Starting out from Dalur village after coffee and breakfast, we made the trek back to northern Sandoy, including the sketchy one-lane stretch between a cliff face and an ocean below. Back at the village of Sandur, we made a detour to check out the road to Soltavik, or at least as far as we felt comfortable going before the "road" got a little sketchy for the rental van.
Taking to long tunnel back to "mainland" Streymoy, we once again skirted Torshavn before taking a scenic mountain road northward, stopping to enjoy the stunning vista and the road down to Nordradalur. From there, we carried on to the north, choosing to cross the free bridge to Eysturoy at Nordskali rather than taking the expensive roundabout beneath the sea.
We stopped at Nordskali to grab coffee and lunch at the Magn - another hot dog! We also hit the local Bonus for replenishments and the Rusdrekkasola Landsins (state-run liquor store) for some more local Foroya beer. Passing through a long mountain tunnel behind a large group of bikers, we followed the main road in light rain until the turn for Oyndarfjordur. We took this road and a single-lane zig zag down into the fjord with high walls all around. Beautiful spot.
Back up and out to the main road, we took another road northward around a winding fjord, to the scenic village of Funningur. After exploring the village, we began the white-knuckle drive up and over on the single-lane switchback road high above. Oncoming traffic was merciful, so with minimal pullouts we arrived at the entry point for the Hvithamar hike.
In the wind, rain and mud, we soldiered on for a stunning overlook of the fjord and valley below, including Funningur itself and some perspective on the switchback road we just drove. After sating our eyes with the epic landscapes, we carried on up the road and make the 4km single-lane trek into Gjogv. Despite being at the end of a sketchy road, the village was teeming with people and parking was a challenge.
We explored the beautiful village and namesake harbour gorge, before deciding to get away from everyone. Extricating the van from the tight parking area took some teamwork and precision, but before long we were heading back out to the main road. We had planned to continue across the same mountain road to the village of Eidi, but the mountain pass was closed for roadwork except to "workers and sheep farmers". We were forced to retrace our way back down the switchback road and out to the main highway.
Back through the mountain tunnel near Nordskali, we turned north and made the drive to Eidi, where we would spend the night camping on an old soccer pitch perched scenically on the ocean. We even took the opportunity to plug in the van and recharge the camping battery.
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