Foss a Sidu

South

The waterfall at Foss farm drops roughly 80 meters down a basalt cliff directly beside the Ring Road, about 10 kilometers east of Kirkjubæjarklaustur. It's fed not by a river but by a small lake, Þórutjörn, at the top of the cliffs — which explains why the flow is relatively slender despite the long drop. The farm below takes its name from the falls, and it sits in the working agricultural landscape of the Síða district. On windy days, that slender column of water gets caught by updrafts against the cliff face and is pushed sideways or entirely backwards — the falls appear to run uphill. It only happens in genuinely strong wind, but the South Coast is windy enough that your chances are reasonable outside midsummer calm spells. No hike is required: the falls are visible from the road and you can pull over beside the farm. It's a quick stop rather than a destination — 10 to 15 minutes unless you're waiting for wind. Driving east from Reykjavík on Route 1, it appears roughly 260 km out, past Vík.

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