In the remote Faroe Islands, there is a strange, calm lake that sits above the ocean.
This is Lake Sorvagsvatn, also known as Leitisvatn, a stunning natural wonder that attracts locals and tourists from all over the world. Sorvagsvatn covers an area of about 3.4 square kilometers and is also the largest lake in the Faroe Islands between the Norwegian Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean. It is three times larger than Lake Fjallavatn, the second largest lake in the Faroe Islands, which is also located on the island of Vágar.
When you look at photos of Lake Sørvágsvatn, some of them give the impression that the lake is much higher than the sea level. In fact, the lake is only about 30 meters above sea level, but the cliffs surrounding the lake are 100 meters above sea level, combined with the camera’s position and perfect shooting angle, making the viewer feel that the lake is 100 meters above sea level.
There is nothing special about Sørvágsvatn Lake except that it is the largest lake in the Faroe Islands. The lake is 6 km long, with the two ends of the lake sloping towards the North Atlantic Ocean. Standing here, visitors can see the beginning of the Bøsdalafossur waterfall, where Sørvágsvatn Lake begins to flow into the ocean. If you look down from above, the northeast of the lake borders Streymoy Island (the largest and most populous island in the Faroe Islands, located west of Eysturoy Island and east of Vágar Island), visitors can see the ruggedness and winding of this island.
The locals here have been arguing fiercely about the name of this lake. The people of Sørvágur – one of the big villages on Vágar Island – were very proud that the lake was named after their village, but the people of Miðvágur wanted to name the lake Leitisvatn because on their side of the river, “the land along the edge of the lake” is called Leiti. Some people will also wonder why Miðvágur is closer to the lake, but the lake is named Sørvágsvatn. To explain this, people say that this name has existed for a long time. In the past, the people of Sørvágur settled here before the people of Miðvágur. The people of Sørvágur, along with the people of Bøur and Sandavágur, are the three oldest and earliest settled villages on Vágar Island. After they migrated here, they divided the land and the lake happened to be located along the border of the village of Sørvágur, so it was obvious that the lake was named after the village of Sørvágur.
Locals prefer to call Sørvágsvatn/Leitisvatn by its simpler name: Vatni (meaning “lake”). Most of the villagers know where the lake comes from and how it got its name, but visitors or residents from other regions may prefer to call it Sørvágsvatn, while others prefer to call it Leitisvatn, which has caused controversy within the community.
A village in the Faroe Islands, next to Sorvagsvatn Lake.
Lying above the ocean, Sorvagsvatn Lake is 30 to 40 meters above sea level. If you angle it right, the illusion will create a stunning view of the calm lake parallel to the sea. The British military used Sorvagsvatn as a seaplane base during World War II and built an airfield right next to the lake, which is still occasionally used for civilian purposes today.
