In Vágar it appears that parts of the water is higher on one side of the mountain than the other one. Strangely enough, this is true.
The largest lake in the Faroe Islands, named Leitisvatn (or Sørvágsvatn depending on who you ask), is located right next to the ocean, only separates by a few very impressive cliffs. At first sight it looks like the ocean resides on both sides of the cliffs, but as the lake is elevated from the ocean it creates a very surreal optical illusion, except it’s not.
The unique phenomenon can be reached by hiking an hour from the main road. Or slightly longer when the weather is not on your side.
We started our hike on a very wet and windy morning, oblivious to the fact that the lake was dead flat and provided no shelter from the wind what so ever. The Atlantic Ocean didn’t do much to slow down the winds either, which was the only other obstacle for thousands of miles in the direction of the wind.
In Norway we have an expression that there is no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing. Whoever came up with that obviously never tried to take photographs in the Faroe Islands. Jerk.
Walking towards the cliffs we encountered some small houses and a plethora of sheep. These photos, however, are from the return trip, because such good weather was only a distant dream when we first passed these places in the morning.
When we finally arrived at the end of the lake the weather changed for the better (well, relatively speaking), creating an opportunity to take a few photos of this incredible place.
Leaning over the massive cliffs was a bit scary, especially with the wind still blowing firmly. The sheep, on the other hand, did not seem to share our concern. We found sheep poop everywhere, even at the steepest places at the very edge of the cliffs.
Right next to the cliffs the lake flows into the ocean, another spectacular view.
Switch the camera to long exposure and the place becomes magical!
Despite the harsh weather this was a beautiful hike and a great start to our journey to the Faroe Islands.
