About our guides for walks

Most walks are at marked paths or roads. For walks in the terrain you normally will find a visible path, other times you have to look more closely to find your road.

You will normally do the walks within 1-3 hours, and you do not have to be in a special good physical shape.

Ordinary sneakers will do. However, some of the walks have/may have some wet spots, so you may need to dry your shoes afterwards. The wind can be hard at Jærens wide open landscape, especially at the coast. Bring warm clothes, a jacket with hood or other to warm your ears. Pack some food and drinks in your day trip backpack, and enjoy a rest on the trip.

Our trip guides make it easy to find your way, see the example to the right.

Kongevegen - the "Kings road"

Many nice parts for walking and attractions at Kongevegen – “the Kings road”. The road from 1636 mainly follow the coastline in Hå municipality

Until 1636 there were only roads suitable for sledding and horse riding at Jæren. King Kristian IV claimed the 14. February this year that these roads should be able to be used for horse carriage and -wagons. He also demanded bridges over rivers and streams.

Kongevegen is easy to find at its well marked route. You pass Hå gamle prestegard with art exhibitions and cafè, both sandy and pebble beaches, nice cultural landscapes, rustic small harbors and several lighthouses. The everchanging ocean and sky are your companions during the walks.

We have described 8 different parts of the Kongevegen, every between 2-4 km.

Kongevegen:
Kvassheim fyr - Holmestø

We will highlight this walk, while it is the closest part of Kongevegen to our place. And it is one of our favorites amongst trips along the beaches of Jæren – all year round.

The trip crosses grazing fields and sandy beaches, and is a nice experience in either windy weather or on a (relatively) quiet day.

A nice walk in the evening after dinner, approximately 5,5 km return.

Haugstadskogen
- the forest at Haugstad

When it is too windy for a trip at the beach or the lowlands, a trip in Haugstadskogen might be the solution when you need some fresh air or to exercise.

This is our local trip in the forest, and for exercise. You can walk or cycle 2,7 km from the apartment to the forest, or go by car.

In the spruce forest there are several gravel roads, which are floodlit until ten o’clock in the evening. Furthermore, there are many paths in the forest. Most of them are on the forest floor, with gravel or wood chips in humid parts.

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Steinkjerringa and Synesvarden conservation area

Would you like to experience the historic landscape of Jæren? This is a typical wide and open landscape consisting of heather-, moor- and pastureland, evolved over the last thousands years to present.

Huge parts of the flat Jæren appeared like this area, before the cultivation changed the landscape last part in the 1800 century.

Den vestlandske hovedvei

Den Vestlandske Hovedvei was the first road built for carriages on wheels in Rogaland. It went from Stavanger over Jæren to Egersund, continuing to Moi over Tronåsen. The project started in 1789 in Stavanger. The part over Hegrestadfjellet, this trip, was first built in 1840.

The road goes straight forwards, not taking into account “steep” hills. This is due to the fact that the constructors were educated in Denmark, which do not face problems with a hilly landscape like in Norway. Furthermore, the road should be as cheap as possible. Therefore, a short direct road was deemed better than a winding road around the hills. Cars used the road till 1940, when it was replaced by today's road between Tengs – Ogna.

This road has become a popular trip for walks and bicycles in a poor hilly landscape of low hilly mountains with marsh and lakes.

Den gamle Jærbanen

Idyllic trip for walks and bicycle on a closed down part of the railway through a hilly landscape of mountains, forest and coastline.

The railway Jærbanen between Stavanger and Egersund was built during 1874-1878. In the hilly terrain between Hellvik and Egersund, the narrow gauge railway found its way among rocks and ponds. In 1944 the route of the railway was changed due to the building of Sørlandsbanen from Stavanger to Kristiansand. Thereafter, this part from Hellvik to Egersund was abandoned for over 40 years.

Today, it is one of the region's finest and most rich roads for walking and bicycling. Nice views, changing between moors, mountains, intimate small forests and beautiful coastline. The old railway is to be seen by high mountain cuttings and rock fillings.

You can either go by train from Vigrestad to Hellvik/-Egersund. Or park at Hellvik, catch the train to Egersund and walk back.

Eigerøy fyr

Come for a nice hike directly out to sea, visiting the oldest lighthouse in Norway constructed in cast iron.

Eigerøy lighthouse is situated at the outer knolls of Midbrødøya (Nordre Eigerøya). Construction of the lighthouse started in 1853. The result was Norway's first lighthouse in cast iron, which was filled inside with 70.000 bricks. The operation of Eigerøy lighthouse was automated and consequently depopulated as late as 1989. The lighthouse is 32,9 m high.

The road to the lighthouse was opened in 1996, with dual use for agricultural and recreation purposes. It twists gently among smooth kurt knolls in a supremely landscape.

Trollpikken

Experience a very special rock formation!

Trollpikken (the troll's dick) became famous worldwide in the summer of 2017, when somebody cut it off, and it was re-erected shortly afterwards.

The trip is short through the typical landscape of the Dalane region. This consists of a low hilly mountainous landscape with marsh and lakes.