Faroe Islands

These are islands where the past and the present sit comfortably side by side. The Faroese are proud of their heritage and maintain their traditions in language, in music, in dance and in national dress. These islands are different. Where else would you find a sheep grazing on the roof of a house? Where else would you find some young men going in to the sea to scuba dive to recover from a heavy night? Where else would you find an international opera star performing at a concert alongside school kids playing pop music?

The capital of Torshavn is an attractive and bustling port with a superb "old quarter" with its little wooden houses with turf roofs and a tangible history and we'll spend a couple of nights here, but the more southerly islands are the focus of our holiday. We start on the "airport island" of Vagar taking advantage of a new facility offering a boat trip down the lake and a short walk to a dramatic waterfall. We'll hear the story of Barbara and visit her house and also the priest's house in Midvagur and we'll hope for good weather to enjoy one of the finest views in the islands over to the remote bird island of Mykines.

On the southernmost island of Suduroy we'll spend two days exploring this scenically dramatic island which has its own atmosphere - and the original Faroese flag. Our final base will be the picturesque village of Gjøgv in the north of Esturoy from where we'll take a day trip to neighbouring island of Kalsoy. And, of course, we'll visit the ancient ecclesiastical centre of the Faroe Islands aet Kirkjubøur with its photogenic farmhouse, its cathedral and its delightful small church.

Travel is with Atlantic Airways from Stansted and on the islands we'll travel in a comfortable small bus using ferries and tunnels to connect us to the different islands we visit.

Your Itinerary

Monday 9th July
Our Atlantic Airways flight leaves London Stansted at 1300 hours, arriving in the Faroe Islands at 1515 hours where our driver and local guide, John Esturoy, will be waiting to meet us. We'll have a leisurely drive to the picturesque and atmospheric village of Gjógv in the north of the island of Eysturoy which will be our base for the first two nights of the holiday.

Tuesday 10th
We take the ferry from Klaksvík to the dramatically beautiful and relatively isolated island of Kalsoy which has a population of just 150 and, of course, plenty of folklore, including the legend of the Seal Woman (or Selkie). In the morning we'll have a two-hour gentle walk before boarding yet another boat for a trip around the bird cliffs and lunch on board. We return to Gjógv for dinner and overnight.

Wednesday 11th July
Having been almost to the most northerly tip of the archipelago, this morning we head to the southern-most of the Faroe Islands, Suðuroy. We'll have a leisurely drive to the islands' capital, Tórshavn from where we'll take the 1300 hours ferry south. (Lunch will be on board the ferry.) The journey takes just 1½ hours and upon arrival we'll head south before crossing the mountains to the beautiful village of Fámjin where the church houses the original Faroese flag. In the late afternoon we check in at Hotel Øravik for a two-night stay.

Thursday 12th July / Friday 13th July
There are two very definite parts to Suðuroy - the north and the south! We'll explore both, wandering along shorelines and exploring small villages where there are tiny museums in the most unlikely places, each telling the story of life as it was until relatively recently. Suðuroy has some of the most dramatic scenery in the islands and we'll drive right down to the southern tip and as far north as the road will take us. On our last night we'll have dinner in an historic building hosted by the owners who have some fascinating stories to tell. We then board the ferry where we have comfortable en-suite cabins. She doesn't sail until 6 a.m. but this saves us having to get up at some horribly early hour!

Saturday 14th July
Our destination today is the airport island of Vágar but we'll be taking the most of the day to get there. Upon disembarkation we'll head out of town to visit the ancient ecclesiastical centre of Kirkjubøur. Returning to Tórshavn, we'll have a guided walk in the historic quarter of Tórshavn where the houses have turf roofs and see the site of the first parliament of the islands. After lunch there will be free time for further exploration or a bit of retail therapy before we take the airport bus to Vágar where we check in at the 62N airport hotel in the late afternoon.

Sunday 15th July
This morning we'll drive to the nearby town of Midvágur where we'll spend a couple of hours in the company of an excellent local guide who will show us the museum which has been formed from the old pastor's house. We'll walk with her down to the church and then visit "Barbara's House" made famous in a film back in the 1990's. We'll return to the hotel for lunch and then take a boat trip on the nearby lake which was an important site for landing "float planes" during the 2nd World War. The converted catamaran on which we'll travel carries just 12 passengers and is completely covered so that you are protected from the elements. At the end of the lake is a wonderful walk to a dramatic waterfall and we'll have plenty of time to get there and enjoy the scenery and the atmosphere. We return to our hotel for dinner and overnight.

Monday 16th July
After an early breakfast we'll check out of the hotel and walk the short distance to the airport (our luggage will be taken by vehicle) to give us some fresh air before the journey. The flight leaves at 1000 hours, arriving back in Stansted at 1215 hours giving plenty of time for onward journeys.

Please note that the itinerary can be changed without notice at the sole discretion of Island Holidays or your tour leader.

More special-interest holiday destinations:

• Azores
• Cuba
• Iceland
• Islay, Colonsay and Jura
• Orkney Islands
• Scilly Isles
• Scottish Islands