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Torshavn's exciting nightlife includes 600,000 storm petrels but no murders.

 

As the aeroplane dipped beneath the clouds I got my first glimpse of the Faroe Islands. I took a deep breath and zipped up my fleece – for it was a daunting panorama of jagged volcanic mountains, immense sheer-sided cliffs, long dark fjords and bleak windswept moorland.

Waves crashed against black rock pillars standing alone in the sea and huge basalt peaks loomed through dark clouds. It looked like a fantasy landscape from Lord of the Rings. I was heading for Torshavn, the Faroes’ capital, and what was promising to be one of the strangest citybreaks in the world.

As the classic European destinations like Barcelona, Amsterdam and Paris become more and more popular with visitors, new ones keep trying to join the citybreak boom. Tiny Torshavn added its name to the list of possibles this year, almost unnoticed among the rows of glossy brochures featuring glamorous names like Madrid, Prague and Florence.

 

The Prime Minister's wooden shed

 

But when I read that Torshavn’s population is just 17,000, that there hasn’t been a murder for 15 years and the Prime Minister works in a red wooden shed on the harbour side, I reckoned it might offer a short break that’s completely different from anything back home. The brochures had told me the 18 Faroe Islands are a self-governing part of Denmark, high in the North Atlantic between Scotland and Iceland.

 

Indeed, my first impressions were of an intimidatingly wild polar land fit for Vikings, mountaineers and bearded bird-watchers. I stepped from the plane to find that the airport stands on a bleak plateau of peat bogs with fords either end of the runway. The capital is on another island, over an hour away by bus and ferry.

 

An airline assistant suggested taking a helicopter instead. Surprisingly it only cost £18. The timetable showed the islands are linked by an amazing network of helicopter services, more like buses back home. Trips start at just £7 and visit even the tiniest islands several times a day.

 

Fantastic bargain

 

This heavily-subsidised helicopter ride to Torshavn was a fantastic bargain and swooped around some of the most spectacular scenery I’ve ever seen. Mountainous cliffs rise almost straight up from the sea and I could spot sheep unbelievably balanced on this vertical pasture. The Faroes have only 40,000 people but 70,000 sheep. Birds are the real inhabitants though – the feathered population is estimated to be around three million.

Halfway to Torshavn we landed on a tiny cone of an island, in a field next to a group of stone huts with grass roofs. This was the island of Koltur – a mile wide, 1,568ft high, with a population of two. A housewife emerged with her shopping bag and climbed on board. There was a good view of the capital as we rounded a rocky headland. Torshavn spreads out around a busy harbour and wide bay facing another steep-sided island opposite. Most of the houses are wooden, and painted red, white or black. Many have the traditional roof of living turf.

 

 

 

 

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My comfortable modern hotel was a former seamen’s mission on the harbourside that doesn’t serve any alcohol. Thankfully I found several bars and restaurants that do. I even found some nightclubs. With shiny red leather pews and mirrored walls they reminded me of the early seventies – although I don’t recall British clubs of that era being full of businessmen hugging each other and singing traditional folk songs.

 

A night with the birds

 

The town’s tourist office directed me to what they claim is the best nightlife on offer – a visit to the world’s largest storm petrel colony.

 

The boat leaves at 6pm throughout the summer for Nolsoy, an island to the east. There’s a few hours walking involved and you don’t come back until 7.20 the next morning. It’s popular among wildlife enthusiasts but I was too embarrassed to admit I didn’t actually know what a storm petrel was.

 

They turned out to be small white seabirds only seen late at night when they return to feed their youngsters in underground nests. This extraordinary colony has 600,000 birds. They’re hidden under rocks but the most striking sensation is the strange noise of all those birds whirring on their nests.

Our small group of tourists and birdwatchers watched as our guide caught and ringed some birds, then we clambered back down to a small village, ate a huge dinner in the early hours and slept at the only guesthouse. I arrived back in Torshavn the next morning feeling like I’d had an amazing night out.

Art galleries and museums

Torshavn has more to do during the day than I expected too. The sophisticated art galleries and fascinating museums are particularly surprising – again they are heavily subsidised by the government. The exhibition on whaling at the Nordic House cultural centre was very moving.

Faroes are one of the few countries left that continue to kill and eat whales. Be warned that whales have been occasionally been driven ashore in Torshavn Bay. It happens rarely but you can’t miss it – all the locals rush out to claim a chunk of their favourite delicacy and the butchering stains the sea red with blood.

I was lucky not to see this gruesome sight but I did have to endure tasting whale at a restaurant. The dark red whale meat was like cod liver oil flavoured chewing gum while the blubber was even worse, like trying to swallow a piece of an old fisherman’s wellington boot. The locals didn’t seem to mind that I found their national dish so disgusting. My Faroese dining companion simply leant over and scoffed what I’d left.

 

Stuffed puffins

 

Torshavn also has a quaint old quarter, including a cobbled maze of 300-year-old fisherman’s cottages and harbourside cafes, bars and shops. The most popular souvenirs seemed to be woollen hats, socks and stuffed puffins.

 

There seem to be dozens of exciting trips from the capital. I took a boat tour past towering 1,000ft cliffs lined with puffins staring down at us. We casually threw a line over the side and hauled it back hooked with three large cod.

Add in the chance to see midnight sun, passionate football matches and frequent live music festivals, and little Torshavn shows that even the smallest destination can create a big impression. In fact, if you ignore the whales, I found you can have a whale of a time.

 

 

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