Funningur

After filling up on a wonderful breakfast spread at the hotel, we decided to head out for a hike. We drove back up the road about 13 minutes before finding the parking for the trailhead up Slættaratindur. Apparently Slættaratindur is the highest peak in the Faroe Islands at 840m, however, we "only" accended 584m from trail head to the summit.

It was very windy and gusty at the start of the hike. About mid-way it started to lightly rain. The footing wasn't too bad and we accended a mostly vertical trajectory before eventually leveling off a bit. The wind was getting increasingly stronger until we managed to get around the point on to the backside of the ridge. It was a bit disappointing that the clouds hung so tightly to the peak, but it was still neat to be at the top of it all. Surprisingly, the top was very flat with quite a bit of open area. As we descended, we were pelted with driving rain, and despite the rain gear, got wet. Our footing on the way down was a lot more slippy with the rain sodden pathway.

Decided to return to our room in Gjogv to dry off and warm up. But by mid-afternoon we were being teased out of our room with filtered sunlight. At this point the local trail seemed a perfect option to trek. Of course, no sooner had we made it part way up, the rains returned 😕. Luckily the rain didn't last long, leaving a mostly sunny clear sky; but the wind gusts remained which helped to dry us off while we walked. We did our best to follow the map the hotel provided us, but there was very little indication of the path, so we navigated with the few visible landmarks. We succeeded in getting to the end of the trail and seeing the rock where they used to harvest sea birds 🐦 🍽️. On the walk back a large bird, maybe a great skua, buzzed us many times flying straight at us and very low 🦤

Made it back to the hotel by late afternoon, then cleaned up and headed to Ljosa for dinner at Rose's Cafe and Restaurant. The drive back along the single track road was stunning with the sun illuminating rock crops and hillsides. Why didn't it appear during our earlier trek to the summit? The ocean was quiet turbulent and the wind was dispursing the crashing wave's spray.

The restaurant was very cozy, and the proprietor was very friendly and welcoming. Apparently we got the best seat in the house with great views of the coastline. Dinner was very delicious, and much better than the hotel restaurant in Gjogv; J went with the daily catch and A ordered the spicy hamburger with a side salad.

The drive back to Gjogv was just as spectacular with the sun still shining in its pre-sunset brilliance.Read more