Bour to Knavin, Jun 9th

When I got back after my first couple of hikes, I realized that my plan to start on one end (the far end) and work my way to the other end hiking all the areas I had planned and researched was not going to work. It wasn’t a bad idea in paper, but I didn’t think that the driving would accumulate fast. I had spent several hours in the car driving in solitary winding routes, so I wanted to do something closer. So instead of heading back and start from where I left off, I decided to start at the other end from Bour just north of the Airport. This hike is the original route that connected the village of Bour with the Village of Gasadalur before the tunnel was built. That last minute change made me forget or not check a little detail that I would realize later in the day, but we’ll get to that later.

The hike started from a small parking lot at the end of dirt road heading towards the ocean as it gained elevation quickly. It almost seemed like the route was made by someone who wanted to get closer to the precipice to get a better look at some of the features on the northern side of the Faroe Islands. First and the smallest is Drangarnir, a vertical rock that comes out of the sea and has an arch underneath. Just looking at it gives you the idea that no one has ever set foot there (unless there’s a way to climb on ropes or something).

Then is the island of Tindholmur with steep hill that looks like the rocks were lifted by strong winds. I had read about this place and learned it’s a private island and nobody leaves there despite having a “summer” house. There are tours to the island and guided hikes to the top of that mountain that I wanted to take but rain didn’t allow it. Still pretty amazing to see it from the distance.

The there’s Gasholmur which in contrast is like a plate, almost flat with no prominent peaks or features other than cliffs all around it (I believe there’s no access to this island).

And finally, all the way to the northwest, the islands of Mykines known for the abundance of birds, especially puffins. I also thought about going but then rain didn’t allow it and someone I met on the trail said it was overrated. Who knows.

That view stayed with me for several switchbacks as I gained more elevation and going around Rogvukollur. It was a steady climb passing several cairns on the way until I could see one last big cairn in what looked to be the saddle over Knavin.

Looking at the map, it seemed like from there the trail went almost straight down to Gasadalur which, at that moment I thought I was doing. But then, when I reached that spot, I realized several things. First, it was a long way down that I would need to climb back again to get back to the car and second, there was a big waterfall into the ocean down there. I had completely overlooked the fact that I had that waterfall in my to-do list without realizing where it was. I knew I was going there anyway so instead of hiking down to then retrace my steps, I decided to hike back and the drive to Gasadalur to check the waterfall.

Before doing that though, I did explore the ridge a bit as it extends to the north not only overlooking Gasadalur but also Heinanova, the peak behind it and all the way to Mykines. It was quite the spectacle. After a bit and taking a bite to eat, I started my hike down retracing my steps. As I did I got a second chance to enjoy the views of the islands and a smaller water fall from the side of the mountain down into the fjord below. Not a bad way to start the day – next stop, Gasadalur!

You can see the rest of the pictures here