
The village of Kvívík is the site of the interesting remains of a well preserved Viking farmstead. Leynar, a small village set amidst some of the most splendid scenery in the Faroes, is home to a lake full of seatrout and salmon. Beyond these ancient villages lies the enterprising town of Vestmanna, from where two boat operators cruise under Vestmannabjørgini, the famous Vestmanna birdcliffs.Although one can stand on top of the sheer Vestmanna birdcliffs some 600 metres above sea level and gaze across towards the islands of Vágar and Mykines, no vista is as magnificent and awe-inspiring as the birdcliffs from below. Drifting along slowly under the towering cliffs as seabirds glide overhead is an unforgettable experience. Sailing between the rugged sea stacks and exploring the many grottoes along the coast, with their rich textures and rainbow colours, challenges the imagination and the spirit fills with amazement at the wonderland that nature has created in the Faroes. It is possible to go fishing from Vestmanna, where it is relatively quick to sail out to the fishing spots. The possibility of catching something is good as you can fish in all weathers due to the shelter from the high mountains. M/B Blástein has room for 12 passengers and arranges half-day fishing trips everyday at 09.30 or 14.30 from May to October. Definitely worth trying! On the whole, Vestmanna is a town with good facilities and services. The Vestmanna Tourist Centre provides useful information about excursions and places of interest, one of which is the recently renovated church. Compared to Stremoys steep northwest coast, the eastern side of the island is a perfect idyll. The narrow sound between Streymoy and Eysturoy looks like a river valley and here are the peaceful and well protected villages of Kollafjørður, Hósvík and Hvalvík. Kollafjørður, one of the big villages in the Faroes with its houses stretched like a band all along the shore, takes its name from the fjord, surrounded by high mountains. One of them is the majestic Skælingsfjall, in the old days considered to be the highest mountain in the Faroes.
Hvalvík with its black church, the oldest of the ancient Faroese wooden churches, opens the way to the road through the long and wide valley of Saksun. This picturesque and more or less flat road is a paradise for cyclists. The narrow one-lane road runs along a delightful shallow river full of miniature rapids and thriving bird life. Watch out for the Tjaldur (oyster-catcher), the Faroese national bird, if you decide to stop for a picnic alongside the river because they are very protective of their nesting sites. They are fairly large birds with black and white plumage and a distinctive red coloured bill.
Saksun is tucked away at the end of the road. As you get closer, the vistas surprise you around each twist in the road, and there it is, one of the most distinctive villages in the Faroes. The old farm, Dúvugarðar, is now a national heritage museum, and together with the outbuildings that belong to the museum, it provides an intimate look into the rural life of the Faroes in the past. The museum and the exquisite stone church just below served as one of the important locations for the film version of Barbara and the Icelandic film, Dansurinn, based on a short story by the Faroese writer William Heinesen.
The round bay below the farm was at one time a natural harbour. Today the bay is full of sand and is only accessible by small boats at high tide. At low tide you can walk on the sand out to the seashore. If you are an angler, you might try your hand at fishing in the bay because the area is well known for its salmon and sea trout, which come into the bay on their difficult and almost impossible journey to Saksunarvatn, the lake outside Saksun.
One of the biggest attractions in Northern Streymoy is Fossá between Hvalvík and Haldarsvík - the highest waterfall in the Faroes. The river cascades some 140 metres over several rocky ledges into the sea. This mountain river is fed by several smaller streams and connects to a lake on top of the mountain.
On beyond Fossá is the village of Haldarsvík. It clusters around a small inlet and in the steep surrounding slopes the fields are built in terraces behind the village. In Haldarsvík you can see the only octagonal church in the Faroes. The new altarpiece is of interest as well, painted by the artist Torbjørn Olsen, depicting the Eucharist with the faces of wellknown, contemporary Faroese.
Tjørnuvík, the northernmost village in Streymoy, sits in a natural Greek theatre created by the sharply rising mountains above it. The village faces almost north to the open sea and affords one of the best views of the twin sea stacks, Risin (75m) and Kellingin (73m), remnants, it is told, of an unusual attempt to tow the Faroes to Iceland by an Icelandic giant and his troll wife. Struck by the beauty of the islands, they laid a rope around Eiðiskollur, the north end of Eysturoy, but quarrelled for so long that they were caught by the rising sun and transformed into cliffs.
Viking graves have been found in the eastern part of the valley and pollen analysis shows that the area was inhabited since the early Vikings first came to the Faroes. The fishing is excellent as well, but the village is exposed, and wind and tide often make landing conditions very difficult.
From Tjørnuvík, twice a year, tours are arranged to Stakkur, a sea stack on the north coast. Steel wires are stretched across the narrow sound and you are carried across in an open cage with a hoist. From Stakkur you will see the flat top of Mýlingur to the west, the eastern side of the mountain sloping steeply down towards the bay of Sjeyndir. Legend has it that all those who fail to marry end up in this isolated region of the Faroes. Jørgen-Frantz Jacobsen, the author of the novel Barbara, describes this unusual place which lies in total isolation surrounded by a towering landscape:
“Down from the mountain edge comes the river. Its clear water forms an unbroken drop of some 1800 feet down the valley’s grass-grown slope, singing a great song which weaves itself into the solitude. It is the pulse of the place, giving life to Sjeyndir. From the sea one sees its gliding ribbon of water. One wants to drink from its fresh water and rest in the sweet grass by its bank. And one reflects that perhaps the unmarried are not always so joyless.”

SUMMER FESTIVALS
The villages outside of Tórshavn also hold summer festivals; Sundalagsstevna mid June and Fjarðastevna mid June. The various villages take it in turns to hold the celebrations each year following a traditional programme of sporting events, exhibitions, concerts, meetings, midnight speeches and community singing. An important part of these festivals are the boat races in beautiful Faroese boats. These races are followed with great excitement right up until the final race at the St.Olaf’s Day festival in Tórshavn, where the Faroese champions are crowned. At the end of May there is a boat festival in Vestmanna where boats from the whole country gather in the fjord, after which there is entertainment for everyone in the village.
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