Faroe Islands

The Faroe Islands are an archipelago between the Norwegian Sea and the North Atlantic, about halfway between Norway and Iceland, 320 kilometres north-northwest of Scotland. The islands are an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark. Their population is about 50,000

The Faroes' terrain is rugged, and the islands have a subpolar oceanic climate (Cfc): windy, wet, cloudy, and cool. Despite this island group's northerly latitude, temperatures average above freezing throughout the year because of the Gulf Stream.

Between 1035 and 1814, the Faroes were part of the Kingdom of Norway. In 1814, the Treaty of Kiel granted Denmark control over the islands, along with two other Norwegian island possessions: Greenland and Iceland. The Faroe Islands have been a self-governing country within the Kingdom of Denmark since 1948.

The Faroese have control of most domestic matters. Areas that remain the responsibility of Denmark include military defence, policing and the justice department, currency, and foreign affairs. However, as they are not part of the same customs area as Denmark, the Faroe Islands have an independent trade policy and can establish trade agreements with other states. The islands also have representation in the Nordic Council as members of the Danish delegation. The Faroe Islands also have their own national teams competing in certain sports.

We docked at Torshavn

Torshavn

Tórshavn, on Streymoy Island, is the capital city of the Faroe Islands. It is known for its old town, Tinganes, crammed with wooden turf-roofed houses on a small peninsula. Nearby is Tórshavn Cathedral, rebuilt in the 19th century. Local boutiques dot the main shopping strip, Niels Finsens gøta.

On 30 March 1808, during the Anglo-Danish Gunboat War, the Cruiser class brig-sloop HMS Clio entered Tórshavn and briefly captured the fort at Skansin. The fort surrendered without firing a shot as the landing party approached. The Clio's men spiked the fort's eight 18-pounder guns and took all the smaller guns and weapons before leaving. Shortly after 6 May a German privateer who had assumed the name "Baron von Hompesch" plundered the defenceless city and seized the property of the Danish Crown Monopoly.

In 1856, free trade came to the Faroe Islands. By opening the islands to the world, it transformed the economy, with Tórshavn at its centre. The farming land was rented to townspeople who could later buy it if they wished. These small plots of land enabled people to keep cows and sheep.

In 1866, Tórshavn's town council was founded. The town has been the capital of the Faroe Islands ever since. Later, in 1909, Tórshavn became a market town with the same municipal charter as Danish market towns.

In 1927, Tórshavn had a modern harbour built. This made it possible for larger ships to berth

During the British occupation of the Faroe Islands in World War II, Skansin was used as the headquarters of the Royal Navy Command, and two 5.5-inch guns used aboard HMS Furious before World War II were deployed.

At the time of the occupation, the Faroe Islands had the status of a county of Denmark. Following the invasion and occupation of Denmark on 9 April 1940, British forces launched "Operation Valentine" to occupy the Faroe Islands. On 11 April, Winston Churchill — then First Lord of the Admiralty — announced to the House of Commons that the Faroe Islands would be occupied:

An announcement was broadcast on BBC radio. An aircraft of the Royal Air Force was seen over Tórshavn on the same day. On 12 April, two destroyers of the British Royal Navy arrived in Tórshavn harbour. Following a meeting with the Danish Prefect of the Islands and with the President of the Faroese Parliament, an emergency meeting of the Løgting was convened the same afternoon. Pro-independence members tried to declare the independence of the Faroe Islands from the Kingdom of Denmark but were outvoted. An official announcement was later made announcing the occupation.

On 13 April, the Royal Navy cruiser HMS Suffolk arrived at Tórshavn. Colonel T. B. W. Sandall (the British military commander) and Frederick Mason (the new British Consul to the Faroe Islands) then met with the Danish Prefect. The Prefect responded with what Sandall took to be a formal protest, although Hilbert maintained that owing to the occupation of Denmark he was unable formally to represent the Danish government. He duly accepted the British terms on the basis that the UK would not seek to interfere with the internal affairs of the islands. A formal protest was made by the Løgting, albeit expressing the wish for friendly relations. 250 Royal Marines were disembarked, later to be replaced by other British troops. Cordial relations were maintained between the British forces and the Faroese authorities. In May, the Royal Marines were replaced by soldiers of the Lovat Scouts, a Scottish Regiment. In 1942, they were replaced by the Cameronians (Scottish Rifles). From 1944, the British garrison was considerably reduced.

The Faroe Islands suffered occasional attacks by German Luftwaffe aircraft in the course of the war, but an invasion was never attempted. Drifting sea mines proved to be a considerable problem and resulted in the loss of numerous fishing boats and their crews. The trawler Nýggjaberg was sunk on 28 March 1942 near Iceland; 21 Faroese seamen were killed in the worst single loss of Faroese lives in the war. During the war, Faroese ships had to hoist the Faroese flag and paint FAROES / FØROYAR on the ships' sides, thus allowing the Royal Navy to identify them as "friendly".

Following the liberation of Denmark and the end of World War II in Europe, the occupation was terminated in May 1945 and the last British soldiers left in September. The experience of wartime self-government left a return to the pre-war status of an amt (county) unrealistic and unpopular. The Faroese independence referendum, 1946 led to local autonomy within the Danish realm in 1948.

The largest tangible sign of the British presence is the runway of Vágar Airport. Other reminders include the naval guns at the fortress of Skansin in Tórshavn, which served as the British military headquarters. A continuing reminder is the Faroese love of fish and chips and British chocolate such as Dairy Milk (which is readily available in shops throughout the islands but not in Denmark).

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Gjogv

We took a tour to Gjógv, the most northern village on the island of Eysturoy, named after a 200-metre long sea-filled gorge that runs from the village into the ocean. Nominated by the Nordic Council for the Nature & Environmental Award in 2014, this beautiful quiet and well-preserved village is idyllically located, closed in by mountains to all sides. With less than 50 inhabitants, all living in old timber-walled and turf-roofed cottages, Gjógv has an abundance of charm and appeal.

The village was first mentioned in 1584, but it seems to have existed long before then. It has long subsisted on fishing and selling dried and salted fish. At one time as many as 13 fishing boats sailed from Gjógv. Its population has seen a sharp decline in the past 60 years or so. In 1950 the headcount still stood at 210. A factory producing prefabricated concrete elements was founded in the village in 1982. It employs 6 people and is the only one of its kind in the islands. Other branches of industry are represented by the village's fish farm and guest house / hostel and campsite.

The village church dates from 1929. It was the first one to be consecrated in the village and the first one to feature services in Faroese. Before that, the villagers walked over the mountains to Funningur for church and burial services. On the opposite side of the road a sculpture stands as a memorial to fishermen lost at sea, bearing the names and ages of men from the late nineteenth to the mid twentieth century. The sculpture of a mother and two children looking out to sea was created by Janus Kamban, who has created a number of Faroese commemorative statues. The village school building dates back to 1884. It was built from boulders and was once in use by as many as 50 pupils. Now there are no children. The old village dance hall was renovated and extended in 1986 and now houses a community centre. All houses in the village conform to the prevailing colourful style of building in the Faroes, red, white and green being the predominant colours used. There are still about 50 houses left in the village. Due to the great decrease in population, about half of that number stand empty and are used as holiday homes.

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We left Torshavn and headed south agan, for the UK and the Shetland Islands

On to Shetland Islands