I won the Faroe Islands volunteer tourism lottery — here's how I got on

Eco-tourism volunteering on these dramatic Nordic islands leaves Thom Breathnach feeling like he’s won the lottery

Off the clock, island life in Nólsoy is idyllic, serene, and blissfully chilled. Picture: Alessio Mesiano

This year, I won the lottery. Well, the Faroe Islands volunteer tourism lottery, to be exact.

In a world where the impact of spiralling tourism numbers is wreaking havoc globally, every May, the far-flung Nordic nation, located between Scotland and Iceland, shuts down its main attractions and opens its doors to tourists from all over the world to roll up their sleeves and volunteer at sites across the archipelago.