An American spent her days building stone cairns and breaking bread with rugged locals during a stay on an incredibly remote island.
Mandy Haakenson decided to take up an offer from the Faroe Island's tourist board of free lodgings and food in return for three days' work restoring its most popular spots.
For the past five years the independently run Danish archipelago has been welcoming a few dozen visitors for a long weekend on which its main tourist spots are closed to the wider public.
They use this time to rebuild worn paths, creaking gates and disappearing trails in a bid to lessen the impacts of over tourism in a circular and sustainable way.
Mandy, originally from Seattle, Washington, flew via Copenhagen to the Faroes, thankfully enjoying a smooth flight and landing after her first scheduled departure was cancelled due to fearsome North Atlantic winds.
After arriving at Vaga Airport she was taken via boat to Suðuroy, an island in the south of the chain where she joined other travellers from around the world in shared lodgings in a big house.
"The Faroes has some really lovely quaint villages and the scenery is beautiful," Mandy told The Mirror.
"Some people stayed on a boat the whole time. It was taking them to their working destination on another small island and they slept in the boat in the dock."
Mandy's job during her stay was building cairns out of stones to guide walkers and a couple of gates.
"I was in a team of ten people using a chain method to pass the rocks down," she recalled.
"One really nice aspect was they had a few Faroese locals on each team. It was a nice opportunity to learn. We also got to listen to traditional music.
"We had some really lovely dinners in restaurants you could tell they have a very close relationship with the locals. They'll open up especially if there is a celebration."
While Mandy found the experience very rewarding, she was not among those in her party who wanted to stay on the islands full time.
"A lot of people I was with said they'd love to live in a place like that," she said.
"It was very peaceful. You can hear your own thoughts and relax a bit more. But there were some towns where I couldn't find a coffee, nothing was open. It was very desolate."
Away from the smaller islands the Faroes does have a cultural and economic hub in the form of Tórshavn, which has a population of around 13,000 and is "very Scandi chic, with cafes and a nightlife", Mandy said.
In 2023, the scheme - dubbed Closed for Maintenance - will run again, with 100 volunteers brought onto the 18 volcanic islands to roll up their sleeves and help preserve the natural environment.
From 20 to 22 April the lucky bunch allowed onto the Faroes will help maintain Slættaratindur, the Islands’ highest peak.
Two days of maintenance work on the path leading up the mountain will be required, creating alternative and safer routes, together with wayfinding posts and repairing paths.
At the end of the project, all volunteers will enjoy a celebratory evening, with a meal of typical Faroese food and local beer, and a traditional folk dance.
You can find out more on visitfaroeislands.com.
