Kalsoy (Island)

With its steep mountain sides, the highest mountain being 788 m, and sounds on both sides, Kalsoy has become particularly famous after filming for the 2021 James Bond film No Time to Die. ÓLAVUR FREDERIKSEN, 2011

Kalsoy has an area of 30.87 km² and is located west of Kunoy; the two islands are separated by Kalsoyarfjørður. Kalsoy has four markatal settlements, all of which are located on the east side of the island. Of the four villages, Trøllanes, Mikladalur and Húsar are the oldest, while Syðradalur was founded in 1812.

The highest mountain on Kalsoy is the 788-m high Nestindar west of Trøllanes. The mountain Borgarin further north has a vertical 537-m mountain side on the west side. Poul Johannesen, also called Páll Fangi, was a historical person from Mikladalur, who three times managed to escape the prison in Tórshavn where he was incarcerated on charges of sorcery and for taking his father’s life. It is said that he hid in the Pállsloft cave on this steep mountain side, and he reportedly offered to climb the vertical mountain side in 1657 to be released.

In the period 1978‑1985, tunnels were drilled to all the villages on the island. Syðradalur has a ferry landing, from where a car ferry sails to and from Klaksvík, which has improved living conditions on the island. However, the number of inhabitants on Kalsoy as a whole fell drastically from 195 to 79 between 1966 and 2010.

Some scenes of the James Bond film No Time to Die (2021) were recorded on Kalsoy.

Further reading

Read more about The islands, towns and settlements

  • Hans Andrias Sølvará

    (b. 1962) PhD in History and MA in History and Philosophy. Professor and dean of the Department of History and Society at the University of the Faroe Islands.