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Your piece of travel writing that won £1,000: Why the Faroe Islands needs 37 words for fog

The sun enjoys a rare moment of supremacy on the Faroe Islands - Viktor Posnov
The sun enjoys a rare moment of supremacy on the Faroe Islands - Viktor Posnov

Amid a strong field, Jan Courtney has been judged to have written the best Just Back of 2018 in our travel writing competion. Here we republish her account of discovering the magical fog of the Faroe Islands, first published in May. She wins £1,000 in the currency of her choice from the Post Office. 

‘What are you doing here?” asked the man I stopped to ask  for directions in Tórshavn.

Not the angry, “What the hell are you doing here?” nor the inquisitive, “I’d like to know more about your plans”, but the “Why on earth are you here now?”

“It’s not summer,” he said.

That much I’d realised. Fog meant ours was the last plane to land that day, fly as they must up a fjord, wingtips close to the towering slabs of granite on either side. There are 37 words for fog in Faroese, and I’d landed in mjørkakógv (very thick fog), giving me an often frightening drive between the airport on Vágar Island and the capital city on Streymoy Island. Even the sub-sea tunnel felt mjørkatám (hazy).

The sheep don't seem to mind the weather - Credit: Getty
The sheep don't seem to mind the weather Credit: Getty

Two days later the pollamjørki (sea-mist) had lifted and I drove the same route in glorious sunshine, this time my breath taken not by fear of driving over the edge, but by the view; as my granddaughter would say, it was “massive”. For once she’d be right, everything was massive; huge fjords and vast mountains rising straight out of the fishing-boat-blue North Atlantic, peaks still covered in snow, outfields turning from drab to emerald as I drove. I could easily believe in the existence of the “huldufólk”, the elvish people who live in the sorrel-green stones.

Tórshavn, from the Viking “Thor’s Haven”, is one of the smallest capital cities in the world. It’s a delight to potter around; noteworthy shops, restaurants and colourful houses with medieval grass roofs, and importantly, Tinganes, “The Thing”, seat of the Faroese parliament since the Viking era.

I’d come in part for the Bindifestivalur, or Knitting Festival, in Fuglafjørður. If that conjures up a Miss Marple-like congregation, you’d be wrong. More than 200 gutsy women from across the North Atlantic including Iceland, Greenland and Denmark, were celebrating, sharing and preserving the history of the craft that had kept generations warm and loved.

With no hotels in Fuglafjørður, delegates were accommodated in private homes. Every Faroese home I visited, however modest, had a table to seat at least 12, because as my host said, “We’re not used to coffee shops and restaurants, we need room to enjoy eating and drinking with our friends and neighbours”. This is a small nation, self-sufficient and yet not isolationist, harnessing technology yet embracing the values that make its culture so appealing.

'This is a small nation, self-sufficient and yet not isolationist' - Credit: Getty
'This is a small nation, self-sufficient and yet not isolationist' Credit: Getty

Heading homewards, the plane took off through the hjallamjørki (belt of fog) and I was struck by how my trip was a metaphor for travel and life; we move between fog, some mjørki (summer mist), some flóki (bank of fog) and illumination, seeing the beauty beyond and adjusting our lens as we do.

How to enter the next round of Just Back

Email your entry in 500 words (with the text in the body of the email), to justback@telegraph.co.uk. For terms and conditions, see telegraph.co.uk/tt-justback. The winner will receive £250 in the currency of their choice from the Post Office.

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The Post Office is the UK’s largest travel money provider, offering up to 80 currencies in over 11,500 branches with 0% commission. All currencies can also be ordered online for next day branch or home delivery.  Check exchange rates at postoffice.co.uk/travel-money/currency-converter.