Akraberg

In 1909, a lighthouse and some family houses were built in Akraberg. The lighthouse itself is 14m tall, it consists of a white cylindrical tower with red lantern roof. It was fitted with guy wires to withstand the wind drag on this southern headland. The focal plane is located at 94 m above sea level, a flash signal is given every 20 seconds with red, green and white sectors. If needed, a fog horn may be sounded every 60 seconds.[2] Today, there are only two houses and a lighthouse, but there are no inhabitants. The last family who lived there was the lighthouse keeper Hans Petur Kjærbo and his family. They lived there during a terrible hurricane in December 1988, which was later called the Christmas Hurricane. Luckily the house was very strongly built and didn't get blasted away by the strong wind. But much damage had been done to their car, the soil and parts of the house; a window was blown out. Much damage happened in the Faroe Islands that night, many houses were blasted away by the hurricane. After that the lighthouse keeper and his family moved away from Akraberg, and nobody has lived there since then, except for tourists who rent one of the two houses there. The lighthouse is now automatic, but it needs attention regularly. Hans Petur Kjærbo is still a lighthouse keeper, but now he works not only in Akraberg but also attends most of the other lighthouses in the Faroe Islands.

Near Akraberg stands the medium wave station of Kringvarp Føroya, the Faroese broadcasting network. This transmits on 531 kHz. The antenna consists of a 141 metres tall guyed mast and can be received also in parts of Northern and Western Europe.

The peatland landscape above the headland of Akraberg at the southern tip of Suðuroy features relict peat cuttings of various age – from the 1950s and perhaps centuries before – as well as mounds of peat. The removal of dried peat from the torvløð and the continued use of the platforms led to a gradual increase in torvlað height. General comparisons are made with peat mounds from the British Isles. These features are of unknown antiquity, but they have been associated with the possible pre-Viking presence of Irish monks or priests (papar).[3]

The Blæing area north of Akraberg is unique with a tremendous amount of big and small rocks and stones, which have come down into the valley during the Ice Age. One characteristic of the stones is the bright colour. You go down in Blæingsskarð, which is a passage down from the ridge. There is a story about two brothers, Kaspar and Sjúrður, who hid here in the stony landscape. They had leased land from the priest in Vágur, but because the price was high, they would often starve and had to steal sheep to survive. In the old days, stealing sheep was a very serious crime in the Faroe Islands. The brothers fled from the authorities and hid in a cave in Blæing, which is called Cave Kaspar today. Among other things, there is a long stone wall, called Eiriksgarður, and a sheep fold, which is probably built centuries ago. No one knows exactly when or who built them.

• List of lighthouses in the Faroe Islands

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  Akraberg and Sumbiarsteinur
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  The Lighthouse in Akraberg.
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  Faroese stamp, 2013, with Erik Christensens photo
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  Hans Petur Kjærbo, the lighthouse keeper, is changing the bulbs in the lighthouse in Akraberg.
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  British pillboxes from World War II
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  Akraberg
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  Blæing north of Akraberg

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Akraberg.

• Flickr photo set of Akraberg
• Visitsuduroy.fo
• Amateur Radio Lighthouse Society
• SkyscraperPage Forum
• BBC – WW2 people's War. Akraberg and the lighthouse are mentioned in the article.
• Kringvarp Føroya (Faroes Broadcasting)