Via Ferrata Kyrkjeveggen, located in Fjæra in Åkrafjorden, is perhaps Norway's toughest Via Ferrata route. The route is made for climbing where possible. In the most demanding areas, steps have been made making it possible to walk the trail. The climbing part from the ascent of 50 meters to the top shelf of 550 meters is about 900 meters long. Fjæratoppen is the highest peak at 713 meters above sea level. The last part of Fjæratoppen is a regular trail. The trail is graded as grade D according to the international grading scale, with the grading going from A to F.
Via Ferrata Ingadalen is a family-friendly route that is graded as B/C for exposure and 2 in climbing grade. The route is just south of Åkrafjorden Nature and one can see the route from the front of the building. It takes about 15 minutes to walk to the start. Halfway there is a path to step 2. The view is great or one sees Rullestad towards the east and Fjæra and Åkrafjorden to the west. To the north one sees the mighty “Kyrkjeveggen”. When one has finished the climbing part that ends at about 240 meters above sea level, one follows the path back to the starting point. The whole trip takes about 2.5 to 3 hours at a child-friendly pace, but can be extended if one takes the time to enjoy the view and the surroundings.
Hyling is a Via Ferrata route located in the large rock wall north of Åkrafjorden Nature. To get to the entrance follow the same road as to Kyrkjeveggen, but continue on the forest road a little further. The path through the rocks is marked. From the entrance and up to Øysteinskår, there is a fairly steep Via Ferrata trail with bolted steps. When one climbs into Øysteinskår, one follows the bolted cable over the natural mountain shelves. The shelves go up and down slightly and range between 250 and 300 meters above sea level. When you reach the western end of Indre Fjæraholet there are bolted steps up to Gaupeskår. Where the Hylling trail meets Kyrkjeveggen, one can choose to follow Via Ferrata Kyrkjeveggen up to Topphylla, if one wants a painfully long walk. If not, one follows the marked path down to the shore. The round trip is about 4.5 km long, with 1700 meters of bolted trail. If you want to follow Kyrkjeveggen to the top, the whole round trip is about 8 km long, with 2.2 km of bolted trail.
This is a family friendly trail/route rated A according to the international grading scale, and can be completed without difficulties.
Description of the trail:
Take the E134 at Rullestad Camping, and follow the old road up Rullestadjuvet for about 2 km until you reach a sheep fence. Park the car here, and then continue on foot upwards about 100 meters. Turn left from the road and follow the marked path upwards, first through some forest, before following the rock layers upwards. Then walk down to a new patch of forest. Here it is easy to climb in steps upwards to a point to the first potholes. In this area there are several potholes that one can climb up and see. After the first potholes follows a further uphill climb with partial climbing in steps and walking on path to a ridge to the top pothole. From the top of Jettegrytenuten follow a marked path down towards the river, and on down the Old Post Road to a junction onto the old E134 and follow it down Rullestadjuvet back to the starting point.
Expect to spend 2–3 hours for the round trip.
Juvinga is in Smielva on Rullestad. The tour starts with an hour's walk from Åkrafjorden Nature in Fjæra, to make your way to the top of the gorge. There we dress in wetsuit, climbing harness and helmet. We start off calmly with hiking and wading. After 15 minutes there will be rappelling down several waterfalls, the longest about 30 meters high. In the longest waterfall we descend a 60-meter long Via Ferrata route, before jumping down into a pool.
Equipment: Åkrafjorden Nature offer wetsuit, climbing harness, helmet and waterproof bag. Participants have their own shoes. We recommend sneakers or off-road shoes with a good rubber sole that can withstand water. It is a good idea to wear woolen underwear under your wetsuit.
Time: Approx. 6 hours, 09:00–15:00
Age limit: 18 years
Difficulty level: ! 4
Price: 1950 NOK
Subject to a minimum of 6 participants signing up. In case of cancellation of a trip, you will receive a notification from us.
Prices for rent:
2 hours: 300 kr
3 hours: 400 kr
4 hours: 500 kr
Entire day: 700 kr
For those who seek out in our wild and beautiful nature, and who like to walk in steep and rough terrain, there are many options available. You will be accompanied by a guide who is a pioneer in the village and knows rock formations, names and the surrounding history. In other words, we do not follow the normal hiking trails. The difficulty and length of the trip can be adjusted according to your wishes.
If you take the “Stein Viking” ride on Åkrafjorden, you can feel the cold fresh water from Langfoss on your face. You can taste the water before it flows into the fjord, when the crew goes directly into the waterfall and picks up the water in a bag, which is then served in glass.
In addition to the spectacular Langfossen, on this tour, you will experience farms without roads, old water-powered sawmills, special rock formations and soft rock formations. If you are lucky, you can also see sea eagles at close range.
