Gamlarætt is a ferry port in the
Faroe Islands
The Faroe Islands ( ), or simply the Faroes ( fo, Føroyar ; da, Færøerne ), are a North Atlantic island group and an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark.
They are located north-northwest of Scotland, and about halfway bet ...
. It is situated on the southwestern side of the island of
Streymoy
Streymoy ( da, Strømø) is the largest and most populated island of the Faroe Islands. The capital, Tórshavn, is located on its southeast coast. The name means "island of currents". It also refers to the largest region of the country that also i ...
, the largest island in the Faroes, between the villages of
Velbastaður
Velbastaður ( da, Velbestad) is a village on the island of Streymoy in the Faroe Islands. It is a part of Tórshavn Municipality and is considered among the oldest settlements in the islands. There are two schools and one kindergarten in the vi ...
and
Kirkjubøur
Kirkjubøur ( da, Kirkebø) is the southernmost village on Streymoy, Faroe Islands. The village is located on the south-west coast of Streymoy and has a view towards the islands of Hestur and Koltur towards the west, and to Sandoy towards the so ...
. It accommodates ferry services to the islands of
Sandoy
Sandoy ("Sand Island") is the first of the five southern islands that make up the Faroe chain, the fifth biggest of all the Faroe Islands, an autonomous region of the Kingdom of Denmark. It also refers to the region that includes this island alon ...
and
Hestur
Hestur ( da, Hestø) is an island in the central Faroe Islands, to the west of Streymoy and the south of Koltur. ''Hestur'' means ''horse'' in Faroese.
On the west coast is a guillemot colony. In the north there is moorland with four small lakes ...
. The port is also used for local
salmon farm
The aquaculture of salmonids is the farming and harvesting of salmonids under controlled conditions for both commercial and recreational purposes. Salmonids (particularly salmon and rainbow trout), along with carp, and tilapia are the three most ...
s.
History
Until 1993 all ferry traffic to
Sandoy
Sandoy ("Sand Island") is the first of the five southern islands that make up the Faroe chain, the fifth biggest of all the Faroe Islands, an autonomous region of the Kingdom of Denmark. It also refers to the region that includes this island alon ...
operated from
Tórshavn
Tórshavn (; lit. "Thor's harbour"), usually locally referred to as simply ''Havn'', is the capital and largest city of the Faroe Islands. It is located in the southern part on the east coast of Streymoy. To the northwest of the city lies the ...
, on a northern route across
Skopunarfjørður
Skopunarfjørður is a strait separating Sandoy and Streymoy in the Faroe Islands. The strait also passes the isle of Hestur.
Geography
The strait runs between (an islet off northern Sandoy) and the south cape of Hestur in the west and Kir ...
to
Skopun
Skopun (pronounced ; da, Skopen) is a town in the Faroe Islands situated on the northern coast of Sandoy.
Skopun is the second-largest town on the island. Skopun Municipality consists only of the town of Skopun.
History
Although the area has be ...
and
Hestur
Hestur ( da, Hestø) is an island in the central Faroe Islands, to the west of Streymoy and the south of Koltur. ''Hestur'' means ''horse'' in Faroese.
On the west coast is a guillemot colony. In the north there is moorland with four small lakes ...
, and a southern route via
Skúvoyarfjørður to
Skálavík
Skálavík ( da, Skålevig) is a village and municipality on the eastern coast of the Faroese island Sandoy.
History
The village's stone church was built in 1891. The famous Faroese writers Heðin Brú (born Hans Jacob Jacobsen) (1901–1987) and ...
,
Skúvoy
Skúvoy or Skúgvoy ( da, Skuø) is an island in the central Faroe Islands, located to the south of Sandoy.
It is named after the large number of great skua present on the island (who have a habit of attacking intruders). There is only one se ...
and
Sandur.
