Saksun’s toll gate may be removed

Hundreds of people, possibly as many as a thousand, took the opportunity to visit Saksun beach and the tidal lagoon free of charge yesterday.

This was the first time since the summer of 2019 that it has been possible to visit the beach without being charged DKK 75 to pass through a toll gate.

There has been a longstanding political debate on the rights of the Faroese public to walk in their country without having to pay.

Tenant farmer André Kruse, who set up the toll gate with the aim of curbing the number of tourists in the area, believes that Faroese residents should be allowed free access to the beach.

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He is considering a system which charges tourists for accessing the beach but allows free access for Faroese residents.

“This has been the plan all along, but there have been complications in our talks with the authorities,” he says.

“I cannot say when such a system would be implemented, but we’re working on a solution.”

People who visited Saksun yesterday told our reporter that they had enjoyed a lovely day at the beach and in the village. Many of them, however, added that they would not have come were it not for the toll charge being waived, mostly as a matter of principle.

Read the Faroese version of this article here.

More Faroese News in English.