Risin og Kellingin

Risin og Kellingin, the giant and the witch, are two stacks standing off the northwestern tip of Eysturoy, the taller around seventy-one metres. The story attached to them is that they were sent from Iceland to tow the Faroes back and were caught by the sunrise, which turned them to stone. The best views are from Tjørnuvík across the sound and from the road above Eiði, and boats run past them in summer.

The landscape

• The two stacks - the taller around seventy-one metres, standing off the headland.
• The folk tale - the giant and witch caught by sunrise and turned to stone.
• The Tjornuvik view - the classic vantage from across the sound.
• The boat trips - summer sailings that pass close under the stacks.

When to go

May to September for the boat trips and the roads. Clear weather is needed and fog is frequent. Evening light from Tjornuvik is the best.

Things to know

Fog hides the stacks a great deal of the time. Boat trips are cancelled in swell. There is no close approach on foot; the view is from a distance.

Nearby

Tjornuvik is across the sound, and Eidi is east.

Key facts