Take a 'stormcation' in the dramatic Faroe Islands, where James Bond died

The tiny Faroe Islands in the north Atlantic could be a poor choice for travellers with vertigo, seasickness or a fear of enclosed spaces.

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There are crumbling cliffs, sudden gale-force winds and hillsides so steep that even the sheep can tumble. Three tourists disappeared over two days in September. Police told the media their last locations were near a well-known waterfall that drops into the sea. Be careful, a shaken staffer at the site’s entrance said days later. "Come back." The risks come with landscapes so dramatic that one became the site for James Bond's end in “No Time to Die.”

Now the Faroe Islands, a self-governing territory under Denmark, like Greenland, are trying to handle a growing number of travellers also drawn by bird-watching, adventurous eating and “coolcations” as global temperatures rise. Its surefooted residents once hiked over mountain passes and maneuvered wooden boats onto rocky shores just to visit church or each other. Unlike tourists, they know when to stay away from hiking trails alongside unprotected cliffs, and how disorienting sudden fogs can be. "When you make a mistake here, nature usually wins,” a food truck vendor at one popular site said.

It's easier than ever to learn that lesson while exploring the Faroe Islands, which for now are largely free of the zip-lined commercialization of one of its nearest neighbors, Iceland. A growing network of undersea tunnels, including what's called the world's first undersea roundabout, are helping to link the 18 islands. Rugged isolation is giving way to smooth highways, and Airbnb has hundreds of listings among a population of over 50,000 people.