In many ways, the Faroes feel a lot like Scotland taken to the extreme, be it the hospitality of the people or the impenetrable ruggedness of its nature. The Faroes spent 800 years as part of the Kingdom of Norway until being transferred to Danish rule in the 19th century, but the 52,337 people who make up the population are every bit as defiantly independent as the aforementioned Scots, albeit in an altogether more refined sort of way.
Adventure is the name of the game here, and it permeates every nook and cranny of the archipelago. Tórshavn is the capital although using the word ‘city’ might be a stretch, as this town on Streymoy (the largest of the Faroe Islands) brings together the history and culture of the archipelago and accentuates them with cuisine, sport and the closest thing these parts get to urbanity. In many ways, Tórshavn is at its most picturesque from afar, so jump a boat or a ferry and consider the city (okay, ‘city’) from the chilly waters of the North Atlantic. Tinganes is the old part of Tórshavn, one of the oldest parliamentary meeting places in the world and desktop background fodder if ever such a thing was accepted to exist.
Throw in the verdant nature, the shaggy sheep and the undeniable lustre of the husky north and you’ve got yourself a new favourite place.