Fuglafjørður

Today I visited the village of Fuglafjørður. It's not far from Klaksvík - although on a different island (Esturoy) - but it took two buses to get to, because it's at the end of a road.

My primary reason for going was to walk an appealing ring of hills round the village. Last night's haar hadn't cleared, so I my first summit (Blabjørg 732m) was in cloud. I'd already had to bypass some evil bits of rock (see extra), but then I came upon a gnarly notch between me and get the next hill, and I wondered whether it would be possible at all! On one side there was a steep, loose gully disappearing into nothing (see extra) but the other side looked more promising, particularly when I saw a rope to secure my descent to a point where I could scramble out. The moves weren't hard, but it was rather exposed.

From there on, the day just got better, as the haar cleared and I followed grassy ridges and "friendly" scrambles to link Hjarðardalstindur (699m), Slætnatindur (625m), Altarið (483m), Húsafelli (626m) and Borgin (471m). The summit of the latter was defended by a rock band, and looked difficult, given how tired I was. However, it wasn't as steep as it appeared, and it was satisfying to complete the "skyline". I had to reascend Húsafelli, pushing the day's climb over 1400m, but then it was all downhill to the football ground in Fuglafjørður. I don't know a stand with a better outlook (see extra). There's no stand on the opposite side because there's a 10m drop, so balls that go over the fence end up anywhere! It puts me in mind of "that poster".

I'd timed it well, as I had just 30 minutes to wait before the game between Ítróttarfelag Fuglafjørður (ÍF) and B71 Sandoy. It was a second level game, with only about 100 people watching, but in such games you feel clower to the action, and it was entertaining. I favour Sandoy, as they appealed to me when I saw them last year. They play at the quaintly named "Inni í Dal" (In the Valley), they normally play in the Brazil strip, and have two Brazilians in the squad. At least one was playing today, and his close control skills set him apart from the others. Hence it was frustrating that ÍF scored in the first half, particularly as Sandoy were playing so well, but then satisfying that Sandoy scored three in the second half to get a deserved win. 

It's so good to see that Palace have won the FA Cup!

Sad to relate that Bonnyrigg Rose lost their place in Scottish League 2 - in front of 2000+ fans