Faroe Islands

Cycle-touring, Expeditions, Adventures, Major cycle routes NOT LeJoG (see other special board)
mercalia
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any one for the Faroes?

Post by mercalia »

A brilliant photo-essay from the BBC

Tales from the far flung Faroes

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/resources/idt-sh/faroe_islands_postal_service
gloomyandy
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Re: any one for the Faroes?

Post by gloomyandy »

Yes I saw that and enjoyed it. Has anyone been and taken the bike? It is on my "must do" list and I'm seriously considering a trip there for next year. Normally I'd camp, but unlike Scotland it seems that wild camping is not really on, not sure if that means that it is not really an option. I'd also probably have to fly, so not having so much gear might be a plus point. I'd love to hear from anyone that has had a trip up there. The inter island tunnels sound like they might be fun!
Cyril Haearn
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Re: any one for the Faroes?

Post by Cyril Haearn »

One may go there by boat of course, a little cruise, +1

Read about people cycling there. My mind is suffering from the weather a bit mind, the title conjured up the Falklands in my head
Anyone cycled there?

Bob Wells of the Oxonian visited a few exotic places, +1
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mercalia
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Re: any one for the Faroes?

Post by mercalia »

gloomyandy wrote:Yes I saw that and enjoyed it. Has anyone been and taken the bike? It is on my "must do" list and I'm seriously considering a trip there for next year. Normally I'd camp, but unlike Scotland it seems that wild camping is not really on, not sure if that means that it is not really an option. I'd also probably have to fly, so not having so much gear might be a plus point. I'd love to hear from anyone that has had a trip up there. The inter island tunnels sound like they might be fun!


yes I was myself wondering about them, conjure up small crawl through spaces :wink: or underground railway type :?:
gloomyandy
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Re: any one for the Faroes?

Post by gloomyandy »

Cyril Haearn wrote:One may go there by boat of course, a little cruise, +1



it's a real pity there is no "easy" way there by boat from the UK these days as it is by far my preferred way to travel. My understanding is that the only ferry these days is from Iceland/Denmark, is that still the case?
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foxyrider
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Re: any one for the Faroes?

Post by foxyrider »

gloomyandy wrote:
Cyril Haearn wrote:One may go there by boat of course, a little cruise, +1



it's a real pity there is no "easy" way there by boat from the UK these days as it is by far my preferred way to travel. My understanding is that the only ferry these days is from Iceland/Denmark, is that still the case?


That would seem to be the case. Fredrikshaven - Faero - Iceland, I think once a week and often quite lumpy!

There was a trip up there recently in Cyclist magazine - doesn't seem to be a lot of road to explore but it would be quite a trip to boast of! The tunnels are, by all accounts, very good.
Convention? what's that then?
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Cyril Haearn
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Re: any one for the Faroes?

Post by Cyril Haearn »

The tunnels are proper roads from A to B, used by buses etc. But how steep are the ramps?
One might need 4-6 weeks, a lot of time on ferries before and after cycling a couple of weeks
Could be a great holiday, much better than playing TdF on Mallorca?

Lot of weather up there, mind
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Toffee
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Re: any one for the Faroes?

Post by Toffee »

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MrsHJ
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Re: any one for the Faroes?

Post by MrsHJ »

Toffee wrote:This lady has just been there

https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/pag ... 44319&v=30


Thanks for the link. Top tip seemed to be not to take the ferry! (Unless you want to meet handsome Germans).
pal
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Re: any one for the Faroes?

Post by pal »

I've been there a couple of times (stopping off en route to Iceland); one time I took the boat from Denmark, and the other time I flew from Edinburgh (Atlantic Air are happy to take bikes; in theory they charge for them, but in practice the person on the check-in desk didn't know how to, so the bike went free...).

