Total eclipse sheds new light on Faroe Islands for solar spectacle
Eclipse charter flights, ferry sailings and cruise ships have all been heading to the islands that are home to 50,000 people between the north of Scotland and Iceland. Susanna Sorensen, from the Faroes Islands Tourist Board, estimates more than 8,000 extra people will be on the islands from the UK, Europe, the USA, South America, China and Japan. Some have spent up to £5,000 for special eclipse packages with travel companies based around the world who specialise in getting them to where the sun will disappear next.
The islands only have 500 hotel rooms so many of the visitors are being accommodated in the private homes of the islanders, 900 others are staying on a DFDS Ferry that’s sailed from Newcastle and more will arrive on the cruise ship, Oriana, that’s sailed from Southampton with nearly 2,000 people onboard.
The biggest talking point for visitors and locals alike is tomorrow’s weather forecast. At the moment a weather front is heading towards the islands and may obscure the sun at 09.41 when the total solar eclipse is due to happen. Local weather forecasters predict a 30% chance of actually seeing the eclipse.
The Faroe islands lie in the heart of the Gulf Stream in the North Atlantic at 62’00” north. The archipelago is composed of 18 islands covring 545 sq miles (1,399 sq kms) - it’s 70 miles (113 kms) from top to bottom and 47 miles (75 kms) wide. The highest mountain on the islands is 2,883 ft high (882 metres) but they feel taller as many rise from sea level in a landscape that was shaped by the last ice age and the elements since that ended.
Most of the eclipse travellers are staying in the capital, Torshavn named by the Vikings after the Nordic God of War - Thor. Since 1948 the Faroe Islands have been a self-governing region of the kingdom of Denmark. They have their own parliament and flag and are not a member of the EU.
Faroese is the local language which is rooted in old Norse - English is widely spoken by the local people, during World War 2 British troops built the island’s airport. The fishing industry is the most important source of income for the Faroes, followed by tourism and then the manufacture of woollen garments, often made from the fleece of local sheep that populate the landscape.