Day 9

Continued bad weather offshore means we are pinned in the Faroes and, more positively, provides an opportunity for us to explore the island a little. We all squeeze into a little hire car, wipe the rain off the windows and head off into the mountains.

It seems the no 1 priority has become tracking down some Highland cattle, and sure enough 30 mins later Charley demands we pull over and off she bolts into the drizzle to give a huge shaggy cow a big hug. The cattle seem somewhat bemused and less keen on a hug. They amble off and a grinning Charley returns to the car – mission accomplished.

I may have mentioned the 300 days of rain a year The Faroes are subject to…..! Sightings of the incredible weather carved sea stacks and towering cliffs lining the coasts are somewhat marred by the ubiquitous mist and rain. What is clear is that the islands have a rugged and majestic landscape unmatched around the globe. Villages, frequently dating back to the original Viking settlers are seemingly perched randomly on hillsides plunging down to the sea.

A welcome respite from the weather is provided by a tiny local café serving up, amongst other local delicacies, wind dried lamb……. It should come as no surprise, everything here is wind dried, and then rain soaked.

The adventure continues with a trip around the world’s first underwater roundabout, in a tunnel linking three of the disparate islands. It was so exciting we went round it twice. The islands are truly beautiful, dramatic and absolutely unique but the call of food finally brings our travels to an end and it’s back to the boat to get a bit of essential washing into the laundry and tuck into some colossal pizzas.