Klaksvík to Norðoyri — Norðoy West Coast Cliffside Track
Borðoy's forgotten clifftop coast road.
Most drivers who reach Klaksvík turn around and head back south. The ones who push northwest along Borðoy’s western shore find a narrow municipal track that clings to cliff faces above the Haraldssund strait, passing through the abandoned outfield walls of Norðtoftir before dropping into the handful of houses that make up Norðoyri. The road is paved in patches and deteriorates to compacted gravel and loose stone where the municipality stopped caring. Expect tight squeeze points against vertical rock walls with a serious drop to the fjord on the opposite side — no guardrails, no room for error.
This is not a beginner route. A high-clearance vehicle with good tyres handles it, but the combination of Atlantic crosswinds, low cloud reducing visibility to metres, and wet basalt surfaces makes concentration mandatory year-round. Summer gives you the best light and least ice risk, but the Faroese weather ignores calendars. Fuel up in Klaksvík — nothing north of there. Cell signal drops out completely once past Norðtoftir. The payoff is a working northern Faroese coastline completely empty of tourists, with eider ducks on every tidal ledge and Kunoy ridge across the sound turning orange at midnight in June.
Trail Specs
| Difficulty | Difficult |
|---|---|
| Trail Type | High Clearance, Scenic Drive |
| Surface | Gravel, Rock |
| Features | Historic, Remote, Scenic |
| Length (miles) | 8.7 mi / 14 km |
| Duration | Half day |
| Max elevation (ft) | 1148 ft |
| Best season | May-September |
| Minimum vehicle | High-clearance 2WD minimum, 4WD preferred |
| Nearest town | Klaksvík, Borðoy |
| Land manager | Faroe Islands Municipal Roads Authority |
| Permit required | No |
| Cell service | None |
| Water crossings | No |
| Dispersed camping | No |
| Start coordinates | |
| End coordinates | |
| Copy both for Google Maps directionsClick to copy the directions URL · or open it directly in a new tab | |
| Find on Google | Search on Google → |
Location
Trail Conditions
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Frequently asked questions
Can a rental car handle this track, or do I actually need a 4WD?
High-clearance 2WD can technically make it in dry conditions, but most Faroese rental cars are low-clearance hatchbacks — those will ground out on the rocky sections. A proper 4WD or high-clearance SUV is the right call, especially if there's been recent rain.
When is this track passable, and what happens if I try it outside of May–September?
Outside that window the cliffside sections can ice over with zero warning, and Atlantic storms hit this coast hard from October through April. The track isn't formally closed in winter, but conditions can turn dangerous fast and there's nobody coming to help you out there.
Do I need a permit or do I pay any fee to drive this track?
No permit required and no fee — it's a public road maintained by the Faroe Islands Municipal Roads Authority. Drive it, don't trash it.
What's the hardest section actually like, and where does it get gnarly?
The tightest stretch runs mid-route where the gravel shelf narrows above the cliff edge with loose rock falloff on the seaward side and no guardrails. There's no room to pass another vehicle there — if you meet oncoming traffic, someone's reversing a long way.
Is there anywhere to fuel up or resupply between Klaksvík and Norðoyri?
Nothing. Fill the tank and carry water before you leave Klaksvík — it's the only real town on Borðoy with services. Norðoyri is a handful of crofts, not a village with a petrol station.
Trail track
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