Meet local people in the Faroe Islands

On home turf: how tourism can come in from the cold on the Faroe Islands.

Something you’ll notice straight away in the Faroe Islands is how willing people are to talk.

“I’ve experienced a level of warmth and openness that I would never have expected. It’s probably a key characteristic,” says Ana Holden-Peters, who moved to the Faroe Islands from the UK seven years ago. She found it easy to settle in.

“They have the time,” says Ana, “and they have a real calmness and a kindness. When you meet people there’s no level of stress – you have really nice interactions.”

My dad recently took advantage of the newly re-established direct flight from London to the Faroe Islands to go on a walking trip. He recalls speaking to people everywhere they went, including a woman tending to her sheep on the hill. “We were just walking past and said ‘hello’ and she said ‘hello’ very effusively back!” he says. “We chatted for 10 minutes on the hill and she told us all about her life.”

“I had many good conversations and interactions with the lovely Faroese people,” agrees Patrick Colyer, a traveller on our self drive holiday to the Faroe Islands. He also managed to squeeze in time to watch the Faroe Islands Premier League final.

Alongside their own Premier League, the English Premier League is popular here – as are English people. “There’s a really lovely connection with the UK; they really welcome the British,” says Ana. Alongside Scandinavian languages, English is widely spoken. “The British were here during World War II and are remembered fondly.”

Travellers tend to be first attracted to the islands by their incredible scenery, but it’s the personal connections that they remember. Using a local guide and visiting local businesses on your trip can help get you straight to the heart of the place.

So why are people here so open? “This is a very good life,” says Jónheðin Herason Tróndheim, a lawyer and occasional tour guide, speaking to me from his home in Argir, just outside Torshavn, the capital. He was born “literally 50m away from where I’m living now” in his grandparents’ home.

“Life is good and very safe,” he says. “We don’t think twice about letting our kids play out at night during the summer because the sun shines until midnight. And no one is going to steal a car here – who could be so stupid! If you steal a car, where do you want to go with it?!”

For Jónheðin, it’s the social contract between people on the islands – the communality of existence that’s true across many Nordic countries – that makes life satisfying.

The question is, what happens when other people come along? Sometimes, it can be very bad – walkers trampling over birds’ nests on Mykines (walkers must now come with a guide as well as paying a fee); visitors nosing around people’s houses. “We don’t have free outdoor museums,” Jónheðin says, pointing out that those Viking-age houses in Torshavn are people’s homes, and that it’s best not to peer in through their windows.

In 2023, a direct flight from Gatwick recommenced after 15 years. The Faroe Islands are now a direct two-hour hop from London. Even quicker, Instagram gives people an immediate window onto the islands’ dramatic views and interest in the islands is growing.

Around a third of visitors come by cruise, arriving in the summer months for a few hours. “We see a lot of cruise ships; it’s exploding at the moment,” says Oda Wilhelmsdóttir Andreasen, the founder of GoLocal travel business. “And they all go to the same five or eight villages.”

As well as guiding visitors, Oda also advises other businesses on how tourism can be regenerative and responsible, rather than disrespectful and destructive. Speak to Oda – in fact, speak to anyone – and responsible tourism here tends to start the same way: with great guides.

If you don’t want to leave your encounters up to chance – or you don’t want to hound people in their homes or interrupt their business – it’s best to travel with a local guide like Oda. She prepares lunches for guests using ingredients purchased from the local farm.

“After we hike, we go to a farmer’s house have tea and coffee with her,” she says. “I know a lot of people around the islands. People said it feels like visiting a friend – it’s very personal. You feel like a local when travelling with local people.”

Guides like Oda keep you safe on the hills, know where you’ll still get good views if the weather closes in, and are up to speed with what’s occurring in the social calendar – whether that’s a rowing race or a town festival. Oda calls ahead to check with farmers which routes through their land are best taken during specific days in the farming calendar, such as when sheep need medicating. “I also let my guests now when we come to small villages: ask permission from local people before you take photos – it’s very important,” she says.

Most guides here aren’t just guides. “In order to live here, for most people you can’t be a specialist,” says Jónheðin. He loves taking visitors hiking in the mountains. “I’m a tour guide for fun,” he says. The rest of the time, he is a lawyer. As for Oda, she referees and plays football, advises local businesses, helps in a local elderly home and is heading to France soon to work on a farm and learn French.

“Half the year guides are usually doing another job,” says Ana. “They are really knowledgeable and live locally. You get to have a much richer experience hearing from someone who actually lives here and who can really talk about what life is like. I think that makes a massive difference.”

Good tourism brings people into dialogue – to the benefit of everyone’s wellbeing. “It means an old woman in a very small village can open up her house and have coffee and cake with people from all over the world,” says Oda.

The experience – banishing loneliness from villages where it might come creeping in, is also a great experience for travellers, coming out of the rain to a warm drink and a warm welcome.

Tourism brings monetary benefits, of course – the tourist board, Visit Faroe Islands, intend for local people to own 80 percent of the tourism industry. Tourism done right can also foster a sense of local pride. “We see statues being raised over the Faroes telling us our legends and stories,” says Oda. These are usually put here for the benefit of, or financing from, tourism. But they have side benefits. “They’re really nice for the locals and for the next generation.”

Tourism also means local people have far more restaurants to enjoy – albeit in winter. “During the summer everything is full – it’s like London!” says Jónheðin.

In islands with tumultuous weather and 300 days of rain, the Faroese concept of home – or heim – is vitally important. Farmers have opened guest houses to welcome new visitors and extra houses have been constructed for tourism – with the approval of the neighbouring villagers. By staying overnight for a few days, you get to know the community, not just the lay of the land.

“We have a lot of culture,” says Oda. “We need to show people that.”

The islands are known for their artistic outputs – from painters to sculptors – and the Faroe Islands have many music festivals.

“One day, there was a festival and it was absolutely heaving,” said my dad after his visit. “There were thousands of people. The atmosphere was really friendly and happy and we felt very included – you could hardly walk 10 yards without someone speaking to you.”

If you’re not lucky enough to arrive in time for a festival, our group tour holidays to the Faroe Islands include culture evenings, where you can learn how to do the Faroese chain dance: a dance where anyone can join in.

The government in the Faroe Islands changed the catering laws to allow homes to offer a unique dining experience: heimablídni – dinner in their homes. This isn’t your usual midweek tea. “These are excellent, excellent meals,” says Jónheðin. “They have some Michelin-star chefs out there teaching them how to do really, really good food.”

“You try all the Faroese food that they source themselves – and you get all the lovely stories with it too,” Ana explains. “It feels incredibly authentic and in no way manufactured.”

The land in the Faroe Islands is all owned, and unlike many other parts of the world, you are more likely to meet the owner when you walk, perhaps tending to their sheep. I ask Jónheðin how tourists can engage responsibly with local people and environments when walking. “First and foremost, talk to the owners,” he says. “Contact the owners, ask for permission and guidance, what to do – and especially what not to do and when not to go.”

It started out with a knit. Faroese knitwear rose to fame thanks to being the uniform of choice for a detective in The Killing, a 2010s Scandi noir drama. Thanks to a long tradition of sheep farming (there are 70,000 sheep on the islands, to its 50,000 people), Faroese people are known for great textiles, including the famous boatman’s jumper – which takes advantage of the naturally water-resistant properties of wool.

Sheep aside, in Torshavn you can find lots of artisanal shops, where makers create homeware, clothing and art – high quality keepsakes that make fantastic souvenirs. By buying them directly from their makers, you can find out what makes them special. After all, if you ask, you’ll be surprised how willing people are to talk.