Nord-Aurdal Norway | TravelGuideEurope.eu

Nord-Aurdal muncipality in Norway has approximately 6.450 inhabitants and covers a area of 906,5 km2. The family destination with a central location! Valdres is one of Norway’s most attractive areas for winter experiences. More than 1000 km of prepared ski tracks are at your disposal, in forests and mountains. Alpine, telemark and snowboard enthusiasts can enjoy FIS approved pistes, with off-piste options and separate snowboard parks. All establishments have children’s pistes. Taking off your skis, Fagernes can offer museums, shops, restaurants and dance halls. Adding the mild winter climate with snow guarantee, you have all needed for a successful holiday! The people from Valdres have long traditions in taking good care of winter tourists. They will make sure that you will get a quite unique winter experience!

FAGERNES

For those who wish to enjoy a winter holiday, though not necessarily with skis on their feet all day long, Fagernes provides opportunities without snow! Museums, shops, restaurants and dancing halls, the business community counts more than 100 enterprises. Nevertheless, only 20 minutes driving takes you to the alpine centres, the ski tracks in the mountains and not least to Fagernes Airport.

RAKFISK

(Rakfisk = half-fermented trout). Hunting and fishing is both for the supplement, and for the fun of it. In most of the waters and rivers there are mountain-trout to be caught. Both wild and breed trout are especially enjoyed around Christmas either smoked or as “raka” fish. (Raka-fish is fish that is cleansed, salted and put in barrels where it is kept for about 2 months at 6-9 degrees Celsius, before it´s eaten.)

VALDRES FOLK MUSEUM

Valdres Folkemuseum was founded 1901. The first house in the collections was rebuilt in 1906 on a 3000 m2 lot in the centre of Fagernes. In 1917 the museum moved to the peninsula Storøya near Fagernes, where the museum had bought a 18500 m2 lot. In 1950 the museum rented much of the area on peninsula Storøya, and today the museum has more than 10 km2 at it’s disposal. The museum contents 95 houses and constructions, around 20.000 items and is the fourth largest open air museum of Norway.

GJØGERLAUGITN

With Kinn, South of Pardisfjorden lies Kvitingen and Gjøgerlaugitn. Kvitingen is a lightful lake but Gjøgerlaugitn is some Giant´s pothole.

GRAVE-MOUND

At Strand, on the right side of E 16, there is a grave-mound. It is called “Kjempehaugen” (the gigantic mound). You can see the stone monument at the top. The grave-mound dates back to the iron age (400 B.C. to 800 A.C.) The legend is that the giant Vidrik Verlandsøn is buried here. He was one of King Didrik of Bern’s (Verona’s) famous giants. Vidrik is supposedly born at the Dovre mountain. His father was a blacksmith and his mother the daughter of a king.

SVENNES

A monumental stone tells about the findings of Svennes and a church at Svennes from 1860. The stone can be seen in the hills, from E 16 north of Svennes Camping. A Middle Age tomb stone was found from Svennes stave church in 1986. This was a part of an old tomb stone from the 1200th century. Rare. Similar rocks are found at Mo church ruins and at Hegge church. The stone at Svennes has been given to Strand church. The findings at Svennes is the finest depot findings from older Bronze Age (1800-1000 B.C.). in Norway (20 spear points and 1 sicle). This was discovered in 1830.

THE MOUNTAIN FLAG

The flag was painted in 1905, and unveiled 17. May (the Norwegian national day) the same year. The flag can be seen from Leira centre.

FRYDENLUND STATION

The station was founded in the beginning of the 1800’s and was running up to 1945. Frydenlund was the junction for the travel industry in Valdres. The house, as it is today, is built around 1860. The Norwegian author Knut Hamsun lived at Frydenlund, first as a Post Master. He later came back several times. The house is restored and is today used for parties and cultural purposes.

THE OLD FAGERNES STATION

The Valdres Railway was opened in 1906 and shut down in 1988. The locomotive, which was operative to Fagernes Station until the shutdown, shall give memories about the railway period in Valdres.

MONUMENTAL STONE OF FLOOD HIGHS

In the Strandefjord from 1789 to 1967 in the park by the City Hall at Fagernes.

FAGERNES AIRPORT

Permanent art exhibition with paintings by Arne Paus.

SKIING

Valdres Alpine Center is situated in Aurdal. The alpine area includes 10 pists, a children’s course, and a well-known snowboard park which is preferred by top snowboarders. In the peak season 120 km of prepared ski tracks are linked with the Beitostølen tracks. This gives opportunities, in exciting and exceptionally beautiful surroundings. High quality accommodation is close to the alpine centre and the ski tracks, which makes Aurdal an ideal destination for a family friendly combination of alpine and cross country.

TISLEIDALEN VALLEY

As a guest in Tisleidalen you may also use the ski tracks at Golsfjellet, or make your own tracks in unspoiled nature. The highest peaks for the tracks are: Gribbe 1.057 mosl. and Nystølvarden 1.296 mosl. Family friendly Tisleidalen also offer the “100 meter wood” for children. The alpine centre is popular, with perfect pists for telemark- and snowboarders. Miles of snow capped mountains invite you to an area where prepared cross country ski tracks offer challenges for amateurs and skilled. Here you will find several ski tracks. Most of the tracks are suited for families and marked on maps and in the terrain with different colours. Tisleidalen is snow safe, and combined with the ski tracks it gives great opportunities as soon as early autumn. We use high quality, modern prep-machines, and all tracks are double.

FISHING

Valdres is well known for its numerous mountain waters and lakes as well as rivers and streams that are perfect for fishing enthusiasts. You can purchase fishing passes for more than 100 sites, or the recommended “Fishing in Valdres” pass, giving you access to almost 70 sites all over Valdres.

Aurdalsfjorden is a lake well organized with facilities for fishing. Excellent trout and perch fishing. The fishing licence is valid both for the Aurlandsfjord and the Begnavassdraget, all the way to the Sør-Aurdal county border.

Begna river, from Bagn in Valdres to Nes i Ådal, is one of this regions most popular rivers to fish trout. This is the river that the “writer of the wilderness” Mikkjel Fønhus named “the big river” in his books. Mikkjel Fønhus lived and wrote at the Begna´s riverside. In Begna you can fish for trout, perch, pike and whitefish. (Pike just south of Eid). It is the trout and the pike that is the most numerous. In early spring and late fall the most usual bait is worm. In May – August there is an exiting fly fishing season. The river is easy accessible from both sides of E16. Many beautiful fishing spots is marked and it is made several fishing paths along the riverside.

Vangsmjøsa, an idyllic lake in Vang surrounded at all sides by high mountains. You can buy a fishing licence for both rod and otterfishing and you are allowed to fish both from the shore and from boat. Vangsmjøsa have excellent facilities for the people with special needs and the fishing places and easy accessible from the road.

Fasle is a river with excellent facilities situated between the Strondafjord and the Aurdalsfjord. Good fishing with several goods spots for catching fish. Good trout and perch fishing. Easy to reach from Rv51.

In Eidsbugarden the lakes are situated 1100 – 1500 meters above sea level. Not too much fish caught in the last few years. Bygdin is situated 1050 metres above sea level. The other lakes are 1200 metres above sea level and higher. This is high mountain fishing. You will not find big fish in these lakes. About 20 km on a gravel road (fv 252) from Tyin to Eidsbugarden. From here you have to walk 1/2-1 hour to reach the lakes in question.

GOLF

Valdres Golfclub is a golf course with 9 holes and a variation of difficulties. The course lies close to Aurdalsfjorden, between Aurdal and Leira in Vestringsbygda.