Sokndal
Municipality · Rogaland
About Sokndal
The protected wooden lanes of Sogndalstrand, the Helleren houses tucked under a cliff overhang in Jøssingfjord and Magma Geopark's bare rock.
What to do and where to stay in Sokndal
Places to stay are run locally, with no hotel or campsite chain behind them.
1SogndalstrandHistory & culture
Trading port since 1798 where 1700s–1800s wooden houses line the mouth of the Sokna river, protected together with their landscape since 2005.
Sogndalstrand, at the mouth of the Sokna on the edge of Hauge i Dalane · 1 h · all year (shops and galleries mostly summer)
2HellerenLocal oddity
Two small 1800s houses built under an overhanging cliff wall in Jøssingfjord, on a spot where people probably lived from the 1500s.
Jøssingfjord, beside Rv44 · 20–30 min · all year (kiosk and toilet in summer)
3Jøssingfjord and the Altmark affairViewpoint
In this steep fjord British sailors boarded the German ship Altmark on 16 February 1940 and freed British prisoners; 'jøssing' came to mean an anti-Nazi Norwegian.
Jøssingfjord, Rv44, viewing platform above the fjord · 15–30 min · all year
4Ruggesteinen (the rocking stone)Local oddity
A boulder of about 74 tonnes, billed as Northern Europe's largest rocking stone, beside the old Blåfjell ore railway – try to move it by hand.
Blåfjellveien, inland from Linepollen, near Hauge i Dalane · 1 h incl. walk · all year
5Blåfjell ore railway pathHike
A 3.6 km gravel path on the bed of the 1860s railway that carried ilmenite ore from the Blåfjell mines (1863–1876) down to Rekefjord.
Rekefjord to the Blåfjell mines, via Linepollen and Ruggesteinen · 2 h (7.2 km return) on foot, less by bike · all year
6LinepollenSwim
Bathing spot beside the old Blåfjell ore railway path, and the place to park for the gravel-road walk to Ruggesteinen.
Linepollen, by Blåfjellveien near Hauge i Dalane · 30–60 min · summer for swimming
7Rekefjord and Lille Presteskjær lighthouseHistory & culture
Small harbour village that shipped the Blåfjell ore and shared trading-port rights with Sogndalstrand from 1798, with a lighthouse at the fjord mouth.
Rekefjord, 1 km west of Hauge i Dalane · 20–30 min · all year
8Profilveggen and Helleren climbing wallsActivity
Norite walls above Jøssingfjord with hard trad and sport routes up to 9a, first climbed by names like Leo Houlding, and fairly sheltered from rain.
Jøssingfjord, by Rv44 · half day to several days (for climbers) · April–October
9TunnelstuoLocal oddity
A disused 1921 tunnel above Jøssingfjord turned into a rest stop, with a stone table at an opening in the rock looking over the fjord; cyclists can ride through.
Above Jøssingfjord, about 300 m along Fv44 from the viewing-platform car park · 20–30 min · all year
10Sokndal kirke (Sokndal Church)History & culture
White wooden cross church from 1803, consecrated 1807, with a 1608 altarpiece, a 1724 font and a ship model from 1662 hanging from the ceiling.
Sokndalsveien 2696, Hauge i Dalane · 20–30 min · all year (outside); interior when open – check