Indre Fosen
Municipality · Trøndelag
About Indre Fosen
The ruins of medieval Rein Abbey, the military museum at the old Hysnes fort and Botn lake, scene of the 1978 Rissa quick-clay slide.
Indre Fosen is the south-east corner of the Fosen peninsula, across the fjord from Trondheim: rolling hills, bog and lakes, with a big lake full of small islands in the middle. Farming villages such as Stadsbygd and Leksvik line the shore, and Råkvåg keeps a long row of old wharf houses on Stjørnfjorden.
It is the first stop after the ferry from Trondheim. Make it a day loop, or a quiet first night before heading north along the Fosen coast or east to Inderøy.
Good to know
- Getting there: Flakk–Rørvik ferry (25 minutes, about twice an hour), 20 minutes from Trondheim; Årnset is 25 minutes from Rørvik, Leksvik 1 h 15 from Steinkjer.
- Season: Råkvåg fills with boats for Råkvåg-dagene on the last weekend of July; the Stykket rock carvings are best seen in the snow-free months.
- Sleeping: Small guesthouses at Hasselvika and Råkvåg, Hasselvika Gjestgiveri and Råkvåg Gjestgiveri & Marina, and camping at Hindrum Fjordsenter.
Coat of arms: User:Bjarkan, CC BY-SA 3.0
Plan a trip hereWhat to do and where to stay in Indre Fosen
Places to stay are run locally, with no hotel or campsite chain behind them.
1Reins kloster (Rein Abbey ruins)History & culture
Walls of a convent church founded around 1230 by Duke Skule, built partly into the farm's twin-towered 1866 house; Inger of Austrått was abbess here.
Klosterveien 195, Rissa · 30–60 min · all year (free outdoor site)
2Botn and the Rissa landslideNature
In April 1978 about 6 million m³ of quick clay slid into lake Botn south of Rissa, Norway's largest clay slide of the century; two amateurs filmed much of it.
Lake Botn, Årnset/Leira (Rissa) · 15–30 min · all year
3Råkvåg wharf rowHistory & culture
A Stjørnfjorden village of about 230 people whose long row of mostly 1800s wharf buildings is billed as Norway's longest; it fills with boats in late July.
Råkvåg, south-east side of Nordfjorden off Stjørnfjorden · 1–2 h · all year; busiest in summer (Råkvåg-dagene, last weekend of July)
4Museet Kystens ArvHistory & culture
A seaside museum at Stadsbygd with one of Norway's largest collections of clinker-built boats and a working boatbuilding shop where you can watch builders at work.
Myrsjøen 44, Stadsbygd · 1 h · Check opening hours at kystensarv.no
5Leksvik Church and the wolf swordLocal oddity
A white wooden long church finished around 1668 that keeps a rare medieval crucifix and Anders Solli's sword, said to have been used against wolves in 1612.
Leksvik village, north shore of the Trondheimsfjord · 20–30 min · all year (outside); interior at services and events
6Stadsbygd ChurchHistory & culture
A wooden long church from 1842 seating about 420 in the farming parish of Stadsbygd, a few minutes from the Kystens Arv boat museum.
Stadsbygd · 15 min · all year (outside)
7Hindrem stave churchLocal oddity
A stave church built by local volunteers from 2010 and consecrated in 2012, modelled on the medieval Haltdalen church, on the old Hindrem church site by Seter.
Hindrem, near Seter, east of Leksvik · 20–30 min · all year (outside)
8Rein ChurchHistory & culture
A wooden cross church from 1932 at Reinsgrenda, paid for by the novelist Johan Bojer, who grew up in Rissa, to replace the old church he was confirmed in.
Reinsgrenda, by Rein Abbey, Rissa · 15 min (pair with Rein Abbey) · all year (outside); inside at services
9Stykket rock carvingsHistory & culture
Stone Age carvings of near life-size elk, one with a calf, on a near-vertical cliff beside an old road near Stadsbygd, within sight of the sea.
Stykket, near Stadsbygd · 20–30 min · snow-free months
10Fosenkoia and Maritåsen from VanvikanHike
A forest loop of about 10 km and 520 m of climbing from Vanvikan harbour up over Maritåsen, past the student-run cabin Fosenkoia.
Vanvikan, Indre Fosen · 3.5 h (9.7 km loop) · May–October (snowshoes in winter)