What to see
Ålgård town center
The new town centre in Ålgård is a re-development of a previous industrial area, next to the old train station and locomotive shed. It is a now an exciting outdoor space for people of all ages and ability. In the canal park you can relax on the sandy beach and go for a swim or a paddle in the canal. Along the canal there are paths, bridges, and hopping stones. There are also wheelchair accessible paths on the water’s edge, so that everyone can get close to the water.
The kid’s activity area is between the canal and the town square. Here there is a 90-metre-long bench snaking its way around the space, bouncy hopping stones, artificial puddles and a brook. The activity park for teenagers has a skate ramp, climbing wall and trampoline.
The town square has a large public artwork – patterns of different coloured bricks laid into the ground.
The work is by artist duo Løvaas & Wagle and is made up of weaving patterns, that were woven in the nearby mill (Veveriet).
Bratt friluftsliv Via ferrata med guide
Nomelandsfjellet is the prominent mountain wall you can see from central Valle. For a number of years this has been a popular mountaineering spot, and now it has been adapted for people without previous climbing experience. A via ferrata has been set up, where you are secured to a steel wire all the way to the top, and with iron rungs serving as a ladder.
Byklestigen
Byklestigen is an old path up the hillside about 5 km south of the centre of Bykle. The path was first mentioned in sources from 1770, and until 1879, it was the only route connecting the northernmost part of Setesdal with the south. In the old days, travelling the path was a risky and difficult endeavour. Today, this 1-kilometre path has been restored, complete with information boards. The path is open all year round, but is not recommended during the winter season. The walk takes about 45 minutes.
Dalen B&B
Delphine Desmet and Olivier Vanderbruggen are pleased to welcome you in their spacious house located in the beautiful Dalen. They would like to show you why they fell in love with this idyllic village, surrounded by mountains. Located at the beginning of the Bandak fjord, Dalen is a peaceful, quiet village with lots of things to offer.
Flateland camping
Flateland Camping is beautifully located by the river Otra, approximately 6 km north of Valle. Camping cabins for 4-6 persons, 48 electrical hookup points and modern sanitary facilities. Bathing spot with water trampoline, jumping cushion and big playground. Good opportunities for trout angling. Excellent point of departure for hikes in the mountains. Kiosk with groceries. Open 1.6 - 1.9
Garden Mån
Friluftsgarden Mån (Mån: 2 hours return trip)
Up until 1915 people lived here at the gateway to the valley (Fidjadalen). The property at Mån (around: 8,000 acres) is now owned by Jæren hiking society (Jæren friluftsråd). The main house at the farm has been completely restored and a new building has been built on top the ancient barn foundations. In this new building, there are beds for around 30 people. In the basement there is an exhibition that tells the history of the mountain farm and gives information about the surrounding protected landscape and possibilities for recreation in the area.
If you would like to stay the night here, there as some beautiful camping spots next to the river where you can set up a tent. It is also possible to stay in the restored building on the old farm. Accommodation needs to be booked in advance. It is also possible to do some fishing in the area, with trout being a common catch.
Gloppedalsura
Gloppedal scree consists of avalanche boulders that are piled on top of an end moraine.
10,000 years ago the ice sheet that covered the area, melted away. For a period of time the massive end moraine dammed the Hunnedal river's former course, towards Veen and Vikeså, and formed a lake in Byrkjedalsgryta. The terraces in Byrkjedal at 240 metres altitude are evidence of this moraine-dammed lake. The annual cycle of frost and expanding ice broke free a vast number of boulders and rocks and sent them tumbling down the southern mountainside. This debris settled as a 100-metre thick scree on top of the moraine.
Hunnedal river and the lake in Byrkjedalsgryta were forced to find a new outlet; the water burrowed a gully from Byrkjedal towards Gilja - Giljajuvet.
Directions: Drive from Ålgård towards FV45 Dirdal and Byrkjedal. Follow signs a couple of hundred metres past Byrkjedalstunet.
Grimdalstunet
Grimdalen was the home of the sculptress Anne Grimdalen – famous for her decoration for the town hall in Oslo. Today Grimdalen is a protected group of buildings dated from the middle ages and a Sculpture exhibition with works by Anne Grimdalen. Each year the exhibition is supplemented with pictures by well-known artists.
Handlegate på Dalen
Dalen is a small but cosy shopping- and servicecentre with businesses, cafetarias and social Meeting locations. Bandak's surroundings, which is the gate to the Telemark Canal offers many form for activities; hiking alongside Bandak "Bufjordstigen", a swimming place with the option to grill at the beach and sandvolley courts.
Hegni Friluftsområde
The Hegni recreation area is located by the lake Hartevatn, approx. 1 km from the centre of Hovden. Here you find hiking paths, playground equipment, trampoline and a beach volleyball court, as well as a kiosk offering a cafeteria menu.
Start your fishing trip at Hegni, whether you prefer to fish from the shore or rent a rowing boat. It is also an excellent starting point for hiking or bicycle trips. Another option is to relax on the beach or take a swim in the lake Hartevatn.
Hovden Jernvinnemuseum
The Hovden Museum of Iron Production is built around a reconstructed melting facility and shows how coal and iron were extracted in the early Middle Ages. The museum has no written information, but by means of sound, light, smoke and scent, the visitor will be taken on a journey one thousand years back in time. The Viking will tell you his story (also in English). The museum is automatic and you can pick ut the key either in the tourist information or in the kiosk at Hegni recreation arena.
Huldreheimen
Setesdal was by many perceived as an area where ancient Norway had been preserved. Customs and traditions formed part of the Norwegian national heritage, and visitors to the region came to experience a bygone era.
