Daniel Craig’s No Time To Die did what none of the previous 24 Bond outings had ever done before. After despatching off Rami Malek’s villain Safin, Ian Fleming’s spy died after being blown to smithereens by missiles hitting the island lair. The world was left in shock and now 007 fans can actually visit the spot where James Bond died.
In No Time To Die, Safin’s lair Poison Island was set in disputed waters between Russia and Japan. In reality, the movie was shot in the Danish Faroe Islands, found just north of Scotland.
Following the announcement that Prime Minister Bárður á Steig Nielsen had unveiled a tombstone to Bond on the spot where he died in the movie, Express.co.uk headed to the North Atlantic archipelago to see it for ourselves.
After a short 90-minute flight from Edinburgh, we landed in Vágar International Airport, before hiring a car and heading up the coast to see the beautiful scenic village of Gásadalur and its famous waterfall – a sight that wouldn’t look out of place in a JRR Tolkien novel.
After our quick stop, we drove to Faroe Islands’ capital Tórshavn, taking in the beautiful green, misty mountains that felt like a cross between the highlands of Scotland and a Nordic country.
The 18 islands are partly connected by underwater tunnels and we soon arrived at Streymoy Island’s main port city, which welcomes the occasional cruise ship.
Our beds for the night would be at Hotel Føroyar, built into the hillside overlooking Tórshavn, with tasteful modern interiors that felt exactly like the sort of spot Bond himself would stay if on a mission here.
Incredibly, it was still light at midnight when we hit the hay after a quick vodka martini at the main bar.
READ MORE: James Bond’s tombstone unveiled by Prime Minister where he died WATCH
The next day, we took in Tórshavn’s old town where the Government sits and visited friendly artists in a local lithographic workshop called Steinprent down by the harbour. All the locals were very friendly and fluent in English, which they learn alongside Danish and Faroese from an early age at school.
Before our afternoon wildlife engagement, we had a stop off at the National Museum to learn of the Faroe Islands’ history from Viking and early Christian days to British occupation in World War II.
After a short drive up north to Vestmanna, the SagaMuseum walked us through waxworks telling local and often bloody folklore that would probably interest a filmmaker like Robert Eggers.
But our main stop here was the Seacliff Sightseeing boat tour, offering spectacular views and the chance to spot puffins, seals and the like, before heading back to Tórshavn for dinner at the capital’s tasty new fish restaurant ROKS, down by the harbour again.
After a day of taking in the Faroe Islands, the next 24 hours would be focused on the James Bond Tombstone Tour, on the northeast remote island known as Kalsoy. We set off early on a foggy day, driving to the city of Klaksvík, a few islands over, to catch the ferry over.
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Arriving on Kalsoy, it was a short ride through mineshaft-like tunnels in the mountainsides to the northernmost point’s village known as Trøllanes.
The tiny 17th-century settlement of 14 people, which sits at the bottom of the most gorgeous valley free from the mist, translates as Troll Peninsula. In the old days, the people believed the beasts would visit every Twelfth Night and have to be cast away with the name of Christ.
A truly mystical and magical place, Trøllanes is home to the King of Kalsoy, a 28-year-old farmer called Jóhannus Kallgarð, who owns most of the land and whose family has lived in the village since the 1600s.
It was here that No Time To Die’s small camera crew spent three weeks with him shooting what would be Safin’s Island and the scenic spot where James Bond’s death would be captured ut by a lighthouse.
The King himself leads the James Bond Tombstone Tour, starting with a walk through the village, where he showed us inside the slaughterhouse where he kept 007’s grave slab hidden months before the film was released.
It was then a short hike, a steep walk really, up to “Safin’s lair”, where he shared stories of filming, including using helicopters to help transport cameras.
On the cliff edge at one of the most northern points of Kalsoy is where The King erected Bond’s tombstone, which reads: “In memory of James Bond 1962-2021”, referencing the premiere year of Sean Connery’s Dr No, the first 007 movie, as his date of birth.
And under this is the Jack London quote M said at the end of No Time To Die upon the news of 007’s death: “The proper function of a man is to live, not to exist.”
The photo opportunity was a real treat for us as Bond fans, even if Craig had to be digitally added into the movie later, this was the exact spot chosen to film where 007 would die.
After the walk, The King invited us into his home where on this tour a local meal is served up before heading back on the ferry to Klaksvík.
For our last evening in Tórshavn, we enjoyed some Danish craft beers in Mikkeller, located in a four-hundred-year-old grass-laden wooden house, before the very best meal of our trip to the Faroe Islands at Áarstova. This delicious five-course feast, with accompanying wines on recommendation, included a succulent local lamb leg that left us more than satisfied.
The next morning it was time to drive back to the airport for our return flight to Edinburgh. Having visited, it’s safe to say that even if you’re not the biggest fan of James Bond in the world, the scenic beauty of the Faroe Islands makes the trip and Kalsoy tour well worth the short journey from the UK if you’re looking for a mini-break.
To find out more about the James Bond Tombstone Tour and visiting the Faroe Islands, click here.
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