Hiking to a special sea stack located on the northwest coast of the Suðuroy Island
Suðuroy is the southernmost island of the Faroe Islands. Its name translates to South Island. To reach Suðuroy, take the ferry MS Smyril from Tórshavn. Try to arrive at the port at least 15 minutes before departure. There is a parking space of at least 200 vehicles on the ferry. So, take your rental car on the ferry because upon arrival in Suðuroy, you will need to drive to the starting point of the hiking trail. The ferry tickets can be bought on board using credit cards. MS Smyril has cafes, resting areas and a viewing terrace on board. The journey to the Krambatangi Port in Tvøroyri town of Suðuroy takes around two hours.
If you are interested in doing a quick recap of why to visit the Faroe Islands, best time to visit the Faroe Islands and easiest way to access any destination, then do go through the introductory section of my page Places on Vágar that will blow your mind.
So, what is Ásmundarstakkur ? It is a beautiful sea stack on the northwest coastline of Suðuroy near the Sandvík village. The views on this coast are splendid. Vivid clouds, many bird species and cliffs make for an eye-popping scenery. Apart from Ásmundarstakkur, another highlight of this hike is Rituskor cliff from where there are rewarding views of Ásmundarstakkur. The hike to Rituskor is unique because one needs to cross a short wooden bridge over a deep cleft.
Let us now dive into the details of this trail
Jump Ahead
1. Arrival and Parking
After arriving on the Krambatangi port of Suðuroy, drive to the village of Sandvík which is in north Suðuroy. From the harbour, it takes around 20 minutes to reach the parking lot of Ásmundarstakkur trail head. Upon arriving in Sandvík, turn left to a narrow road called Heiðavegur. Drive until you reach a farm. There you can park your car. I have provided the google location of the parking lot below. There is a good mobile network coverage in Sandvík. Thus, you will have no issues finding the parking lot. There is no fee for car parking or for hiking to this special sea stack of Suðuroy.
Location on Google Maps: Ásmundarstakkur parking lot
2. Trail head
After you have geared up for the hike, cross the Sandvíksá stream that flows near the parking lot. Follow the gravel path until you reach a driveway gate. These are normally closed so that sheep can’t escape. You are free to open it and go through. But make sure you close it. Follow the same gravel path until you find a sign post which is the trail head to Ásmundarstakkur. This sign post has directions to Oyggjarvegurin and Ásmundarstakkur. For Oyggjarvegurin, one needs to follow the gravel road further. However, for Ásmundarstakkur, you need to leave the gravel road and turn right to take a grassy trail.
Location on Google Maps: Ásmundarstakkur trail head
3. Hike Characteristics & Details
On the Ásmundarstakkur trail, you will find only few posts that mark the path towards the sea stack. As I was there, most of the posts were sunk in mud and the path is not easily visible. Thus, I just walked straight on the grassy path as I could clearly see on my navigation map where the coastline was. I walked for around 1.4 kilometres and took 25 minutes to reach the coastline. Ásmundarstakkur will now be right in front of you. You can take some break here before hiking further. The next part of the hike is to walk towards the Rituskor cliff. In order to reach there, just walk along the coastline away from the sea stack until you join the gravel path that you had taken at the beginning of the hike. At the gravel path curve, look up the hill to find a cable fence. Then just hike along the fence, keeping it to your right. Soon, you will reach a wooden bridge. It took me 45 minutes to walk up from the Ásmundarstakkur viewpoint to the wooden bridge. The bridge looks risky. But you may cross the bridge. Take some break on the Rituskor cliff before resuming the hike back to your car. The views of Ásmundarstakkur from the cliff of Rituskor are exceptional.
4. Route and Elevation Profile
The general trail profile is provided below:
Trailhead: Ásmundarstakkur trail head
Destination: Ásmundarstakkur view point and Rituskor wooden bridge
Lowest altitude: 40m
Highest altitude: 280m
Total distance: 5km
Total duration: 2h
Ascent: 240m
Level: Medium
Orientation: Poorly marked
Available safety measures: None.
5. Required Equipment
Sturdy, water-resistant hiking boots, weather-appropriate clothing and sure-footedness are absolutely necessary for a hike to the Rituskor cliff. My smartphone has the essential weather and navigation apps. While on the trail, please mind each step. I always bring sufficient water. Additionally, I carry protein snacks, camera, tripod, power bank, sun-glasses, flashlight, wallet, raincoat, first-aid kit and some items for personal hygiene.
6. Points To Remember
Cross the Rituskor bridge only one person at a time. As I crossed the bridge, it felt quite stable to me. Just as the bridge ends, there is a huge leap that one must take to reach the other side. It’s recommended not to hike to Rituskor when the weather is inappropriate. Take good hiking gear before you hike to both Ásmundarstakkur view point and to Rituskor wooden bridge. It is very easy to loose track of the trail on this hike as they are not properly marked. There are no warning signs at the mountain edges except at the wooden bridge. So be extra cautious.
7. Conclusion
I was on the island only for a day. But I recommend to stay on Suðuroy for at least 2 days because there is much more what this island has to offer. Other points of interest are the Eggjarnar Cliffs, the captivating Hvannhagi valley and the best of all which is Beinisvørð cliffs. Well I feel, this is not the last time I was on Suðuroy. The next time I am here, I will definitely cover the 3 places I mentioned above. I hope, my blog post was detailed enough to motivate you for a hike to Ásmundarstakkur view point and to Rituskor wooden bridge. Let me know, if you liked this article in the comments below !
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