Skælingur

Skælingur is a small rarely-visited village on the west side of Streymoy Island in the beautiful Faroe Islands. Above the village rises Mount Skælingsfjall, which is the 19th highest mountain in the archipelago, at 767 m (2.516 ft) above sea level.

The small village sits at the end of a remote road with very little traffic, so you are likely to be alone there. Getting to Skælingur is an adventure in itself!

A Dark History

The last execution that took place in the Faroe Islands happened to two half-siblings from Skælingur.

In 1704, the two had a child together. At this time, the legislation under the strict Dano-Norwegian law was extremely merciless regarding incest. In 1706, the two half-siblings were taken to the capital, Tórshavn. They were brought before a court and sentenced to death by beheading.

This stands as the very last instance in which death penalty was carried out in the Faroe Islands. There are no accounts of what happened to the child.

Getting to Skælingur

Skælingur is easy to reach by car as a narrow coastal road connects it to the rest of Streymoy Island. To get there, you have to drive to the village of Leynar first. At the roundabout with exits toward Vágar Island and Vestmanna, take the turn toward Vestmanna. Then take the first left and you will enter Leynar. Continue along the main road through the village and follow it right to the end. Skælingur sits at the end of this road. It takes just 5 minutes to drive between the two villages.

There is no public transport to Skælingur, but you can take bus route 100 or route 300 to Leynar and walk to Skælingur from there. Neither of the routes have planned stops in Leynar, but they drive right by, so you can ask the driver to stop in the village or near the main road leading into the settlement.

The walk from Leynar is beautiful and peaceful. Take the main road southeast out of Leynar and follow it to the end, where you will find the small settlement of Skælingur.

On the way, you will come by Leynar Lighthouse, which leads ships safely around a bend of the channel between Streymoy Island and Vágar Island. You will see many small waterfalls and gorges and have a lovely view over to the airport island.

The walk is 3.5 km (2.17 miles) and takes around an hour one way.

Høgni Reistrup

Høgni Reistrup is the CEO and Co-founder of Guide to Faroe Islands. Born and raised in the Faroe Islands, Høgni has deep roots in the archipelago. He co-founded the marketplace Guide to Faroe Islands in 2018 as a way for travellers to plan and explore the best of the island group.

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