Travelers should prioritize the archipelago’s recently opened subsea tunnels and sluggish roadways, as tourism is anticipated to reach an all-time high in the Faroe Islands this year.
I passed a signpost fixed with a distinctive sign as the road crept towards a precipitous precipice above the ocean, only minutes from Sørvágur village on the island of Vágar in the Faroe Islands. The image of a bright-yellow flower on a green background was the only marking; no numerals or words were present. The road zigzagged ahead, ascending past sod-roofed dwellings and a field of feisty sheep, before abruptly disappearing through a dark mountain tunnel.
Users are typically cautioned about the presence of livestock or wildlife, hazards, or speed limits by road signs. Therefore, it required me a few seconds to ascertain its significance. The marsh marigold, a member of the buttercup family, is the national flower of the Faroe Islands and is depicted in yellow on the sign. The archipelago is characterized by some of the fiercest winds in Europe, which results in the absence of trees. Consequently, the grasses, ridges, and clifftops are frequently adorned with this lustrous buttercup, known as sóljuleiðir in Faroese.
Nevertheless, the flower that day also served as a siren’s call. The signs on which it was displayed were an invitation to divert from the primary arteries, enticing me and other visitors to the most picturesque and less-traveled roads in the Faroe Islands. These “Buttercup Routes” are not solely concerned with achieving a swift or punctual arrival. In contrast, the atmosphere is thrillingly reminiscent of the chaotic drama of Middle-earth in Lord of the Rings, where Driving Miss Daisy meets.
Landsverk, the Faroes’ Ministry of Transport, has developed a map of the Faroes that illustrates 13 of these routes across the 18 pinprick-sized islands. Each itinerary is reminiscent of a yellow brick road of opportunity. The objective is to prevent traffic congestion and to introduce road-trippers to the uncommon tranquility that encapsulates life on the border of the North Atlantic Ocean, as the country continues to receive an increasing number of tourists each year. Currently, the number of tourists is approximately 100,000, which is twice the Faroese population.
I spent five days in the countryside, driving eight of the Soljuleiðir routes. I observed that, with a bit of cautious navigation, it is indeed always a superior idea to take the long way around
The initial Buttercup Route, Gásadalsleið, led me through the dark mountain tunnel to the Múlafossur waterfall, which cascades into the sea near the village of Gásadalur. I could observe the surging channel that led to Mykines, the westernmost island of the Faroes, from the promontory that overlooked the falls, a brief walk from where I deposited my vehicle. The entire scene was breathtakingly gorgeous, shrouded in a long, enveloping fog.
Gásadalsleið is a fifteen-minute journey in terms of road trips, but it captures all that is incredibly fantastic about the Faroe Islands: sea panoramas, the molar-shaped crests of mountains, gossamer waterfalls, and roadways that appear to inexplicably adhere to cliffsides.
In reality, the 13 driving itineraries, which encompass nearly the entire nation, are relentless in their pursuit of abruptly reaching poetic destinations. They are of varying length, ranging from approximately 3.8km to 19.5km, and they reveal ocean-drop cascades, suspended lakes, and silent valleys where sheep with wind-blown rock-star hairdos outnumber humans dramatically.
One itinerary, Saksunarleið, leads to the village of Saksun on Streymoy island. It halts at a turf-roofed church and inlet, where the water draws and wheezes between two vertical cliff faces, just short of the sea. Another, located on the island of Eysturoy, ascends above Funningsfjørður, a fjord that is enclosed by a cluster of summits, before descending to the harbor village of Gjógv. This is the location where I stood after parking, with a breathtaking view of the island Kalsoy across the channel. The dragon-scale ridges of the island resembled a leviathan rising its body from the depths. It is the kind of unanticipated perspective that one might hope to encounter on a road journey, but it is exceedingly rare to encounter.
In fact, the Faroe Islands have significantly improved the art of the road journey in recent years, and this is not solely due to the introduction of the scenic Buttercup Routes. The islands of Streymoy and Sandoy, which were previously separated by a 30-minute ferry journey, were connected by a new 10.8km sub-sea tunnel that was inaugurated in December 2023. Sandoyartunnilin expands the network of subsea tunnels in the Faroe Islands to four, thereby improving access to the Buttercup Routes, reducing the number of circuitous entry and exit points, and enhancing the overall experience of road trip satisfaction.
