Time: Garborg’s Legacy, Museums and Trails

Time stretches from the lowland of Låg-Jæren in the west to the upland of Høg-Jæren in the east. Almost half of the total area is used for agriculture, including haymaking and grazing. This range gives your trip a geographic framework. Possible areas of focus include Garborg’s life, museums and architectural history, as well as trails through the landscape. When planning, you can decide whether to focus on cultural sites, a walk or a longer cycling tour.

Garborg’s Legacy and Museums in Time

Near Undheim, Knudaheio was Arne Garborg’s summer home on Jæren from 1899 to 1923. The house and living room have been preserved in the condition they were in when the poet lived there; the furnishings and contents are authentic. The exterior reflects its appearance in 1909. This lets you connect your visit with a specific period in Garborg’s life without reducing the site to its architecture alone.

The Garborgløypa comprises 57 films and audio tracks, which you can access by mobile phone at Knudaheio, Garborgheimen and Time kyrkje. This provides further links to Garborg for planning your trip, alongside a visit to his summer home. Træe offers a different focus: the crofter’s holding and retirement home, dating from around 1780, now serve as a museum and exemplify functional Jæren building traditions.

The Time bygdemuseum contains more than 2,000 collected objects. They document primarily rural society in the 19th and 20th centuries. The museum is open on the Sunday each month when a Sunday meal is held at the Undheim community centre; opening hours are from 12:00 to 15:30. Check the date of the Sunday meal before your visit, as the museum’s open Sunday is tied to it. This allows you to plan your museum visit as part of your day.

Experience Cultural Sites and Landscapes

Industrial and art history are also among Time’s attractions. Fotland kraftstasjon is an industrial heritage site and a hydroelectric power museum. A marked hiking trail leads to the dam built in connection with the power station, made of wedge-shaped stones. At Fotland mølle, the restored buildings now serve as a museum and art exhibition venue; the mill reopened as a museum and exhibition venue in 1995. The two sites offer different points of interest if you would like to include engineering history or art in your trip.

In the centre of Bryne, Fritz Røed skulpturpark runs along the Bryneåna, also known as “Kongo.” It opened on 1 October 2004 and has play equipment for children. The combination of a sculpture park and a riverside setting offers a different kind of visit from the historical museums. In Sæland naturreservat, meanwhile, varied deciduous woodland with oaks, lime trees, elms and hazels shapes the transition between water, pasture and forest.

For an accessible, easy route at Melsvatnet, there is a return trail for pedestrians and wheelchair users: 4.38 kilometres in total, with 2.19 kilometres each way and an elevation difference of 37 metres. Another way to explore Time is the 26.41-kilometre circular route Sandtangen–Njåskogen–Fotland mølle–Hognestad–Sandtangen. It is rated moderate and has a total ascent of 263 metres. Comparing the route lengths and elevation figures can help you choose between a shorter walk and a longer cycling tour.

On a cycling tour through Time, you could stop for a snack at Drivhuset Bageri & Gårdsutsalg if the sign says “ÅPENT” (“Open”). The visit is conditional on this.

Planning Your Stay and Hotel Search

Public transport runs from Bryne railway station to Stavanger, Sandnes and Egersund. If these connections are important to your trip, check the timetables for your travel date. You can also organise the local attractions around the kind of trip you want: Garborg and the museums offer a cultural and historical focus, while the Melsvatnet routes and cycling tour provide different ways to get active. Choose Time as your destination and compare available hotel offers according to your own requirements.

Discover more destinations: Undheim, Bryne, Kvernaland, Sandnes, Eigersund, Rennesøy, Lund, Strand.

Return to the regional travel overview: Rogaland.