Among these were Anton Raabe and the actor Tore Segelcke. Over a period of some ten years following the end of the war, they created their own little rural museum in the hills above Bykle Church. This was where they spent their summers, enjoying the romance of the old buildings.
Today, the premises have been restored and the buildings redecorated, and visitors are welcomed to a somewhat different museum experience.
Månafossen
Mån waterfall (Månafossen) is, with its 90 metres in free fall, the tallest waterfall in the county of Rogaland. The hike starts at Eikeskog where the track is combined with stair climbing on the first part of the hike. You'll have some chains to hold on to on the steepest areas, it is however relatively easy. On the way, there are facilitated lookout points to see the falls.
Månafossen is ranged no. 9 in Norway and is one of the largest tourist attractions in the county. If you want to go further, you can go up to the old farm at Mån (Friluftsgarden Mån), where it is possible to spend the night.
Marhyl Friluftsområde
Marhyl - Located 3 km north of Rysstad, near Brokke power station.
Car park right by Highway 9 on the right side of the road when you
go from Rysstad in the direction of Valle. Marhyl is of high standard, and
has a sandy beach as well as smooth rocks sloping into the water. Toilets.
Norsk Vegmuseum Dirdal
The transport museum in Dirdal has a collection of historical vehicles, including large snow ploughs and other road related displays. The core of the collection was at one time displayed in the basement of the regional department for roads in Stavanger. The collection was moved to what was once a way-station along the road in Dirdal. The building was upgraded and the collection was expanded.
There’s lots to see in the museum and outside there are picnic tables and a place to take a rest. You can also learn about historical remains here in the valley, from as long ago as 500 BC.
Rygnestadtunet
Rygnestadtunet This is one of the most distinctive museums in Norway. The old farm is located in beautiful surroundings about 9 km north of Valle. The farm comprises buildings and artefacts which once belonged to Åsmund Torleivson Rygnestad, known as ’’Vonde Åsmund’’ (Evil Åsmund).The so-called Rygnestadloftet storehouse is famous.
Sarvsdammen
Large reservoirs are required for operating the power stations along the river Otra in a carefully planned and efficient manner.
The Sarvsfossen Dam is the most recent development project in the Otra waterway system. It is located just outside the centre of Bykle. Follow the signs from RV 9. There is a road across the dam and good parking facilities.
The dam is 50 metres high and has a length of 150 metres. It raises the water level in the Sarvsjuvet canyon with 40 metres.
Sølvgarden Hotell & Feriesenter
Surrounded by waterfalls and mountains, Sølvgarden is located in the idyllic Setesdal Valley, where you can unwind in serene surroundings, enjoy the magnificent scenery and experience Norwegian culture and traditions. Sølvgarden is in the centre of the village of Rysstad, close to the River Otra, where you can go fishing, swimming and canoeing. Sølvgarden is rated by the Norwegian Hospitality Association as a 4-star hotel with a 5-star campsite.
Søya Gardsutsalg og hytteutleie
At "Eagle house" there are 4 well-equipped cabins in the grounds of Søya farm, about 35 minutes south of Stavanger. Take a walk in the hills, where you will meet both cows and sheep. Fish in the lake, borrow a canoe, rowing-boat or paddle-boat. The farm shop has everything from honey and meet produced from animals on the farm, to traditional Norwegian crafts. You can also get a cup of hillside coffee!
Suleskard Fjellsenter
At Suleskard Fjellsenter you can rent cabins which sleep 3 - 6 people. The cottages at Suleskard Fjellsenter are new and modern. The big cottages have shower/WC, fireplace, living room, two bedrooms, kitchen and fridge. Small cottages have one bedroom, sleeping-sofa and living room with kitchen.
Sylvartun
Founded in 1961, this was the most important arena for silverwork and folk music in Setesdal for more than 40 years. The Bjørgum silver was said to be of the utmost quality, and an encounter with the owner of Sylvartun – the fiddler, silversmith and cultural ambassador Torleiv H. Bjørgum – made a lasting impression on many visitors.
Uburhedlaren
Uburhedlaren is a cave located on the southside of Oltedal, in Gjesdal county. The cave was formed when a large boulder came to rest on top of other rocks. The boulder forming the “roof” is about 30 metres long and 12 to 15 metres wide and it has a thickness of 7-8 metres. The cave under the stone is about 150 m2, with varying height.
The cave was a hiding place for people who lived in Oltedal, during the Second World War. 80 people hid there for 3 days, from the 9th of April 1940, when the area came under attack from German forces.
Today it is a hiking destination. The path up to it is steep and challenging. It is a 3,3 km round trip from the nearest carpark, behind the Lafthus in Oltedal.
Vatnedalsdammen
In the river Otra and its waterways there are 14 reservoirs. Nine of these, including the four largest, are located in the municipality of Bykle. The smallest ones are mainly concrete dams, but the large dams in the lakes Botsvatn, Vatnedalsvatn and Urevatn are constructed of rock, gravel and moraine/asphalt.
Vest-Telemark museum / Eidsborg Stavkyrkje
To experience the rich cultural heritage and traditions of West Telemark, VTM-Eidsborg is an excellent place to start.
The museum consists of a collection of more than 30 buildings, an open air museum with Norway’s oldest pagan wooden building from 1167, the famous Eidsborg stave church dated back to the 13th century and a new, modern museum building with several exhibitions.
Veveriet
The United Woollen Mill orginally founded by Ole Nielsen as Ålgårds Wool Spinnery in 1870 was central to the development of Ålgård. The whole town grew up around the woollen industry and the water-powered weaving-mill (Veveriet) was the main production place. It was built in 1898 and extended in 1912 and 1937. Today the groundfloor is in use as a library and tourist information office.
