Sørvágsvatn, Freshwater lake on Vágar, Faroe Islands

Sørvágsvatn is a freshwater lake on Vágar, stretching 6 km north to south with a maximum width of 800 m and a depth of 59 m, making it the deepest lake in the Faroe Islands. Its surface lies about 32 m above sea level, and its outlet, Bøsdalafossur, drops from that height into the Atlantic. The lake is bordered by grassy slopes and layered basalt cliffs.

During World War II, British forces built a seaplane base at the lake, where the first RAF Coastal Command aircraft landed in 1941. This installation was part of the wider Allied military presence in the region.

The lake carries different names depending on who lives nearby: residents of Sørvágur call it Sørvágsvatn, while those from Miðvágur and Sandavágur prefer Leitisvatn. This naming split shows how local communities relate to the same piece of nature in their own way.

The lake lies between Sørvágur and Miðvágur; the northern shore near Vatnsdalsá has the only sandy beach. The outlet waterfall Bøsdalafossur is hidden among steep coastal cliffs and hard to see from above. Brown trout fishing is possible, and boat excursions were organised in summer 2005.

The lake's outlet, Bøsdalafossur, drops 32 metres from the lake surface straight into the Atlantic, but it is hard to pick out because it falls among sheer coastal rock. The lake itself is 59 metres deep, the deepest in the Faroe Islands, and drains a catchment of 35.2 square kilometres.