This resulted in crossing times of 1–2 hours for non-stop trips to 2–3 hours with other calls en route from Tórshavn. A ferry port at
Streymoy's southern tip would reduce the crossing time to 30 minutes to both Sandoy and 20 minutes to Hestur. Such a jetty was earlier proposed to be built in Kirkjubøur in 1963 and 1970, selected for its proximity to Sandoy and the relatively calm waters.
The latest proposal for a new ferry port surfaced in 1983, again selecting
Kirkjubøur
Kirkjubøur ( da, Kirkebø) is the southernmost village on Streymoy, Faroe Islands. The village is located on the south-west coast of Streymoy and has a view towards the islands of Hestur and Koltur towards the west, and to Sandoy towards the so ...
. However, locals argued the ferry port would harm the village's
important historic character.
Eventually the
Løgting
The Løgting (pronounced ; da, Lagtinget) is the unicameral parliament of the Faroe Islands, an autonomous territory within the Danish Realm.
The name literally means "''Law Thing''"—that is, a law assembly—and derives from Old Norse ''l ...
decided in 1986 to construct the ferry port north of Kirkjubøur at a site only locally known, named Gamlarætt or in translation 'the old sheepfold'. This site has a steep coast with heavy breakers, necessitating the extensive use of
breakwater
Breakwater may refer to:
* Breakwater (structure), a structure for protecting a beach or harbour
Places
* Breakwater, Victoria, a suburb of Geelong, Victoria, Australia
* Breakwater Island
Breakwater Island () is a small island in the Palme ...
s. Construction started in 1987 but was put on hold in 1990 in the face of the
Faroese economic crisis. The Faroese government had to deprioritise numerous projects, including the
Vágatunnilin
The Vágatunnilin (Vágar Tunnel) is a long undersea road tunnel in the Faroe Islands. It goes under Vestmannasund strait and connects the two islands of Streymoy and Vágar. The tunnel was the first sub-sea tunnel in the Faroe Islands, an ...
(which opened eventually in 2002), but for financial reasons it continued the works at Gamlarætt. It opened in May 1993 when the old ferry ''Tróndur'' started using the new jetty and route, reducing crossing times from
Streymoy
Streymoy ( da, Strømø) is the largest and most populated island of the Faroe Islands. The capital, Tórshavn, is located on its southeast coast. The name means "island of currents". It also refers to the largest region of the country that also i ...
to
Skopun
Skopun (pronounced ; da, Skopen) is a town in the Faroe Islands situated on the northern coast of Sandoy.
Skopun is the second-largest town on the island. Skopun Municipality consists only of the town of Skopun.
History
Although the area has be ...
from 1.15 hour (2.5 hours via Hestur) down to 30 minutes. The direct ferry services to other villages on Sandoy ceased. In 2001 the purpose-built ferry
''Teistin'' took over the route and ''Tróndur'' was decommissioned.
Gamlarætt consists of 540 metres of breakwater, which was built with broken rocks created by the blasting of the
hairpin turn
A hairpin turn (also hairpin bend or hairpin corner) is a bend in a road with a very acute inner angle, making it necessary for an oncoming vehicle to turn about 180° to continue on the road. It is named for its resemblance to a bent metal hai ...
s carved into the cliffside, seen in the photo above. The total costs are estimated at 130 million
krones
Krones AG is a German packaging and bottling machine manufacturer. It produces lines for filling beverages in plastic and glass bottles or beverage cans. The company manufactures stretch Blow molding, blow-moulding machines for producing polyethy ...
. When including the construction of ports in
Skopun
Skopun (pronounced ; da, Skopen) is a town in the Faroe Islands situated on the northern coast of Sandoy.
Skopun is the second-largest town on the island. Skopun Municipality consists only of the town of Skopun.
History
Although the area has be ...
and Hestur and the new highway to Tórshavn, the entire project has an estimated cost of 300 million krones.
