Saksun

Saksun sits at the head of a valley on Streymoy where a storm blocked the old harbour mouth with sand, turning the inlet into a tidal lagoon that empties almost completely at low water. What remains is one of the most photographed scenes in the North Atlantic: a small turf-roofed church, a handful of black-tarred farm buildings, waterfalls dropping off the valley walls, and the lagoon below. The Duvugardar farm museum shows how a Faroese farmhouse worked. It is tiny, and the surrounding amphitheatre of cliffs makes the scale of it land.

What you actually see

• The turf-roofed church - the small church above the lagoon.
• The tidal lagoon - walkable at low tide toward the old harbour mouth.
• Duvugardar farm museum - the traditional farmhouse interior.
• The valley waterfalls - streams dropping from the surrounding cliffs.

When to go

May to September gives the greenest valley and longest light. Faroese weather changes hourly in every season, so plans should be loose. Winter brings snow, dramatic light and very short days.

Honest expectations

The land around Saksun is private farmland and access rules have been contested - stick to marked paths and respect signs and any fees for crossing farm land. The lagoon walk must be timed with the tide; people have been caught out by the water returning. Parking is limited and the road in is single-track with passing places. Facilities are essentially nonexistent.

Nearby

Tjornuvik, the Vestmanna bird cliffs and Torshavn.