The Information Centre í Nólsoy Welcome to Nólsoy
The Corn Valley and the Princess Ruins People lived in the Corn Valley from around 1300 to the middle of 1700. The ruins from the settlement can still be seen. One of the ruins is called the Princess Ruin and according to a legend a Scottish princess and her fiancé fled from her father, king in Scotland, who didn’t want his daughter to marry a man of the people. They sailed towards north, came to Nólsoy and settled down there. Several years later the king got news of where his daughter was and sailed to the Faroe Islands in order to kill them. But when he saw how well they were doing and met his lovely grandchild, he changed his mind and forgave his daughter. The legend about the settlement in the Corn Valley was written by Pól Nolsøe in Varðin, volume 10. The author Oddvør Johansen has reproduced the legend about the Scottish princess in the children’s book ”Kongsdótturin í Nólsoy” (1996). (1996).
Ove Joensen’s boat
The old warehouse
The House by the Well
On 1st of July 1986 Ove Joensen left from the harbour of Tórshavn in his specially built rowing boat, Diana Victoria, and set off rowing to Denmark. This was his third attempt. Twice earlier he had to lay up in Shetland, but stubborn as he was he tried once more. After rowing 900 nautical miles and 41 days he became world famous as he came alongside Langelinie in Copenhagen. Lots of people came to greet him and others watched him on TV as he kissed the Little Mermaid. On his return to the Faroe Islands a great reception was held to celebrate his achievements.
The old warehouse was built in 1902. It is an old village shop with a counter just inside the door and shop shelves on the hind wall. The shop is from the time when sugar and flour were sold in loose weight, soap was transported in barrels and sweets were sold in paper screws.
This old house was built in late 1600. It was originally made from driftwood, but the eastern end of the house was made from a log of pinewood from Pommern in Germany, that was bought at an action held over the so-called ”Saksun Ship” that sunk outside Saksun in 1828. ”Old Jacob” who bought the pinewood used three favourable currents at sea (36 hours) to transport the wood to Nólsoy and then made use of it.
Downstairs in the information centre you can visit a small museum made in memory of Ovi Joensen, e.g. the boat, Diana Victoria, that carried him on the long voyage to Denmark. You can visit the museum in arrangement with the information centre.
In this cosy old shop it is now possible to buy homemade goods made by the islanders, e.g. food, clothing and ornaments. Please ask at the Information Centre about opening hours.
The cooking-stove was bought by ”Old Jacob” in 1858, it was the first cooking-stove in the village and the first in the Faroe Islands too. The people in Nólsoy named the it ”the Cooking-machine.” Ten generations of the same family lived in the House by the Well for more than 300 years. The last inhabitant moved out in the 1980ies and in 1985 the house was listed as a conservation area and made into a village museum. Please ask at the Information Centre about opening hours.
www.visitnolsoy.fo
The Information Centre
Services in Nólsoy
If you fancy winter surfing, swimming in the sea, Faroese village food, perfect peace or the ”Tower at the End of the World,” we can provide you with your best experience ever:
The Shop (+298 327150)
a guided tour across the island stories about pirates, heroes and very capable women, whose job it was to milk cows in the outfields a good healthy meal made from Faroese primary products enjoy tasty Nólsoy-vaffles at the tiny beach at Malarenda on a good summer day a game on the football field or a race-run to Borðan during winter time you can enjoy the peacefulness and bleating sheep amongst the houses in the village Only 20 minutes on a ferry from the capital we welcome all of you who want to visit the outstanding and beautiful island. Big or small families, children, grownups, sporting people, knitting bees, colleagues, concerns and everyone else, Faroese and foreigners. If you would like a meal or if you want to stay overnight, we recommend that you contact us as early as possible in order to give us enough time to prepare your visit. Call us at +298 327060 or +298 527060 or write to us info@nolsoy.fo. During the summer our very cosy Tourist Information is open from 10 am –17 pm.
During the summer – 15th May to 14th September: Monday to Friday
9.30 am–17.30 pm.
Saturday
9.00–12.00 am
During the winter – 15th September to 14th May: Monday to Friday
9.30 am–14.00 pm and 16.00–17.30 pm
Saturday
9.00–12.00 am.
The post office
The Light House The trip starts from the village Nólsoy and goes along the old path with cairns to Borðan, which is the most southern part of outfields on the island. After the gate there is a walk up the hill-side. Then there is a place on a rock face where one can climb up – called Oyggjarmúli – and then you pass Kagan, where the people in Nólsoy used to be on watch for pirates. On top of the island it is level all the way to Borðan. You will pass three outfields on your way and it is very peaceful and beautiful. You can watch and listen to birds, see hares and the view is magnificent. Towards south you can see Skálhøvdi on Sandoy, the globes on Sornfelli on Streymoy and the firth called Skálafjørður to the north. At Borðan you can see the lighthouse – ”the Tower at the End of the World” as the author Willliam Heinesen called it and the villagers call it the lighthouse on Tumbanum. The lighthouse and the other houses there were built in 1893 and are made from Faroese stone.
The post office is in the shop and is open on Monday, Wednesday and Friday 11.00–12.00 am.
From last page
Up the Ship
Jens-Kjeld Jensen
The lens in the lighthouse is 2,82 m high and weighs 4 tons, the lens apparatus is one of the world’s greatest of a kind. The lighthouse at Borðan is one of ten lighthouses in a Danish coin series called ”Tårnmønster” (2002–2007).
This trip takes you from the village across the outfield and up to the point in the mountain where the villagers used to look out for pirates and hide from them. The view from there is magnificent, towards east you can see the ocean and to the north several islands.
Jens-Kjeld is an ornithologist, a specialist in birds and stuffs birds too. He is also interested in insects and plants and has a garden in the village with most kinds of willows to be found in the Faroe Islands. Willows have grown here since ancient times.
The Old Warehouse
Three families used to live at Borðan and when they were at the most 10 children lived there, who went to school at Borðan and in the village. There is a boathouse and a landing place for boats, that used to come from Nólsoy and Argir, when the people used to cut peat in the outfield there.
On your way you will pass the Corn Valley and see the ancient settlement. The ruins can still be seen. One of them is called the Princess Ruin after the legend about a Scottish princess who fled with her fiancé from her father and settled there.
You can visit his workshop in arrangement with the him and it is possible to buy stuffed birds and other souvenirs.
Monday to Friday Saturday
Ask at the Information Centre or call Jens-Kjeld Jensen at +298 327064 or contact him on jkj@olivant.fo. Visit his website www.jenskjeld.fo.
The coffee shop serves food and drinks and is on-licenced (serves alcohols). WiFi.
If the weather is good you can sail to Borðan and passengers can be set ashore and then walk back to the village. This trip takes around 4 –5 hours. If you choose to walk both ways it is around 22 km and is estimated to take around 8 hours. This trip is for people who are used to walking and is not recommended for children under the age of 12.
You can buy homemade products in the old fashioned shop. From 15th May–15th September it is open from: 13.30–16.30 pm 11.00 am–14.00 pm
The Coffee Shop (+298 327175/327025)
Open: Sunday to Thursday
17.00–23.30 pm
Friday to Saturday
17.00 pm–2.00 am
Cash dispenser
Unfortunately there is no cash dispenser in Nólsoy, but the Shop, the Coffee Shop and the Information Centre all accept payment cards.