What do the death of 007, a woman in a seal skin and a Instagrammable lighthouse have in common? They are all be found on Kalsoy, one of the remote outback islands of the Faroes.
I first noticed Kalsoy when we sailed past on the Narrona en route to Iceland. The sheer cliffs with their tiny lighthouse perched on one end looked stunning and I thought then that it would be fun to visit on our return trip.
Little did I know then that Kalsoy and the Kallur lighthouse have assumed mythical status thanks to its James Bond link and the ubiquitous Instagram.
It is not the easiest of destinations to reach within the Faroes either: whilst many of the islands are now connected by tunnels, one has to take a boat to Kalsoy, albeit only a 20 minute crossing.
There are frequent services throughout the day so we decided to take the 3.30 pm boat over and camp on the island. The campground is at Mikladalur, the third of four small villages on the island.
We explored them on our arrival, although there is little to detain you before
Miklidalur, reached by a succession of small dark tunnels interspersed with mountainous cirques. Sheep were everywhere, stony ruins littered the hillsides and tiny fields yielded meagre hay crops.
Kópakonan
Our campsite at Mikladalur had a fabulous view over the scattered houses of the little village with the fjord and towering cliffs of Kunoy beyond. Tents have a grassy field but on such a slope that we camped in the parking area. The shower room was beautifully warm with piping hot water. (100 kr/tent).
The village has some nice houses, a few with turfed roofs, and an old mill and a blacksmith’s smithy. It is high above the harbour where a waterfall drops down and an old winch system is still in evidence.
However, it is newly famous for ‘Kópakonan’, its Seal Woman statue of a buxom wrench emerging from the sea clutching a sealskin. It was erected in 2014 and is designed to withstand 13 metre waves.
Local folklore has it that seals were once humans; they come back to shore once a year, throw off their sealskins and become human again for a night.
One night a farmer watched and saw a beautiful woman. He took her skin so she had to follow him home where he married her and had children. He kept the skin securely locked away.
However, one day he forgot the key and returned home to find her gone, back to her waiting bull seal.
However, the men slaughtered every seal, at which point the seal woman appeared and cursed them all – which is why the men of Mikladalur have often drowned at sea or fallen off the cliffs!
The 2.6 m high lady or ‘selkie‘ is on a prominent rock in the harbour, seemingly in danger of being swept away – it is quite an effective setting. There are binoculars if you can’t face the steps!
We enjoyed a pleasant evening sitting out with our fjord views: it was all very quiet and peaceful.
Kallur Lighthouse
The next day we drove through another tunnel to Trøllanes, the end of the one south to north road on Kalsoy which stretches for all of 17 km with 4 tunnels. The people would certainly have been quite isolated before these were built.
Trøllanes has a little kiosk which bills itself as the ‘kiosk at the end of the world‘, which was probably true once. However, Tollanes is on everyone’s radar now as James Bond died there in No Time to Die and filming took place in the village and at the lighthouse (disguised as the baddy’s lair).
The local farmer is now the happiest man in the Faroes: not only is he running the hideously expensive Ultimate James Bond Tour, but he’s charging walkers 200 kr each (approx £23) to access the easy 50 minute walk to the lighthouse. This is collected where the walk starts and they do have ‘opening times’ – see below – although we left early at 7.30 am before anyone was up so paid afterwards. Credit cards are accepted!
The headland is worth seeing even if 200 kr is way too much. After an initial sharp rise the track settles into a steady incline, very muddy and slippery after rain. At one point there is a wide ditch to be negotiated – no money is obviously spent on trail maintenance.
The lighthouse came into view, rather a squat little thing that could do with a lick of paint. As we reached it, one could suddenly see what all the fuss is about – not only is it wonderfully positioned on the edge of dramatically steep cliffs but it has two superb viewpoints.
The first gives the classic Insta shot: continue past the lighthouse out onto a small promentary, reached by a narrow knife edge ridge track. This is made more interesting by the slopes at each end and the 250 m drop to each side.
If you survive that, look back to see the shot everyone wants: a soaring vertical black cliff with a swade of green grassy slopes running up on its landward side. On the seaward, blue water and a sea cave, then the lighthouse, looking ridiculously dinky but, rather like Turner’s red dot, setting the whole composition up beautifully.
The viewpoint to the east of the lighthouse is along an easier ridge, although no less high, edged by grazing sheep who appear to have no fear of heights. Looking westwards along the peninsulas, a series of mountainous points are visible, as well as the distinctive stacks of Risian og Kellingin (the Giant and the Witch) and a waterfall falling into the sea on Esteroy.
Our final stop was James Bonds’ tombstone, a clever marketing ploy by the islanders! It marks the spot where he was obliterated in the final scenes of No Time to Die and echoes the design of his parents tombstone as seen in Skyfall in 2012.
It is actually a rather lovely lump of pure Faroese basalt and has been carved so that the inscription stands out in relief. These are the words read by M as No Time to Die comes to an end: ‘The proper function of man is to live, not to exist’.
Ian Fleming used the quote – originally by Jack London – in the book You Only Live Twice, as part of an obituary for Bond when he was believed to have died.
It is all very effective, only slightly marred by the superfluous block in front with some handy advertising by the company who carved it – but if you are looking for an original top quality tombstone, I’d recommend them!
The clouds were starting to roll in again after a sunny start and we made our way back down the slippery hillside. I would actually suggest a sunset visit for optimum light if the weather obliges.
We had a quick wander in Trøllanes. It is sublimely situated beneath encircling black layered cliffs with spikey protrusions on top, although there is enough good pasture land to keep a herd of sheep and geese happy. In the distance, the high faces of Konoy and Cape Enniberg can be seen.
The old footpath between Trøllanes and Mikladalur can still be walked. It is approximately 4.5 km long and crosses a very steep mountain – it is not recommended to anyone with a fear of heights!
Viðarlundín
We returned to Mikladalur for a scenic lunch at the campsite, but first we visited the little patch of forest that lies above it, known as Viðarlundín, or the plantation.
One comes to really appreciate trees when there are few around and the locals have done a great job with this tiny collection of birch and pine which was planted in 1952 – although judging by some of the tortured trees, the growing conditions can be challenging.
There are little trails through the trees to a hidden pond which mirrors the mountain above. A stream runs through it all amidst scattered stone ruins and seats – I found it quite enchanting.
Which just about sums up the whole island – don’t miss it!
NOTES
Ferry
There are numerous daily departures from Klaksvik to Syðradalur on Kalsoy. The crossing is only 20 minutes and the timetable is here.
The crossing can be booked online. A car with 2 cost 102 DDK (approximately £12) each way. Bizarrely it wasn’t possible to book a return: we had to do a one way booking to Kalsoy and then do another for the return trip.
They can only squeeze about 13 cars on so booking is advisable although you can join the standby queue and hope. Foot passengers should not have this problem and can just turn up.
Bus and Car
There is a great bus system that seems to link in with every boat and goes all the way to Tollanes. The schedule is here.
Driving is straightforward and if you cannot cope with a one lane tunnel you shouldn’t be driving – there are lots of pull in spaces in them.
Camping
Mikladalur was our favourite campsite in the Faroes – although we did camp in the car park as the tent field is on a hill! This may not be possible at busy times. Either way there is a fabulous view and beautifully heated shower rooms with piping hot water. 100 DDK per tent.
The site also has a simple wooden cabin with kitchen (take your own bedding) for a minimum of 400 DDK.
