Klakkur Hike – The Faroe Islands

The hike to the summit of Klakkur is exceptionally spectacular. In fact, this was my favorite hike that we did in the Faroe Islands. Views from the summit of Klakkur are jaw-dropping from every single angle. This relatively small mountain sits on the island of Borðoy. Although the mountain is relatively short the views are some of the best I’ve ever seen.

THE TWO TRAILHEADS FOR KLAKKUR

There are two routes to reach Klakkur’s Summit. One starts in the city of Klaksvík below the mountain of Klakkur. The other starts further up a gravel road (often referred to as The Love Path) to the mountain pass of Halsur.

STARTING AT KLAKSVÍK: Many blogs point to the church in Klaksvík as the starting point of this hike. This is great for someone who’s looking for a scenic walk and in no big hurry. You wind up the mountain, through the city and up the aforementioned gravel road. It’s worth noting that you can drive that road, though and get all the way up to the Mountain Pass of Halsur. It’s a somewhat steep climb up that hill, and be sure to keep an eye out for traffic since the road is narrow.

STARTING FROM HALSUR: To get to the trailhead up the actual mountain, you drive up the gravel road, often known as The Love Path, but the actual Faroese name of the road is Astarbravt, and searching that on Google maps will help you find it easily. We had to stop and ask an extremely friendly local for directions. The gravel road seems like you might have to just pick a place to stop, but it ends at a lake.

We did a bit of a hybrid of the two options. We got most of the way up the gravel road and then decided to walk up the rest of it because, as I said before, I was afraid that there wouldn’t be a place to park since most things we had read said to start all the way down at the church. It was nice to get to have a blend of the two experiences.

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HIKING FROM THE LAKE UP TO KLAKKUR

Like most of the paths we’ve come across in Europe, they’re not paved, totally well-blazed or even marked. You sort-of just have to know they’re there. Near the lake there is a wooden gate, you’ll go through this (and there’s a second you’ll go through as well), It’s very important to remember to shut these so the sheep don’t get in or out of the areas that the farmers don’t want them to get into or out of. Then you go up a steady incline until you get to the base of a hill, and then you go straight up that!

One of my favorite things is watching the weather roll through. It’s like watching a timelapse in real life.

In the photo above, Matt and I were joking about how this path is rated easy and although it is nowhere near the most strenuous thing we’ve done, we would both rate it somewhere between easy and moderate. There’s a tan patch on the road behind me if you go straight above my head and to the right a smidge. That’s where we started the hike, just for a point of reference.

  
At one point, fog totally encompassed us when we got to the top. We were very sure of the way down because it is so well marked and worn, but we wanted to sit it out to be able to enjoy this mountaintop even more. As fast as it rolled in, it rolled back out and we were able to take it all in again.

HIKING TIPS FOR KLAKKUR

DON’T FORGET TRAVEL INSURANCE: As someone who fell hiking in Thailand and broke her arm and had to make a claim while traveling, I love World Nomads. It’s something you hope to never have to use, but you’re glad you have it when you need it.

DON’T FORGET TO CLOSE THOSE GATES BEHIND YOU: This helps keep animals in or out of these lands. This protects both the animals and the lands.
DON’T MESS WITH THE ANIMALS: Speaking of protecting those animals, don’t mess with them. Yes, they’re so stinking cute, but enjoy their cuteness from a distance. In addition to the domesticated animals, don’t mess with any wild animals either.
RESPECT THE NATURE AS WELL: Don’t remove rocks, pick flowers, pick up leaves, etc. Leave no trace, as they say.
BE MINDFUL OF THE WEATHER: The weather can change drastically. Be sure that you’re prepared for rain and high winds especially. If there’s a lot of fog before you hike, sit it out until it passes. If it rolls in during a hike stay by a cairn, because it can be hard to find your way back. Don’t forget, there’s nothing wrong with not finishing a hike.

Getting to hike Klakkur was a highlight of our visit to the Faroe Islands. Klakkur is, hands down, one of the very best hikes I’ve done. Being able to enjoy those 360 views of other islands, the oceans, the towns and the fog is something I will always remember.

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