Hvíthamar: short hike on the highest mountain in the Faroe Islands

Hvíthamar is the highest mountain in the Faroe Islands and has a beautiful viewpoint that does not require a long walk, but immediately rewards you with huge views. You park at the top of the pass between Funningur and Gjógv, walk a short distance uphill and look out over Funningsfjørður, green mountains and deep fjords.

We visited Hvíthamar during our route across Eysturoy. Not all the way to the top, because there was fog and the path quickly turned into a serious mud pool. But even without walking all the way, we thought this was a really beautiful stop. You get views quickly, and that is nice on an island where the weather sometimes changes just as fast as your plans.

In this short blog, I will tell you what to expect from Hvíthamar, where to park, what the path is like and why this stop is easy to combine with Gjógv and Risin og Kellingin.

Where is Hvíthamar located?

Hvíthamar is located on Eysturoy, above Funningur. The viewpoint lies along the mountain pass between Funningur and Gjógv. On Google Maps, you will often see the start marked as Gongutúrur / Hvíthamar Trailhead.

The route there alone is already beautiful. You drive up a mountain road, with views of fjords, mountains and green slopes. Along the way, you can easily pass other highlights on Eysturoy, such as Gjógv, Funningur and the route towards Risin og Kellingin.

We combined Hvíthamar with our day route across Eysturoy. Also read our blog about what to do on Eysturoy if you want to include this stop in a full route.

Parking at Hvíthamar

Parking at Hvíthamar was free and easy for us. You park at the trailhead at the top of the pass. Do not expect a large car park with facilities, just a practical spot along the route.

Because this is a popular short stop, I would pay attention to where you leave the car. The road is narrow, and you do not want to block any passage. As in many places in the Faroe Islands, the rule is simple: park neatly, take a photo, enjoy the view and continue.

What is the walk to Hvíthamar like?

The walk to Hvíthamar is short, but do not underestimate it completely. The first section is clear and partly gravelled. After that, it quickly turned into a big mud pool for us. So you really need to watch where you step.

We did not go all the way to the top. Because of a cloud that was only hanging around the summit, it did not make much sense for us. Luckily, you do not necessarily have to walk all the way to get a beautiful view. Quite quickly, you already look out beautifully over the fjord and the mountains.

From the top, you can descend straight back to the car park. That makes Hvíthamar a nice short walk if the weather is good enough. But good shoes are useful here. Especially after rain, I would not do this on slippery trainers.

The view at Hvíthamar

The view is exactly why you go to Hvíthamar. You look out over Funningsfjørður, with deep mountains on both sides. Even when we did not make it all the way to the top, we already found it impressive.

What stood out to us on Eysturoy is that the mountains here felt higher and wilder than in some other parts of the Faroe Islands. We also had the feeling that there was less wind here and that the weather was a little better. That can of course be coincidence, because the weather in the Faroe Islands mostly does whatever it wants. But for us, this day felt just a bit calmer than some of the others.

Only go here when visibility is good and the wind is not too strong. The path leads towards open viewpoints and there are no fences along the edges. In fog, rain or strong wind, I would not stubbornly continue. In the Faroe Islands, turning back is sometimes simply the best choice.

The pass is only accessible from 1 May to 1 October. Outside this period, the road is closed.

Combining Hvíthamar with Gjógv and Risin og Kellingin

Hvíthamar is ideally located for a route across North Eysturoy. We combined this stop with Gjógv, Funningur and viewpoints towards Risin og Kellingin. That makes it a beautiful landscape day where you mainly drive, stop and look around.

From Hvíthamar, you can easily continue to Gjógv, one of the most beautiful villages on Eysturoy. There you will find a natural gorge, a small village and sea views. Read our blog about Gjógv in the Faroe Islands here.

You can also easily include Risin og Kellingin on the same day. These well-known sea stacks can be seen from the Eysturoy side from a different perspective than from Tjørnuvík on Streymoy.

Hvíthamar: short walk, huge view

Hvíthamar is not a long hike, but it is a very beautiful stop on Eysturoy. Precisely because you get such big views with so little walking time, it fits perfectly into a road trip day across the island.

We did not make it to the top, but still thought it was worth it. The path was muddy, the fog hung above us and yet we still got that typical Faroe Islands view over fjords and mountains. Sometimes you do not have to walk all the way to fully experience a place.