øur is boring, I’m surely not the first to say it. A little village set on Vágars west-side overlooking an inlet that (at low tide) is more mudflat than a seascape. In the distance, you can see the peaks of Tinholmur emerging from the North Atlantic. It’s a tranquil (tranquilized?) town boasting two restaurants in summer and one less in winter. While there are no bars there is a grocer to get your basics.
However, like all the villages I visited in Faroe; Bøur provides fantastic photo opportunities; old farmhouses, decaying stone and wood structures to snap as you wind through the narrow lanes feeling in part; a peeping tom, an unwelcome (or ignored tourist) or the ever-intrepid photographer. Bøur manages to be pretty but not beautiful. Agreeable, not charming. With a whopping population of just 75 people – it would be silly to hope for more.
A town without a pub… Really?
How does one reflect on life, long winters, or drown ones sorrows without a warm wooden bar to saddle up to and drink away your cares? How do the locals meet, marry, or just hookup? Without a central gathering spot, at night the village feels like every house becomes an isolated island. You seldom see anyone out, because there is no-where to go.
Happily accustomed to secluded places after visiting the further reaches in the Lofoten Islands, Bøur is not yet so generous with its tourist infrastructure – with just two hotels on the island of Vágar (and none in Bøur) your options are a few scattered guesthouses, Airbnb, or trying your luck laying under the stars.
I stayed in a rustic four-room guesthouse above a restaurant (that garnered good reviews) directly overlooking the inlet, at high tide the views from the oversized windows were intense, the creaky wood floors were even kind of romantic.
While comfortable, the guesthouse inexplicably appeared to be entirely furnished from the ‘sale-bin’ from a thrift store undergoing a closing-event; complete with faux-porcelain figurines, mismatched stoneware dinner plates, forks with wildly bent tines, macramé art hanging from wall paneling and generally suffering from a total lack of amenities. Yes, the first night I cooked a lonely frozen pizza on top of an upside-down cake pan and washed my hair with a leftover sliver of hand-soap that someone left behind. I am not proud.
It was sort of like glorified camping, that’s the best you’ll currently get in Bøur. This may change with the further influx of Instagram folks questing for that perfect manufactured and filtered selfie.
My expectations upon arrival of a hot meal in the quaint restaurant below my bed were dashed immediately as the taxi dropped me off to a closed-for-winter-season sign hanging in a dark window. However, just a few hours later I woke up from a nap to hear the delightful sounds of silverware and glasses clinking beneath the floorboards. Turned out to be a one-off one-night feed for a local group that had rented it out. I hung about like a hungry cat hoping for an invite but instead suffered the pleasure of smelling delicious cooked meats and yummy things drifting up the stairs while I huddled in the cold with my Kit Kat bars, chips, and wilted pizza (sigh). So sad. Which begs the question: is there an off-season in Faroe? While summers must be a hikers paradise winter with the snow on the mountains and moody skies are just as beautiful. Open up guys – people are coming!
Outside guesthouse looking toward the village center of Bøur
Cold, but beautiful sunlight in Bøur
Overlooking the inlet in Bøur
Another Bøur structure in beautiful disrepair
Bøur Harbour
Bøur: which way will you go?
So, why stay in Bøur?
Bøurs draw is location, close to Vagar airport, there are several unmissable sights on the islands. It makes a logical stop for the night for those wanting to visit the incredible Múlafossur Waterfall, take a hike to Sørvágsvatn lake – or just a waylay point for those arriving on the evening flight from Copenhagen.
Faroe is the stuff that road-trip-dreams are made of with almost everyplace with a name accessible within a half-day. Tho, in winter the sun only proves 6hr of light so you’ll have to be quick. I made the mistake of trying to save a few Kroner by starting the car rental the day after I arrived. It seemed smart at the time – why pay for a full days rental and insurance when I’m not arriving until 9 pm? However, the next morning – when it came time to pick up the rental I discovered there are only two taxis in town. One phone was never answered, the other number was picked up by a gentleman who said his father was the driver and he didn’t want to drive today – click. Okay 😉
I hiked 15 min to the sole supermarket where the awkward teenage clerk looked at me bewildered when I asked for help with a taxi – ‘just walk’ he said, ‘it’s not far’ – lol. Well, not everyone is used to a 40 min walk up the side of a mountain to reach the airport car rental. I guess they’re damn healthy in Bøur.
While in town I did manage a dinner in Bøur; the ‘Pizza Palace’ with all the fluorescent lights and linoleum that name implies – and it was pretty good. Owned and operated by an Indian man from Goa who moved to Faroe over a decade ago and now has children with a Faroe Island native. He mentioned that several neighbors in Bøur have Filipina and Thai wives – while talking he was pointing in the direction of each house, you could see him ticking off the people in his mind. Yes, the village is so small that everyone’s business is known. I wonder how the other Filipinas like living here? It’s both idyllic and a long way from home.
