Gulen: Thing History, Coastal Culture and Island Views

From 900 to 1300, Gulatinget was a regional Thing site during the Viking Age. People from Western Norway gathered there to discuss politics, make laws and administer justice. In Gulen, you can connect this important period in the region’s political history with places, art and guided experiences.

Gulatinget and the history of the Thing site

In Flolid, the Tusenårsstaden Gulatinget features monumental works of art by Bård Breivik. Cultural walking routes around Gulatinget have been established in Eivindvik and Flolid; you can follow them using a mobile phone or iPad. On a guided tour in Eivindvik, you walk along the oldest Thing site at Gulatinget, where Thing representatives gathered for 400 years. The tour also introduces the representative and “potato pastor” Prost Niels Griis Alstrup Dahl (1778–1852), who transformed Gulen through his life’s work.

The municipality of Gulen is part of the Council of Europe’s Viking Route Cultural Route. The old Den Trondhjemske postvei in Gulen is also among the cultural heritage sites worth preserving. The old Den Trondhjemske postvei in Gulen is among the cultural heritage sites worth preserving for which Statens vegvesen is responsible. Trangane bru is a stone slab bridge just under 17 metres long and 3.4 metres wide.

Coastal Life, Craftsmanship and Churches

Sellevåg treskofabrikk produced wooden clogs until 1972. Its machines and technical equipment have been preserved at the original site; for this reason, the factory is a cultural heritage site of national interest. It also illustrates small-scale industrial production in Norway.

On Byrknes, the Gulen Fiskarbondemuseum is dedicated to the lives of the fishing farmers who lived in Gulen’s coastal settlements. The museum’s Våningshuset was built in 1842. The families who lived there until 1960 renovated, shaped and furnished it. Over the course of its history, it served as the home of several fishing-farmer families, as a school for the island’s population and as a prison for the notorious thief Gjest Bårdsen.

Gulen kyrkje in Eivindvik is a wooden long church consecrated on 13 December 1863. Beside it stand two stone crosses more than 1,000 years old: the Celtic cross is outside the church, while the Anglo-Saxon cross stands at Krossteigen above the town hall. You can find another wooden long church on the island of Mjømna. It was consecrated on 5 November 1901.

Hikes and Views

The day cabin Gulakvila is located on Løypingåsen in the municipality of Gulen. From there, the view stretches towards Gulafjord and out to the islands by the sea. The route to Gulakvila follows well-maintained, well-marked hiking trails with a moderate incline. From the municipal building, the route is 900 metres each way; at a normal walking pace, it takes an adult about 30 to 45 minutes. The hike to Vestrefjellet has an elevation gain of 160 metres.

Experiences Around Skjerjehamn

Blue Garden is an interactive aquaculture exhibition with a 300-metre-long trail. Exhibition details may change. The art in Skjerjehamn also includes permanent and temporary exhibitions, as well as several sculptures on the grounds; the exhibitions may change too.

In Skjerjehamn, you can rent bicycles to explore the narrow roads and surrounding cultural landscape. The area has little traffic and wide-open views of the archipelago. Check bicycle rental availability before making plans.

A guided tour travels from Skjerjehamn by RIB to Eivindvik and Gulatinget. It includes an introduction to the history of the Thing site, the striking stone crosses and the modern artworks at the Millennium site. Check current availability before planning. A RIB tour of the archipelago combines a visit to the island area with a visit to a fish farm. It is available to book in summer; in autumn, it is available by arrangement. Here too, it is advisable to check availability in advance.

Gulen Dive Resort offers dives among wrecks, nudibranchs and a rich variety of marine life. The offering may change. From Bergen, you can reach the municipality of Gulen by scheduled ferry or boat, or by car. Check the public transport timetable before you travel.

Discover more destinations: Brekke, Gulen, Byrknes, Eivindvik, Åsheim, Mjømna, Ånneland, Dalsöyra, Byrknesøy.

Back to the main travel overview: Sogn Og Fjordane.