A trail running, music and adventure festival across some of the world's toughest and most beautiful terrain
If your love of trail running veers towards the wilderness, then the Átjan Wild Islands festival, taking place in the isolated Faroe Islands, is a weekend worth looking at.
What is it?
Previously known as Útilív Adventure Festival, the four-day event, which takes place between 4-8 September, combines a series of trail races of different distances, along with music, inspiring talks, film screenings and adventure activities.
Those activities include sailing, rock climbing, wild swimming, hot tubs, sea kayaking and cold water surfing, while the music acts to enjoy after the tough miles include Auntie Flo, Tom Ravenscroft and Bradly Zero.
The race options aim to offer challenging events for all levels of runner, with the four distances covering the Ultra-Trail Faroe islands (60km/ 4,500m elevation), the Mountain Marathon (42km/ 2,500m elevation), the Mountain Half Marathon (21km/ 1,625m elevation) and the Trail 10km (845m elevation).
The Faroe Islands are known for rocky and unforgiving terrain as well as turbulent waters, so the weekend is unlikely to be an easy few miles in the park, regardless of which distance you opt for.
How to get there
Vágar Airport is the only airport in the Faroe Islands. Atlantic Airways fly direct to Bergen, Billund, Copenhagen, Edinburgh, Reykjavík-City, Aalborg, Barcelona, Chambéry, Chania, Gran Canaria, Lisbon and Palma de Mallorca. You can also fly with SAS direct from Copenhagen.
For those travelling from the UK, either fly from London to Vágar Airport via Copenhagen or from Edinburgh direct. The airport is 40 minutes from the event village with bus services available.
How much
Ticket prices, which include entry, are based on the race distance you decide to do. Costs are £114pp for the 10km Mountain Trail, £139pp for the 21km Mountain Half-Marathon, £134pp for the 42km Mountain Marathon and £144pp for the 60km Ultra-Trail.
Where to stay
One of the most highly recommended places to stay close to the event village is the Hotel Havgrím and costs £232 per night (for two sharing), however there are a number of hotels and guesthouses in and around Torshavn.
Camping is currently sold out through the Átjan website.
For more information about the Átjan Wild Islands festival, click here. To find out more about the Faroe Islands and what they have to offer, head to visitfaroeislands.com.
Main image credit: Copyright David Altabev