Bykle
Municipality · Agder
About Bykle
Hovden's ski slopes and iron-smelting museum, the restored Byklestigen trail and the rose-painted 1619 Bykle church.
What to do and where to stay in Bykle
Places to stay are run locally, with no hotel or campsite chain behind them.
1Old Bykle Church (Bykle gamle kyrkje)History & culture
A small log church finished around 1619–1620 whose walls were rose-painted in 1826 by Aslak Vasshus and Knut Åvoldsson; Setesdalsmuseet guides it in summer.
Bykle church village, by Rv 9 · 30 min · summer for guided tours; outside always
2HuldreheimenHistory & culture
A cluster of old farm buildings on the slope above Bykle church, made into a small rural museum after the war by Anton Raabe and the actor Tore Segelcke.
Hillside above Bykle church · 30–45 min · summer (buildings); grounds all year
3ByklestigenHike
A restored cliff path on the old Valle–Bykle road, where until about 1770 few dared to take a horse; restored in 1975 with wooden pegs instead of nails.
Above the Otra between Valle and Bykle, south of Bykle village · 1 h (about 2 km return) · May–October (icy in winter)
4Hovden Iron Production Museum (Hovden jernvinnemuseum)History & culture
A rebuilt early-medieval iron-smelting site with sound, light, smoke and smell, where a Viking narrator tells his story for about 15 minutes; free, self-service.
Hegni, Hovden · 30 min · check locally
5Hovdenuten and its summit day cabinHike
A 4 km round trip up 337 metres from Hovden centre, via the Sherpa steps, to a day cabin built in 2024 with panoramic windows and a wood stove.
Above Hovden Fjellpark, Hovden · 1.5–2.5 h (4 km return) · snow-free season (cabin open to early November in 2025)
6Nos chairlift and summit viewpointViewpoint
Ride the Hovden Alpinsenter chairlift to Nos at 1,183 m, where a viewpoint with binoculars and a peak map looks as far as Hardangervidda on clear days.
Hovden Alpinsenter · 1–2 h · summer lift season (dates on hovden.com)
7Hovden Fjellbad (Badeland)Activity
Hovden's rebuilt water park, opened in September 2025, with 25 m lanes, diving platforms up to 5 m and an infinity pool raised above the ski trails.
Hovden centre · 2–3 h · all year
8Sarvsfossen damLocal oddity
A curved 50 m concrete dam wedged into the Sarvsjuvet canyon, with a road across the top; it fills its 600,000 m³ in about 14 hours.
Just outside Bykle centre · 20–30 min · May–October
9Lislestog open-air museumHistory & culture
A collection of old Setesdal buildings across the road from Bykle Church, showing how people built and lived before industrialisation.
Bykle church village, opposite Bykle Church · 20–30 min · summer (check setesdalsmuseet.no); outside all year
10Bossvatn and the drowned farms of NordbygdiLocal secretHistory & culture
In 1969 Bykle won a rare fight against a 75 m dam in the Byklestigen gorge. The price: the Bossvatn dam, which flooded 16 of the 24 farms in Nordbygdi.
Botsvatn (Bossvatn), just west of Bykle village; Nordbygdi on its north-east shore · 30 min · summer (road snow-free)