Modern-day Crusoe

Unlike Crusoe though, Bjoern says he "voluntarily shipwrecked himself" on Koltur, a small strip of land in the Faroe Islands archipelago with high cliffs plunging down into the ocean.

At first glance this volcanic island seems inhospitable, battered by cold winds, often blanketed in heavy fog, where no trees grow and the only sounds are the cries of puffins and cormorants and the crashing of waves against the rocks.

But Bjoern fell in love with Koltur 10 years ago, and has lived here since then with his wife Lukka.

Some 170 sheep keep the couple company on the 2.7km² island, as well as a sheepdog, 26 Scottish Highland cattle, a bull and a dozen chickens. In their snug and cozy 19th-century wooden farmhouse, Bjoern and Lukka, both in their 50s, say their life is "fulfilled".

They keep busy "raising sheep and cattle which provides us with wool and organic meat that is sold to inhabitants on the other islands."

Each year, 160 sheep and six cows are slaughtered and the meat is sent by helicopter to the rest of the archipelago, made up of 18 islands and located between Norway and Iceland.

"As farmers we're not rolling in gold, but with the money brought in by tourists we make ends meet," says Lukka, her blue eyes sparkling.

Land of the Vikings

The island has in fact attracted a growing number of visitors since local historians began highlighting its uniqueness.

It's the only place in the archipelago that has a heritage site: stone houses with peat roofs, in the shape of overturned Viking longships recalling the Viking invasions around the 10th and 11th centuries.

According to documents dating back to 1584, two families lived on the island on two farms but did not speak to each other for reasons unknown. In 1860, 40 people lived on the island, before leaving for other towns when the fishing industry took off.

In 1990, Koltur, owned by the state, became deserted when the last resident left.

"It was an opportunity to make my dream come true"

Four years later, Bjoern, then an executive working for a dairy company in the Faroes capital Torshavn with a monthly salary of 40 000 kroner (€5370), saw a documentary about the island that had become a ghost town.

"I told myself: it's a shame that people leave the countryside for the cities. And since I grew up on a farm and really like this life in the outdoors, it was an opportunity to make my dream come true."

He asked the government if could take over Koltur, and agreed to restore and maintain the island's heritage. His wife, a secretary, followed him. The couple left their two daughters, aged 14 and 16, with relatives in town.

"Normally it's the kids who leave the nest. But we don't regret anything," Lukka said.

Bjoern, a youthful man with typically Scandinavian looks, takes care of most of what needs to be done on the farm: he's a butcher, woolshearer, veterinarian and sheepherder all rolled into one.

He says he "relishes the freedom every day of being the captain of his own ship, showing the tourists my kingdom," which he hopes to turn into the archipelago's first national park someday soon.

The couple lease the island from the state for a "reasonable" price and receive subsidies to restore the island's 16th century homes, the main tourist attraction. Despite the remoteness and isolation, Bjoern and Lukka live very much in the modern world.

They have a tractor, and electricity is provided by a small electricity station run on diesel, though Bjoern hopes to replace it with wind power soon.

"I have television, Internet, and broadband

In his office overlooking the pastures, mobile phones are spread out on the desk next to the computer.

"I have television, internet, and broadband thanks to an antenna on the roof that picks up the signals from a transmitter on top of a mountain on the island opposite us," he says.

"Without communication with the outside world, I wouldn't have stayed," he adds.

"Me either. I'm a primitive 'Friday' (Robinson Crusoe's companion), but one who likes a little comfort," says Lukka.

She uses email to set up appointments with her hairdresser and doctor and does her grocery shopping online, "especially fruits, veggies and grains."

"Our family and friends are happy to visit"

Three times a week the couple can use the state-run helicopter to travel into Torshavn, at a cost of 170 kroner (€23), to pick up necessities and run other errands. And they do see their friends occasionally.

"Our family and friends are happy to visit, they do so mostly in the summertime because in the winter, particularly, the helicopter can't land because of the fog and the wind and we are really isolated."

The couple admits to occasionally having "crises, since being with each other 365 days a year sometimes makes sparks fly," Lukka says.

When that happens, she "slams the door and goes for walk out to the cliff" to join her dog Gleen and her sheep until the storm passes.

AFP