The Faroe Islands have seen an increase in tourism recently, although unsurprising because of the beauty of this place and how many unforgettable things there are to do. Despite this, hasn’t lost any of its untouched beauty which is something that can feel quite apparent in many tourist destinations these days.
The country had been on our radar for a while, but because we had been saving for our big trip around asia and then buying a camper van in New Zealand, we didn’t think it would be possible to make it before we flew off to the other side of the world.
But me being me, I had been indulging my very bad hobby of secretly checking flight prices. I claim that it’s just out of interest but of course Leo knows me better than I know myself. And one evening, I discovered some flights which were so much cheaper than normal.
Flying to the Faroe Islands is only possible via Denmark and Iceland (based on 2017, it’s easy to find out how to get there on visitfaroeislands.com). So after that it just means extra connection flights. (Which just means more money)
Average prices to fly from England had been around £500-£600 return but on these particular dates it was about £250 return (each). So the uncontrollable urge inside me had to try and convince Leo. I knew it was a long shot because he’s the sensible one but then again, how can anyone resist a trip to the Faroe Islands...
So a few weeks later we’re sat on the plane, ducking out below the clouds between towering mountains on each side and the captain says something along the lines of “if you’ve flown into the Faroe Islands before then you know this can be a very bumpy landing, and it’s extra windy today so prepare for a couple of attempts”. I know I’m not a pilot but is landing a plane something you can really attempt multiple times?
Well we landed first time, which was a relief as I only packed enough underwear for each day and couldn’t really afford to loose a pair to poop stains.
Anyway, the reason for our cheap and slightly terrifying flights was because we’d decided to visit the Faroe Islands in October. We didn’t realise until after we’d paid and there was no turning back, that apparently it is very rainy and very very windy at this time of year there, hence the discounted flight prices.
We actually had many feelings of dread and fear because of this. After we’d booked our flights, I started desperately searching the web for information and to be honest, there isn’t really much out there about off-season travel in the Faroe Islands, especially in October.
We stumbled upon a few forums that gave very unhelpful advice about the danger involved when visiting at this time of year. Apparently there are only 5 sunny days in the month of October, most campsites are closed and tourists often slip off the side of the mountain when they’re hiking, because their wet weather gear combined with soggy grass makes the steep sides of the mountains into giant slip’n’slides. Fabulous news because I thought at least my new rain coat would keep me warm, dry and safe. Well apparently it would now be the death of me.
So our excitement turned towards dread as all we were imagining was not being able to see a thing because of the fog, being soggy raisins for the week and eventually dying and drifting out to the Atlantic.
At least we were made aware of the respect that we would need to have for these beautiful, untouched and potentially deadly landscapes. I think this is something everyone needs to know, because its easy to think that it’s going to be safe when you see so many people visiting and sharing pictures from such a beautiful place. But it can be dangerous, especially when the weather is so unpredictable.
That is one of the things that made our trip completely impossible to plan. The weather in the Faroe Islands can change in a heartbeat and you need to be prepared. We would check the weather online before we went and it would change every single day. We found it easier to just check what the weather would be the day before and then it was actually pretty accurate. We used yr.no
Where To Stay
We stayed in a land rover discovery that we rented from air bnb here. It was the best decision that we made when it came to this trip. This was our first experience of your car not just being your transport, but also your home. It’s the reason we came to New Zealand and why we want to travel this way forever.
The car came equipped with a rooftop tent, sleeping bags, cooking equipment and basically everything you could need for the adventure. We had the freedom to drive where we wanted around the islands, finding campsites depending on where we ended up. It was an incredible experience and we can’t imagine a better way to get around.
Expectation
Because of the unpredictability of the weather, the success of the trip really came down to just one thing. Expectation.
Before we went, everything we read implied the weather looked like it was going to be miserable. Rain every single day. So I spent some time mentally preparing myself for this outcome. And I’m not saying just expect to have a shitty time, I’m saying plan for it and think of what you can do when it is rainy.
I researched all the best hikes on the Islands, and then made a note of which ones were easy and not particularly dangerous. So on the rainy and foggy days we still spent our time outdoors, which is the reason you travelled here.
But also, with this frame of mind, when the sun does decide to show itself, which it does do, any second or minute you get of it is just an added bonus to your trip! It’s easy to get into the frame of mind that if the weather is bad, you will have a bad time, and ofcourse yes there are limits to this. One afternoon we spent hiding in a café because the rain was so bloody wet, but when it’s just slightly rainy, you can still get out and about.
We did and we had the best week of our lives. It’s the most amazing place we’ve visited and it’s going to be hard to beat, even in the Off-Season when many people wouldn’t bother.
I’m writing this because I wanted to add something positive to the internet so when other people are tempted to travel in the off-season and all the signs are hinting towards don’t bother, if you go into it with the right frame of mind, it will be the greatest trip of your life.
This was our first trip to the Faroe Islands, and after only one day there we were already talking about how we wanted to come back in summer, spring, winter! To say that we fell in love would be an understatement, and Here’s a collection of our photos from this cold, wet, rainy, incredible adventure to show you why..
