Buttercup roads
The Buttercup Roads, known in Faroese as Sóljuleiðir, are the official scenic byways of the Faroe Islands, named after the buttercup-yellow marsh marigold, the national flower of the islands. Marked with a distinctive yellow flower symbol on road signs and tourist maps, they guide drivers away from the main roads and along narrow mountain passes, clifftop routes, and quiet valleys to some of the most remote and spectacular villages in the archipelago.
The Faroe Islands' Scenic Routes Through Mountains, Fjords, and Remote Villages
The Sóljuleiðir network was created to give visitors a way to experience the Faroe Islands beyond the main roads, and to let those who want to drive slowly actually do so without disrupting traffic. Each route is typically no longer than about 25 kilometres and runs point-to-point rather than in a loop, meaning every road leads somewhere rather than just back to the start. They are marked throughout with green signs bearing a small yellow buttercup image. The routes are suitable for standard rental cars but not trailers or campervans, and several are single-lane roads with passing places where oncoming traffic takes turns. In winter some of the highest mountain routes can be blocked by snow or ice, so checking road conditions on landsverk.fo before setting out is worthwhile.
The routes pass through some of the most celebrated landscapes in the Faroe Islands. The road from Eiði to Gjógv over the mountain pass Gjáarskarð is frequently described by locals as the most spectacular drive in the islands, cresting hills above deep fjords before descending steeply to the gorge village below. The Saksunarvegur winds through an open valley of mountains and waterfalls to the remote lagoon village of Saksun. Oyggjarvegurin runs from Tórshavn along an old mountain road offering views across to the islands of Koltur and Hestur, mostly abandoned now that faster tunnels have replaced the old routes. The road to Gásadalur on Vágar crosses the hillside above Sørvágsvatn before dropping to the 30-person village where the Múlafossur waterfall falls from a clifftop directly into the sea.
A free map showing all Buttercup Road routes is available at Vágar Airport on arrival and at the Tórshavn tourist office. The routes are best driven without a strict schedule: weather in the Faroe Islands changes fast, and the temptation to stop at every viewpoint, village, and opportunistic sheep is considerable. Most routes connect naturally with Buttercup Roads on neighbouring islands, which are linked by bridges and subsea tunnels, making it straightforward to string together a multi-day road trip. The village of Gjógv, the lagoon at Saksun, the waterfall at Gásadalur, and the black-sand beach at Tjørnuvík are the destinations most travellers on the Buttercup Roads are heading for.
