Kjeåsen lies in the municipality of Eidfjord and is floating on top of a mountain ledge cradled like an eagle’s nest 600 meters above the Simadalsfjord. To get there you have to take a very narrow road that only allows you to drive up every hour, down every half hour. It’s one of Norway’s mountain ledge farm perched above a Fjord just like the Skagefla farm in Geirangerfjord.
Interesting History About the Kjeasen Mountain Farm
The name Kjeåsen comes from kje’ meaning “child” and ås meaning “mountain” – Mini Mountain as it stands. The farm was inhabited at least since the 1650s before the road up to the farm was constructed. Prior to that, the only way to get there is through the steep path from the bottom of the fjord. During the 1930s a cable car was constructed that could carry equipment and supplies up the farm but the residents of Kjeåsen still had to use the steep trail. The outlying farmstead at Kjeåsen was abandoned in 1962 and was finally sold in 2016 after being in the same family for a few hundred years.
The Swedish writer Bror Ekström wrote a book about the people living there after visiting the farm in the 1950s. The book, Folket på Kieåsen (The folks of Kjeåsen), was published in 1958 and became popular in Norway. The Norwegian broadcasting company, NRK, aired a program about Kjeåsen in its series Der ingen skulle tru at nokon kunne bu and a Swedish national radio broadcaster also aired a program about the farm.
A Private Tourist Attraction
Today, the Kjeasen farm is a major tourist attraction, sort of like an open air museum. There’s a cafe serving ok food and knick-knacks for tourist. The farm is awesome because it’s very isolated from civilization and really hard to get to. Just imagine it was inhabited when cars weren’t even common in Norway, people had to schlep supplies and food goods by foot all the way to the top.
I sort of found this location by accident. I’ve driven around in Norway for about a month and I was looking for a Vinmonopolet, a place where you can get wine. There happened to be one in Eidfjord and I was passing through anyway. I asked one of the staff what’s cool to see in the area and she told me about Kjeåsen, of course, I couldn’t pass up an opportunity to see some ancient farm dangling above a fjord.
Photography Tips
For photography, the farm frames very nicely with Eidfjord below. Not much interesting going on other than that but you can hike to the bottom or hike from the bottom to the farm if you’d like. A tripod is good, almost necessary if you don’t have a camera a built-in anti-shake technology. A polarizer is almost necessary to bring the awesome hues of the fjord and the greens of the grass.
STAY LIKE A LOCAL! |
---|
Do you want to know how to make travel (especially long-term) interesting? Stay like a local! To experience a place like a local rather than a tourist gives a whole new dimension to any adventure. I use Airbnb to rent anything from a room to an entire house. If that's not attractive enough, how about $55 off your first stay via Airbnb?
|
How to Get to Kjeåsen
From Eidfjord head southeast on Ostangvegen toward Simadalsvegen. Go north on Simadalsvegen for about 3 kilometers until it becomes Fv103. Go 4 kilometers and turn left on the road towards Kjeåsen farm. After another 3 kilometers and you’ll have to pass a tunnel that is time for passing every 30 minutes.
When to Go To Kjeåsen
It’s often raining on this part of Norway but don’t let that dissuade you. Overcast or not your best chances of seeing the Fjord with the farm are during the summer months.
FIND THE BEST FLIGHT DEALS! |
---|
Hey guys, travel is expensive but one of the first things you can save on and be smart about is your flight tickets and hotels. Skyscanner finds me the best deals in flights and sometimes hotels. Click on the button below and set up a price tracker alert to score you the best flight deals and travel more!
|
Going to Norway?
Here are the Top 5 Most Breathtaking Hikes you can do.
HAVE YOU VISITED KJEÅSEN MOUNTAIN FARM?
- Save money from epic photography gear guides and round-ups
- Discover new destinations near and far
- Learn to travel better and longer from travel tips and resources
- Get free travel photos and other freebies
- We don't like SPAM so you won't get any from us
Leave a Reply