Te Färeys: na veln wilddiurnas. Bi, no na äl.

"Hmm," said my travelling companion Paul thoughtfully as our plane came into land at Vágar airport, "tundra."

Looking out of the window at the partly fog-shrouded wilderness that was our first glimpse of the Faroe Islands, I had to agree to some extent.

It turns out, though, that the Faroes have much more to offer the visitor than windblown emptiness. There are sheep to crash into, for instance, and wherever you go you will be accompanied by the peeping of oystercatchers, even up a mountain pass. And when the sun comes out, the islands are green jewels. Their beauty is, admittedly, mainly of the stark, brutal kind, and thus not to all tastes, but there is no doubt this is a special place.

As you can see from the photo, the Faroese are very thoughtful when it comes to collecting leftover toddler food.