The distant Faroe Islands are far away! Within the awe-inspiring North Atlantic archipelago that feels like the edge of the world

People in the Faroe Islands don’t just take regular taxis or buses. Here in the North Atlantic, they also stop by their local helipad, board a helicopter and, after a few dizzying minutes flying above the dramatic scenery of the 18 islands, are dropped off at their destination. The price? Only £25 each way.

That may sound like something bizarre, but this is a bizarre place. It feels like you are standing on the edge of the world: an archipelago, between Scotland and Iceland, where jagged cliffs rise like witches’ fingers from the water and where the sheep are in the minority.

It has been an autonomous region of the Kingdom of Denmark since 1948.

Fishing is the main industry. There is a controversial practice of whaling known as grindadrap. It is also famous for its puffin colonies and oyster catchers.

Getting here is made easier by Atlantic Airways’ new direct flight from Gatwick, which operates weekly from June to the end of August, but you can go via Edinburgh or Copenhagen at any time.

During a tour of the Faroe Islands, an autonomous region in the Kingdom of Denmark, Laura Sharman visits the town of Klaksvik on the island of Bordoy (photo)

Reaching the Faroe Islands has been made easier by Atlantic Airways’ new direct flight from Gatwick

Shortly after landing at Vagar Airport, my partner Thomas and I drive towards the capital Torshavn, where almost half of the total population of 53,444 lives.

We cross from one island to another via a sea tunnel, before being released into a fjord where cows graze on mossy slopes and lonely huts cling to the edge.

Our path is lit by what seems like daybreak, but when we look at the clock, it is midnight. This leaves us speechless until we reach the grass-roofed Hotel Foroyar, overlooking Torshavn harbour.

“Just wait until tomorrow,” the receptionist says. ‘Are you heading to the Northern Isles? They are the most spectacular.’

Torshavn (seen here) is the capital of the Faroe Islands and is home to almost half of the total population of 53,444 inhabitants

Laura checks into the grass-roofed Hotel Foroyar (pictured), which overlooks Torshavn harbour

We discover this the next day at 9:00 am when we take another sea tunnel to the island of Bordoy.

At its end looms the world’s only undersea roundabout, known as ‘the Jellyfish’ for its dancing blue lights and domed roof.

As we enter the town of Klaksvik, we prepare for the 400-meter climb to Klakkur Mountain. This 90-minute route offers spectacular views and when you reach the top you will almost be blown away.

Towards the northern tip of Bordoy lies the abandoned 14th century village of Muli. It attracts more visitors today as a ghost town than it did as a living community when, even at its peak, it had just 25 residents. In the 17th century it was home to a so-called sorcerer who was called upon to perform his magic throughout the archipelago.

Laura follows a path to Slave Cliff, seen here, which “takes its name from the Viking Age, when sick slaves were pushed off the edge,” she says

Laura says the Faroe Islands ‘feels like you’re on the edge of the world’

Villagers at that time kept sheep and made a living from fishing, with the only access being a boat or a ten-mile walk to the next town. That is until the government built an access road to prevent depopulation – but this failed when residents used it mainly to leave in 1992.

From Muli we start a new walk, with views across the fjord to Cape Enniberg, a mountain with the world’s highest vertical sea cliff, at 2,474 feet. Some tourists come simply to look at the village’s ten abandoned houses, where vases still stand on the windowsills, dining room chairs are stacked on tables, and toys lie abandoned on the floor.

“There was no disaster that forced people to flee, they just had enough,” says our waiter during dinner in Tórshavn. The next day we return to Vagar Island and complete the 2.5 kilometer trail to Slave Cliff, which is said to have taken its name from Viking times when sick slaves were pushed off the edge.

From the top, Sorvagsvatn Lake appears to float above the ocean.

On our return we drive a few kilometers for dinner in the village of Miovagur, where we meet a complete stranger, Solvi, who welcomes us to his cottage.

He participates in ‘heimablidni’, a Faroese tradition of homely hospitality.

Above – Muli on Bordoy Island, an abandoned 14th century village. “It attracts more visitors today as a ghost town than as a living community,” Laura writes

Laura (above) enjoys the outdoors in a country where there are more sheep than people

“For us, being together happens at home,” he says, as he serves us a home-made meal of cod crumble with potatoes, rhubarb jam and Black Sheep lager from the local brewery.

“People come from all over the world to see the waterfall behind my house,” says Solvi. ‘They always tell me how beautiful it is, but for us it’s just a sign that it has rained.

‘We learn to appreciate the beauty of our homeland through the eyes of our guests.’