Europe

[Visited: October 2021]

On what turned out to be the day with the worst climatic conditions, I decide to take a heli flight to Fugloy. It leaves in the afternoon, so I drive to the north of Vidhoy to visit the charming little village of Vidareidi. I see a steep trail leading up the mountain to the north. It is dry, and I spontaneously decide to climb. I know that to do the entire trail, I would need several hours, so I am prepared to return before I reach the end. I have a heli to catch. I hike up on a narrow street, through a fence, towards the beginning of the trail. Vidareidi is so small, it is a matter of minutes before I walk past the last houses. Meanwhile, I get great views of the coastline from which the slopes of Villingadalsfjall rise steeply. A waterfall above the surf is blown away by the strong wind long before it reaches the sea. A wild setting.
The going is fast, the conditions are not too muddy, and before I know it, I hike straight into a thick cloud hanging around the top of the mountain. I am totally not prepared for this hike: I now see on my phone that I am hiking to the top of Villingadalsfjall, the third highest mountain of the Faroe Islands, at 840 metres above sea level. I feel the challenge, and push on and on. Meanwhile, I am torn between reaching the top, but also being down in time to catch my heli flight. Rationally speaking, I should be descending to my car and head back, but my heart wants to reach the summit. At some point the trail is not easy to find, and I jump over boulders. When I reach it, I am still surrounded by a thick cloud, so the views are minimal. I see lots of cairns scattered around the ridge. I am now really running out of time, and turn around after taking the pictures I want.
On the way down, I see a huge white-blue hare running away between the rocks. It is way too fast for me to take a picture. Between the dark environment and under the grey sky, it somehow seems completely out of tune with its environment. Then, as I come a little lower, I reach the base of the clouds and I suddenly see the coastline. White lines where the waves crash on the rocky shore. A deep blue sea. And mountains rising steeply from below. I run down the mountain, run down the street, to where my car is parked. I calculate that I will just make it back to Klaksvik, the only uncertainty being the narrow one-lane tunnel on the way back to Bordhoy island. It is regulated by a traffic light, and I have to wait a couple of minutes before it is my turn to drive. I just make it in time to catch the heli flight to Fugloy. It turns out that there will be no ferry back from the island, and the pilots offer to fly me to Fugloy with an intermediate landing on Svinoy, before we fly back to Klaksvik again. Fugloy will have to wait for a future visit.

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Villingadalsfjall (Faroe Islands)

Villingadalsfjall > Faroe Islands > Europe

[Visited: October 2021]

Around the World in 80 Clicks