Although it sounds absurd, this is exactly the view waiting for you on one of the islands of the archipelago, Vagar – inhabited quite numerously for Faroes, almost 3,000 people. Vagar is the third largest island, but it is winning in the another category: the largest lake in the country, Sorvagsvatn, called Lake Above the Ocean!
The Faroe Islands defy logic so effectively that they are nicknamed the Land of Maybe. Kanska. So maybe yes, maybe no. Maybe there will be sun, maybe not (spoiler: probably not). Maybe flights won’t be cancelled, or maybe you’ll be stuck on the Islands after all. There are many doubts, except for one, you will definitely see UNIQUE views! Therefore, I invite you to my first Faroese story <3
HOW TO GET TO LAKE ABOVE THE OCEAN:
TRANSPORT
Bus line 300 Torshavn – Sorvagur for 90DKK will take you directly to the lake! Just get off in litlle, cozy Miðvágur, where the trail begins. IMPORTANT! Remember that this trail, like many in the Faroe Islands, is paid. The so-called hiking fee is 200DKK and you pay it at the beginning of the trail, at the tourist information point. There is also a café with a beautiful view of Miðvágur.
TREKKING TIME
It will take you approximately hour, hour-ish to get to the end of the trail.
LEVEL
Suuuuuper easy! Not challenging at all, just perfect if you’re travelling with kids 🙂
1.Flight over the nest of… the beast!
The lake, also called Leitisvatn, is located right next to the Vaga airport, so when landing/taking off you have a perfect view of its seemingly calm surface. Apparently, its depths (maximum depth 60m) hide a dark secret, the discovery of which is warned by a horse statue standing on the shore of the lake. This pseudo-horse rearing is a figure of a nix, a legendary creature that is said to lurk in the depths of the lake. Cursed are those who dared to touch the beast! They will never again be able to take their hands off the creature that kidnaps this unfortunate man to the bottom of the lake for a purpose known only to itself. To this day, it is not known whether the kidnapped animals are eaten, very likely, or used for other purposes. One thing is certain, to free yourself from the nix’s spell, you must say his name. The creature must then return to the bottom of the lake without a new victim…
Once you have avoided the beast, another evil incarnate lurks before you: the trail fee :d Listen, there is no soap here, you have to pay 200DKK. I know it hurts but I swear it’s worth it! Anyway, as the classic used to say, of two evils, it’s better this way – better on the lake than in its depths with a nix :d
The trail that leads to the very “end” of the lake is extremely picturesque! A narrow path winding among tufts of lavender and, of course, sheep. The silence was disturbed only by timid bleating and the sound of water, louder with each step. These are perfect conditions for a leisurely walk to the cliff.
2.Throwing off a cliff as the solution of the problem!
This was the Vikings’ solutions when they were not satisfied with their slave. Just throw him off a cliff. Easy and clean job. Therefore, not without reason the cliff which is the goal of our trip, Traelanipa, is called Slaves’ Cliff. Nice, right?
However the views are truly nice! Once you reach the top, you see the Atlantic Ocean stretching in front of you and the neighbouring islands : Koltur, Hestur and Sandoy, fading on the horizon.
Such perespective gives you the opportunity to not to fail to fully understand why the lake is called Above the Ocean. Just turn around to see why Faroes are such an unique place! The Lake seems to hang over the ocean and the cliffs!
3.Stand where Lake meets the Ocean.
Walking along the edge of cliff, you’ll reach the point where those two bodies of water meet – Bøsdalafossur Waterfall connects the Lake and the Ocean with spectacular results! Standing there is basically standing in two worlds at the same time.
From this point, you can either go back and take the same path back to Miðvágur. Nonetheless, it is possible to come back going on another side of the Lake. However, bare in mind that it is not recommended idea :d Mainly because of the sheep (welcome to Faroes) capering everywhere, not every one Faroese sheep former is going to be chilled with you going through his pastures. Makes sense. In the name of rule : render, therefore unto tourists the things that are tourists’ and sheep what is ovine. Pastures are for sheep, not people.
If it doesn’t convince you, you end up at the airport where you can take the bus back to Torshavn, for instance. If not, Miðvágur is where are you go back. Wholeheartedly I encourage you to explore more the area around the lake, make good use of those spend 200DKK, juts be reasonable 🙂
Is it Sorvagsvatn on your bucket list? Let me know!
See you in the next, Faroese story! Ciao :***
Pssst! If you want to see how daily life looks like on faroes, check out my Instagram! I moved to Faroes a couple of weeks ago 🙂