Ferry routes
Strandfaraskip Landsins
Strandfaraskip Landsins is the government agency for public transport in the Faroe Islands. It is owned by the Faroese national government under the Ministry of Finance (''Fíggjamálaráðið'') and runs eight ferry routes and a number of bus ...
operates three ferry routes from Gamlarætt:
* Route 60 to
Skopun
Skopun (pronounced ; da, Skopen) is a town in the Faroe Islands situated on the northern coast of Sandoy.
Skopun is the second-largest town on the island. Skopun Municipality consists only of the town of Skopun.
History
Although the area has be ...
,
Sandoy
Sandoy ("Sand Island") is the first of the five southern islands that make up the Faroe chain, the fifth biggest of all the Faroe Islands, an autonomous region of the Kingdom of Denmark. It also refers to the region that includes this island alon ...
(ferry ''Teistin'')
* Route 61 to
Hestur
Hestur ( da, Hestø) is an island in the central Faroe Islands, to the west of Streymoy and the south of Koltur. ''Hestur'' means ''horse'' in Faroese.
On the west coast is a guillemot colony. In the north there is moorland with four small lakes ...
(ferry ''Teistin'')
* Route 85 to Skopun, only cargo (ferry ''Hasfjord'').
There is no ferry connection to the uninhabited island of
Koltur
Koltur ( da, Kolter) is an island in the Faroe Islands, located to the west of Streymoy and to the north-west of Hestur. The name 'Koltur' means ' colt', in contrast with the name of the larger island to the south-east, 'Hestur', which means 'hors ...
.
Accessibility
From Gamlarætt there is a modern highway to
Tórshavn
Tórshavn (; lit. "Thor's harbour"), usually locally referred to as simply ''Havn'', is the capital and largest city of the Faroe Islands. It is located in the southern part on the east coast of Streymoy. To the northwest of the city lies the ...
, which takes circa 15 minutes by car.
Strandfaraskip Landsins
Strandfaraskip Landsins is the government agency for public transport in the Faroe Islands. It is owned by the Faroese national government under the Ministry of Finance (''Fíggjamálaráðið'') and runs eight ferry routes and a number of bus ...
operates route 101 from Tórshavn to meet departures to Sandoy. Buses do not call in Velbastaður (village) or Kirkjubøur, but can stop at junctions on request.
Tórshavn's local Bussleiðin routes 6 and 8 does not stop at Gamlarætt port, though passengers can embark and disembark at the junction towards Kirkjubøur, some uphill.
The
Sandoyartunnilin
Sandoyartunnilin (Sandoy Tunnel) is an undersea road tunnel under construction in the Faroe Islands. It will connect the main island of Streymoy with Sandoy to the south. The length of the tunnel will be 10.8 kilometres. The estimated cost is 8 ...
is currently being constructed from Gamlarætt towards Sandoy, and is scheduled to open in 2023. The tunnel mouth is located right next to the ferry jetty. This will replace the ferry service to Sandoy, but Gamlarætt will remain in use for the service to Hestur. In future, this might provide a stepping stone for the
Suðuroyartunnilin
The Suðuroyartunnilin (Suðuroy Tunnel) is a proposed submerged fixed-link in the Faroe Islands, linking the island of Suðuroy to Sandoy. Currently all vehicles and cargo, and virtually all passenger traffic must use the ferry service.
Curren ...
. After opening, Gamlarætt will remain the port-of-access to Hestur, though additional uses for the terrain may be found for example tourism and recreational purposes.
See also
*
Transport in the Faroe Islands
The Faroe Islands is served by an internal transport system based on roads, ferries, and helicopters. As of the 1970s, the majority of the population centres of the Faroe Islands have been joined to a single road network, connected by bridges an ...
*
Fjords in the Faroe Islands
*
List of tunnels of the Faroe Islands
Tunnels and bridges are an important part of the Faroese transportation network.
Tunnels
This list shows the Faroese tunnels, listed by age:
Bridges and causeways
This list shows the longest Faroese bridges and causeways, listed by age:
...
References
{{reflist
Faroe Islands
Ports and harbours of the Faroe Islands
Ferry transport in the Faroe Islands