Bøur in black & white
No need for repairs in Bøur, it’s captivating
Overlooking the water in Bøur
As moody as the weather, outside Bøur
Múlafossur Waterfall
Gásadalur, a village with an even smaller population of just 16 (before the opening of the Gásadalstunnilin tunnel in 2016). Now it’s possible to visit by car, previously you had to arrive by helicopter, boat, or endure a grueling footpath over mountains more than 400 meters high that some travelers still hike today. The end of isolation has seen the population explode to 18! Note: The tunnel is a terrifying one-lane affair that will have you praying the entire length that the light at the end of the tunnel is the sky and not an oncoming vehicle. Don’t worry, by the end of your Faroese road-trip, you’ll get used to the tunnels. I even miss them.
Gásadalur is home to the fairytale Múlafossur Waterfall. There’s a parking lot near the falls and it’s supposed to be a two-minute walk, although I somehow got lost and it ended up taking an hour or so step over streams, climb a fence and circle the village before I found the right lookout spot.
The waterfall is crazily stunning as it drops over 30 meters (100 feet) into the sea. You’ll frequently hear booming sounds caused by the eroded cave below acting as an echo chamber. On windy days you can even see the water rising in the air – a supposedly common site around Faroe. There are a couple of spots to visit to get the best photos, and you can hike right to the lip of the falls – with no railings you’re free to fall off and join the more than 250 people worldwide have died taking selfies.
I wonder if the town has mixed feelings about the tunnel. While making life easier it’s also has let loose tourist hoards that come to take photos of the falls, their villages quaint grass-covered houses, and the beautiful landscape dotted with sheep grazing and very hairy bovine often standing in groups or laying in the grass sucking up the sun.
Since the waterfalls are so accessible to the airport and Bøur most people just come for a few hours, trample over everything, and run.
Selfie in front of the incredible Múlafossur Waterfall
The dreamy little village of Gásadalur
Thatched houses in Gásadalur
On the way to the Múlafossur Waterfall – if I can find it
Take a step back? Wha…
The Múlafossur Waterfall starts out so small
Come see Múlafossur Waterfall for yourself!
Sørvágsvatn Lake
Sørvágsvatn is the largest lake and probs the most famous sight on the island (if you can get there). It’s situation in-between Sørvágur and Vágar, so you can choose which location to make the day trip from. I drove from Vágar to the parking lot, but you can also take the bus to the village of Miðvágur and hike from there.
Lake Sørvágsvatn was one of the few items on my bucket list for the Faroe Islands. It’s become a right of passage for travelers thanks to Instagram and the optical illusion that makes the 3.4-kilometer lake appear to be floating over cliffs that plummet straight into ocean.
In reality, it’s only a 40-meter (130 feet) drop, the lake sits in a depression and the hills rise around it. But forget the facts and figures, standing at the top of the cliff is probably one of the most beautiful sights I’ve ever seen. It feels like you’re standing on the moon.
Getting there is often billed as ‘an easy and beautiful walk.’ There’s a little hut at the wooden entrance gate you pay your fee to then follow a small footpath along the hills, parallel to the lake until you see Trælanípa cliff looming above you. In summer there are supposed to be many trekkers, but on the very cold, overcast day I went there was only one other hiker for the entire trip. She was far ahead of me and we spoke briefly at the midway point and then once back. I had the cliff and lake entirely to myself!
The walk used to be free, but now they’ve started charging a pricey fee. Too pricey really, until I learned that it was private property, and they use the money to keep the trail passable. Along the route, you’ll see numerous places they’ve shored the path up and it’s strenuous and continual work. Also, there’s a bathroom when you get back and a free cup of hot tea. In the end, it all works out.
The walk to the cliff is leisurely but windy 1.5hr trek each way through peat fields, lots of sheep will aesthetically ignore you as you make your way along the lake and stop for a billion photos – you can almost close your eyes and snap a photo and be guaranteed something beautiful.
Climbing to the top of Trælanípa (Slave Mountain) can prove more challenging, jutting 142 meters (466ft) upwards out of the sea, it’s said that it got its name in the age of Vikings when unfortunate slaves were pushed off the mountain. For an average 75kg person that would be a frightful 5.38-second fall into the rocks and waves below.
My phone recorded 50 flights of stairs on the hike, and indeed the final push to Trælanípa is equivalent to climbing a 43 story building. My legs were jelly on the way back.
If you can manage the hike to the lookout point it’s probably the best view you’ll see while in the Faroe, you can read more about how to explore and hike on my Lake Sørvágsvatn page.
If you like B&W photography – check out Bøur in black and white.
The optical illusion of Sørvágsvatn Lake
Looking straight down into the sea from Trælanípa cliff, Faroe Islands
A long cold climb, but worth it 😉
7. Tips
A few quick tips for Bøur
