Sørvágsvatn

Sorvagsvatn is the largest lake in the Faroes, and from the right angle at its southern end it looks as though it sits hundreds of metres above the sea, held back by nothing - one of the most striking optical illusions in landscape photography. The reality is more modest: the lake surface is only about thirty metres above sea level, and the effect comes from the viewpoint's height and the angle of the cliffs. It remains extraordinary in person. The walk out follows the lake shore for about an hour to the cliffs, where Bosdalafossur falls from the lake straight into the ocean.

What you actually see

• The illusion viewpoint - the angle where the lake appears to hang above the sea.
• Bosdalafossur - the lake's outflow falling into the Atlantic.
• Traelanipa cliff - the sheer drop beside the viewpoint.
• The lakeside walk - the flat hour out along the water.

When to go

May to September for the walking season and green ground. Fog rolls in fast and often, hiding the whole thing - allowing more than one day on Vagar improves the odds. Winter walking is possible but exposed and icy.

Honest expectations

The trail crosses private land and a landowner fee is collected at the start, which is legitimate and standard in the Faroes now. The path is boggy and often muddy despite being flat. Cliff edges are unfenced with a sheer drop and people have died taking photographs - the famous angle requires standing near the edge, and wind gusts here are severe. Fog is a genuine risk to the whole visit.

Nearby

Gasadalur, Vagar airport and the Mykines ferry from Sorvagur.