The new Sandoyartunnilin is not your typical subsea tunnel, as it is situated over 150 meters beneath the seabed. To begin with, it is adorned with a folkloric art installation in red, blue, and white neon that extends along the foundations of the tunnel walls. The Faorese artist Edward Fuglø created silhouettes of shepherds, fishermen, seals, cattle, and birds, as well as Catholic knights in armor, which are representative of the derelict church of Kirkjubøur at the northern entrance of the tunnel. The pictographs are illuminated in a brushstroke-style. A Faroese composer, Sunleif Rasmussen, has composed an ethereal soundtrack that complements these totems of the past. I merely had to adjust the frequency of my car radio to 100 FM in order to listen to this mysterious recording.
According to Teitur Samuelsen, the CEO of the tunnel, the objective is to transform the voyage into a wholly unanticipated experience for visitors while also commemorating Faroese folklore. “The first known painter in the Faroe Islands, Díðrikur á Skarvanesi, came from Sandoy in the 19th Century and it was always our idea to connect his origin story to the tunnel,” he explained to me. “He painted moon pigeons, so the pictures of the birds and the other symbols break up the monotony of this long subsea tunnel.” Additionally, he stated that the intention is to invoke a sense of national memory and ceremony, rather than merely motoring in the darkness beneath the Atlantic Ocean.
The tunnel has provided a new sense of purpose and is facilitating the development of a new life in villages such as ours. Individuals no longer desire to dedicate their lives to the laborious tasks of milking cows and herding livestock.
Later that day, when I encountered Helga Hilmarsdóttir in the village of Dalur, a resident of Sandoy who resides with her spouse and children, she succinctly articulated this perspective. “The tunnel has given everyone new purpose and is helping create new life in villages like ours – people don’t want to spend all their lives milking cows or herding sheep anymore,” according to her.
The first tourist accommodation in the village, her family will open seven new rooms for rent on the hillside behind their home early next year. As part of the country’s “heimablídni” concept, which is an informal supper club experience that allows visitors to enjoy traditional Faroese dinners in the residences of locals, they have already opened their home to tourists.
“We know tourists are coming to the Faroe Islands,” commented Hilmarsdóttir, “so, this provides an opportunity to connect with them better so they can learn from us and our traditions.”
Eysturoyartunnilin, the companion tunnel to Sandoyartunnilin, was inaugurated under Tangafjørður Sound in December 2020, and is an additional significant halt on a visitor’s voyage. The only roundabout under the Atlantic is presently located in the 11.24km, three-branch subsea tunnel that connects Streymoy to neighboring Eysturoy. The tunnel is so ethereal that driving through it is akin to entering a portal to an extraterrestrial world.
We believed that this could serve as our own Big Ben or Eiffel Tower, a tourist attraction in its own right. – Teitur Samuelsen
Samuelsen recollected, “We believed that this could serve as a tourist attraction in its own right, similar to the Eiffel Tower or Big Ben.” “So, the art installation created on the roundabout by Faroese artist Tróndur Patursson is now at the geographic centre of the country, and the steel figures holding hands are looking inwards, but up to the light.”
Previously, the Faroes were characterized by a degree of insularity that was almost a part of their identity. The message is that the Faroes are gradually evolving, but only in accordance with the parameters established by their people.
I had just enough time to travel one final road, which led me from Tórshavn to Oyggjarvegur, the Buttercup Route that ascends into the highlands above the capital. The panoramic view from Norðadalsskar to the dorsal fin-shaped island of Koltur was immeasurably more impressive than the speedier road along the coast. The land was aglow with silver in the sunlight, and the tide was at its maximum in the vicinity. I never observed another vehicle on the road.
Surely, there is a moral message to be found.
The Open Road is a commemoration of the world’s most extraordinary highways and byways, and a reminder that some of the most unforgettable travel experiences occur on wheels.