The scenery is spectacular (and the weather is crazy: blue skies to thick fog and back again in the space of 90 minutes...). It isn't the best place for 'linear' touring, I'd say, because the really nice roads tend to lead to dead ends (so out and back routes work a bit better; the buses take bikes, too, so it's quite feasible to bike out and bus back, or vice versa -- this is also useful if the wind isn't co-operating...). The main roads (e.g. from Torshavn to Klaksvik) can get a bit busy (though never worse than a moderate UK A-road); elsewhere you can have the roads completely to yourself. Cycling through the undersea tunnels is permitted, unless there's a build-up of carbon monoxide (in which case warning lights will show); I found them a bit less steep than the Norwegian undersea tunnels (but still a bit of a slog). There are some amazing (pitch black, single lane...) tunnels around Klaksvik, which are a lot of fun (if you're in the mood for an adventure...!)

Anyway: in short -- I'd recommend it very much, but perhaps as a 'holiday with cycling in it' rather than a 'cycling holiday', if that makes sense as a distinction...
pal
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Re: any one for the Faroes?

Post by pal »

gloomyandy wrote:...Normally I'd camp, but unlike Scotland it seems that wild camping is not really on, not sure if that means that it is not really an option...


Wild camping isn't allowed (and I think it would be tricky too: most of the flat land is enclosed...), but there are a few campsites (and the number of campsites seems to be increasing). (Not everything listed as a 'campsite' takes tents, though -- worth checking...). I've only stayed in a couple, but they were pretty good -- 'Scandinavian' style, with an inside kitchen/sitting area/etc. The main hazard would be that the wind might make camping impossible... (But quite a few places do bunkhouse/sleeping bag accommodation too.)
gloomyandy
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Re: any one for the Faroes?

Post by gloomyandy »

Thanks everyone that's all very good info. How busy does it get up there in respect to finding places to stay? Do you need to book accommodation in advance? I've noticed a big increase in folks travelling to places like the Outer Hebrides in the last few years and this can make finding accommodation as you go a little tricky (one of the reasons why I tend to camp).
ChrisButch
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Re: any one for the Faroes?

Post by ChrisButch »

I've been twice in April, for walking rather than cycling. I stayed both times in self-catering cottages, booked through the local tourist boards (there are different ones for the various larger islands) and used a hire car..
Despite the prickly volcanic landscape, most of the roads looked as if they would give the surprisingly easy cycling - few really steep gradients, good surfaces and few single track. Quite a lot better than most of the Hebrides, for instance. This is the consequence (the undersea tunnels also) of massive subsidies from the Danish government. Perhaps because of this, there are more cars than you'd expect, driving faster than you'd expect. Different, of course, on the smaller islands not linked to the main road system by tunnels - but on these there's so little road anyway that it would hardly be worth taking the bike across on the local ferries. (The inter-island ferry services are very good) .
I do remember one long tunnel, not an undersea one, which was rather more challenging. It was a narrow single track, with only a couple of passing places - if you saw headlights coming towards you you had to guess who was going to reach the passing place first. I wouldn't have liked to reverse the car there, and it would be an alarming place on a bike (maybe bikes prohibited, I don't know). But that was very much the exception.
I'd agree that the Faroes are probably best thought of as somewhere for a holiday with a bike, rather than a cycling holiday. And it would be a shame to miss the walking through the hills and along the coastal cliffs, many of which are spectacular (there is no Scandinavian allmannsreten so you're restricted to old rights of way, many marked with ancient cairns).
pal
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Re: any one for the Faroes?

Post by pal »

gloomyandy wrote:...How busy does it get up there in respect to finding places to stay?


I got the impression that Torshaven could get busy, esp. on the days when the ferry is in town; elsewhere, places didn't seem to be particularly crowded (I stayed in the hotel by the airport for a couple of nights on my last trip -- in early July -- and it didn't seem at all full). A few of the towns have festivals at various points over the summer and they get pretty jam-packed then, so it's worth checking that your dates don't coincide with those (or, if they do, booking in advance).
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foxyrider
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Faroe Islands

Post by foxyrider »

So I'm thinking about future trips, not immediate, and the Faroe's came up. I've read articles where people have taken road bikes and got in a few rides but whilst they wax lyrical about the riding they've been a little light on some of the details.

Has anyone been?

What's the crack with the tunnels?

How did you find it?

Best way to get there?
Convention? what's that then?
Airnimal Chameleon touring, Orbit Pro hack, Orbit Photon audax, Focus Mares AX tour, Peugeot Carbon sportive, Owen Blower vintage race - all running Tulio's finest!
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