of Bond movies…

The view back to the lighthouse helps with appreciating the height and sheerness of the cliffs.

We had travelled on the ferry across to Kalsoy and taken a bus up the island. On the way back we had an hour stop over at Mikladalur (population 50!). Here there is a statue of the Seal Woman. The background really shows the ‘layered cake’ effect of the islands.

Fishing has long been the main industry on the islands and now it includes farming. I wonder if the fish farmers really appreciate their dramatic surroundings.

Our second hike was to ‘infinity lake’. The height of the cliffs was really mind blowing. This photo is some 50 metres above sea level. As you progress round the cliff it easily doubles that height. You can just see some hikers at the top. Coupled with wind gusts it really got the pulse racing!

The goal for the walk was at the end of the lake where it seems to meld with the sea. A natural infinity pool.

In reality there is quite a drop and substantial waterfall (which can just be differentiated from the large breakers).

Just down the road from the unit was a new church (2007). Its standout white shape made heading back to the unit easy.

Although the exterior was relatively bland the internal lighting, woodwork and windows were particularly warm and appealing.

Over the years a major industry was whaling and we had the opportunity to visit a defunct station. It certainly was a brutal industry for all involved. From the initial spears, harpoon guns were developed that fired exploding audinence – a one shot kill.

Blubber was boiled down into oil. There were huge boilers involved all nicely wrapped in loose and fraying asbestos! In Australia the whole building would have been wrapped in plastic with no chance of visitors!

Whales were dragged up the flensing station using winches. There is also one on the side so they could be rolled over. Fortunately, the 80 year old industry ceased in 1985 and now whale numbers are slowly on the increase.

A 10.8 km tunnel to the South Island of Sandoy was recently completed (opened Dec 2023) and that enabled a quick trip to ‘seal bay’. Although the drone was probably a new experience for this large seal it did not seem to phase him one bit.

Our timing at the Faroes was perfect as the last two days fell on the annual national holiday. Here most locals went about in National costume and were happy to show off.

There was the expected parade and brass band.

But the main attraction was boat racing which carried on throughout the day. The locals clearly found this an exciting affair with many yelling on their teams. The entry gates in the afternoon had large queues and I suspect nearly all of the population was in attendance.

In the background to the above you can see the headland where the town was first established including many grass rooftops. They may appear quaint but living in these small buildings would have been a very cosy affair.

And the national holiday concluded our week on the Faroes. Truly a hardy people with wind and overcast skies the ‘norm’. We did wake up to zero visibility fog/rain on a couple of days – and this was the height of summer! At least daylight hours were long. I am not sure winter would have much appeal. 

 

Newcastle and Lindisfarne (NE England)

This year our sojourn to the Northern hemisphere was a few days earlier than originally planned as there was an opportunity to catch up with best man Steve and his lovely wife Jilly. It turns out our last catch up was 8 years ago. Newcastle was their penultimate port of call on a North Atlantic cruise to ‘cool’ places and a town we have never visited. Hence, an opportunity not to be missed.

At Steve’s insistence the day started with a ‘full English’. What was clear was our appetites are not what they used to be. We didn’t need feeding for the rest of the day!

Just down the road from breakfast was a beautiful shopping arcade. The walls, particularly the upstairs shops were covered in tiles. Many were ‘one-offs’. An extraordinary and flamboyant finish.

Of course the cathedral church of St Nicholas had to be different as well. This remarkable tower has over 500 years served many purposes including as a navigational aid. The spire was also uniquely adorned on each side by an unusually colourful clock. These were clearly synchronised as both were stopped on the wrong time.

Inside was also unusual. All the pews had been removed (and subsequently replaced by stackable chairs) to enable the installation of under floor heating. The result - an open warm area to enable all sorts of activities to occur such as concerts - and converting an historical underused monument into contemporary use. A recipe likely to be repeated elsewhere.

Just down the road from the cathedral is the old castle which, when it was new, gave the town its name.

Continuing down the hill we eventually arrived at the river where a wide variety of bridges awaits. The red foreground is the 1876 swing bridge whilst in the background there is the Millennium pedestrian bridge. The latter rotates around a vertical axis so the arch and deck move towards the horizontal and enable sufficient clearance for shipping.

On the (right) South bank is the Baltic centre for contemporary art. This shiny building was even more sparkly than normal as if you look closer you can see three abseiling window cleaners. 

On the drive up we had seen a well-known sculpture which we all agreed needed a closer inspection. The ‘Angel of the North’ is a reminder of 200 years of coal mining in the dark. It is also meant to change the focus from the industrial past to the new information age and overcome past fears with future hope.

At 20 metres it is some four double decker buses tall and the 54 metre wingspan is close to that of a jumbo jet. We have a maquette at the National art gallery in Canberra which we pass whenever we walk around Lake Burley Griffin,

And with future hope that the next catch up interval will be much smaller we took Steve and Jilly back to their cruise ship. As for us well – Lindisfarne is only a quick 1½ hourndrive to the North so the next day we found ourselves at the Priory and church of St Mary. What a dramatic series of arches. Given the lean of many of the walls it is amazing they are still standing. If you look closely through the right window you can see the castle in the distance.

There was a pleasant walk out to the fort which some took in their stride.

In the early 1900 the fort was reconfigured into (for those days) upmarket accommodation. I am not sure being in a blowy and wet promontory is my idea of a holiday but some clearly saw the appeal. Mind you the view from the ramparts back to the priory were certainly worth the climb.

At the back of the castle were some large lime kilns. This was a substantial operation which started in the 1860s and went through to the early 20thC.  

The surrounding fields had the usual sheepish occupants who, on this occasion, appeared quite possessive. This is our water trough – what do you want? 

And in an isolated small stone walled square was the garden – unusually some 500 metres away from the fort. The wild flowers however did present a colourful foreground to a different side of the fort.

However, Lindisfarne is probably best known for the fact that it can only be accessed during low tide. You can walk across – but clearly not all of the time…

Or you can drive across where the slight increase in road level allows crossing over a slightly longer period than the path. It ensures a stay of at least five hours – so a literally captured tourist trade. That fact made it hard to figure out why the café closed to enable servers to head back to the mainland….!