Day 107 July 27 2018 Saksun
Instead of the long hike up and over the mountain, I opted to drive to Saksun instead. Thinking as I headed off, picnic basket and thermos packed – that I was beginning to enjoy this solo travel and the driving on the wrong side of the road.
As always there were very few cars on the road. As I turned onto the road leading to Saksun two young women were looking for a lift. After picking them up, on we went chatting furiously. They were intending on a hefty hike up the mountain, I was opting for a more leisurely walk around the village and surrounds.
Once there we all wondered where the Instram type photos we had seen were taken from. It was pretty but … It does have a bit of a universal reputation as THE village of the Faroe islands.
Thinking we were heading to a village we each set out separately but met up along the way. A theme for the day.
The village was not at the end of the first path where there was a walk through the gorge. Once a fjord it is now blocked by sand, forming a lagoon with a walk down to the lagoon, and along the beach to the sea. Despite the blustery day it was a beautiful walk with steep cliffs towering over us either side – and probably creating a wind tunnel that whipped up gusty sand blown winds. We opted to stop at the rocks where the walk continued onto the beach and stormy sea.
After the windy walk we all drove up to the second parking point where we found the village. Again we wandered separately but met up at a communal picnic table – actually an outdoor café table however the café did not open till 2pm much to the coffee drinkers disappointment and our amusement as the queue grew substantially as 2pm drew closer.
Here a re-negotiation of planned walking took place – which ended with the young women returning with me, intending to catch a lift to Tjornuvik rather than walk over the cloud covered cold looking mountain. And so we parted at the same place we had met in the morning.
Close to the water was a tiny church with rows of simple wooden pews inside and whitewashed walls. It sits at the entrance to the gorge, apparently it was originally in Tjornuvik but dissassembled carried over the mountains and reassembled in Saksun in 1858.
After dropping my travel companions at the junction it was on to my next home and destination in Vestmanna. With one day till Chris arrives back and a huge weekend in the Faroe Islands being St Olafs Day on Sunday.
