On day 2 (Tuesday), it rained all day, so we decided to just stay in and read. When the rain let up for a bit, we ventured out to the other nearby grocery store, Á, and picked up a few additional items, including skyr, fresh yellow potatoes, and lumpfish caviar.
The next day we awoke to no rain! We knew low tide at Saksun beach would be close to 10:30am, so we arrived to the village just before 10am. Our first stop was the upper lot for photos of the church, a hillside waterfall on Skipa creek, and views of the now exposed black sand beach.
Next, we drove down to the lower lot to start the hike along the beach. The top bit is paved until you get to the river, then it is sand all the way to the ocean! I found a few beautiful shells and although there were other people around, it never felt crowded. It did start raining for the last 15 minutes back to the car but it wasn’t a drenching rain.
We stopped at home for a quick lunch then ventured out to the northeast side of the island, beginning with Fossá falls.
Our next stop was the charming village of Tjørnuvík which is accessed by a very narrow road hugging a rocky cliff. Thankfully there were stoplights posted on either side to allow for one-way traffic! Once we parked we hiked through town and then along the bay to get better views of the Giant and the Witch sea stacks off the north coast of Esturoy island.
Eric wanted a better look at Kluftáfossur falls (outside of Haldarsvík), so we parked in a nearby pullout and found a trail that went into the gorge. The uphill hike is worth it for a closer look at the top of the falls and the views into town, but the trail was very muddy and wet.
The weather was holding out, so we crossed over to Eysturoy island (free bridge!) and followed the fjord to the Funningur scenic point.
Next, we continued up the road to Gjógv. The town’s name means ‘gorge’ in Faroese and the 650 ft gorge is certainly scenic. This was another good spot to catch a glimpse of puffins, but we only saw some nesting northern fulmars.
I explored the town a bit while Eric hiked up the hill for views, but he opted to return when he spotted a fence with a fee box. At least he got this nice photo looking back into the village with the gorge in the foreground.
We were hoping to drive to the Risin og Kellingin viewpoint but a sign said the road was closed so we drove the long way around through Eiði. On second inspection, Eric noticed the very small print saying the road was closed from Oct 1 – May 1. Oops. So, we drove past this sign and got a lovely view of several sheep farms and the Giant and the Witch sea stacks. And on the way back to the coast we had a nice view of Eiði.
Pleased with our adventures, we called it a day and enjoyed the evening with a local cider and some sunset views from our patio.
