Skálafjørður – Selatrað
Bus route 400 runs through Skálafjørður from Fuglafjørður, Leirvík and Tórshavn. Bus route 480 runs from Strendur and route 481 from Oyndarfjørður.
Walk 2 km along the main road through the village Skálafjørður until you reach Innara Ennisá, which is north of a stone quarry where the walk begins. Here, you start walking up.
At the top of the steep slope, you walk through stony terrain, Ennisstíggur. It is advisable to keep to the path here and watch out for loose stones.
At the top, the path is straight for a long stretch. The terrain is stony at first, then grassy,
but there is also some marsh land, where you must be careful not to walk in the soft soil, as it can be very deep. You can see much here. Eastwards you can see Støðlafjall, Gøtueiðið, Borðoyarnes and Sigatind. Northwards, you can see the high northern mountains of Eysturoy, among others Slættaratindur. On the right, you have Reyðafelstindur, and you can clearly see the spectacular basalt intrusion “sill” Eysturoyarsyllin.
One can imagine the extreme forces of nature which were working when the lava
emerged up from below and forced itself between the basalt layers over 50 million years
ago.
There is a story about Orm, the farmer from Skála, who was an evil-doer and a sheep thief. He had killed the farmer from Oyrar and his son. He was sentenced to death at the Eysturoy Thing, at Stevnuválur. When the sentence was pronounced, Ormur fled and rode along the path that you are walking. Men followed him. The horse collapsed up the hill, so he had to continue on foot. Then a man with a knife in his hand caught up with him at Selatraðskarð. He threw the knife at Orm and hit him in the achilles’ tendon. Orm was arrested, executed and buried at Stevnuválur, which is a mound by the river Millum Fjarða, some 50-100 m southwards, where the river Heltnará runs down to Fjarðará. From here all the outfield sections, in which he had stolen sheep, can be seen.
When you turn towards Selatrað, you have Borgarfelli on your left. You can also see over to Streymoy with Sornfelli and Skælingsfjall westwards. When you arrive above the plain, you see to the north Sundalagið, the village Hósvík and tothe south, the fjords Tangafjørður, the mouth of Kollafjørður and the northernmost houses in Kollafjørður.
Above the village of Selatrað, the path goes near the path which comes from Skála. Take care not to change paths! You must keep to the cairns on the path to the right. When you have gone down towards the meadow fences, you cross a river which runs by a stone sheepfold. Here, you go through a gate and then down to the village by way of a cattle track.
Bus route 480 runs from Selatrað
Source: “Walking in the Faroe Islands” published by the Faroese Tourist board 2003.
