BORGUND STAVE CHURCH AND VINDHELLAVEGEN ROAD

Borgund Stave Church was built around the year 1181 AD. and is the most visited stave church in Norway. Close by is the Vindhellavegen Road that runs between Borgund and Husum in Lærdal. Vindhellavegen is part of the old Kongevegen (The King´s Road) between east and west in Norway. Map to use: Filefjell 1:50000

 

If you visit Borgund Stave Church, we recommend that you also visit Vindhellavegen Road, which is just behind the stave church. The 1.7 kilometer long Vindhellavegen Road was completed in 1793 AD. and is now part of a 100 kilometer long hiking trail, the old King´s Road, between Vang in Valdres and Lærdal by the Sognefjord.

 

Season and Safety

Many of the activities, attractions, roads and accommodations mentioned on this website are open only in summer and are closed in winter. Season and opening times will vary, it usually opens in the summer and closes in the autumn, depending on, among other things, the amount of snow and the risk of landslides and avalanches in the area.

Important information about roads in Western Norway: There are restrictions on the length of vehicles on many of the roads in Norway. Many roads in Western Norway are prone to landslides and avalanches, especially in rainy and snowy weather. There might also be a chance that some of the roads are closed in short periods, especially during winter, due to weather and danger of rock- and snow avalanches and other dangerous conditions. Some of the roads in Western Norway are closed during winter! Winter tires are required in winter. Read more about Tyre Requirements in Norway...

It is important to take precautions for weather and road conditions, both when you drive and when you are out in nature in Norway. It is recommended to use a guide on the tours described on this website. Read more about safety and your own responsibility...

Visit Sognefjord

Visit Sognefjord is the official destination company for the Sognefjord area.

About season and other important information

SEASON VINDHELLAVEGEN: June to September, depending on temperature and snow.

Stave Churches in Western Norway

A Stave Church is a wooden church from the middle age. Most of the Norwegian Stave Churches were built right after the Viking Age around year 1100-1200 AD. The name “Stave Church” comes from the construction of the buildings; large ground beams of wood are placed on a foundation of stone, then internal wooden pillars (staves) are interconnected and also connected to the outer walls.

FJORDS NORWAY - Urnes Stave Church at Ornes by the Lustrafjord. The idyllic Fjord Village Solvorn on the other side of the fjord.
The UNESCO-Protected Urnes Stave Church at Ornes by the Lustrafjord. The idyllic Fjord Village Solvorn on the other side of the fjord.

Borgund Stave Church

Borgund Stave Church was built around year 1181 AD. at Borgund in the Lærdal valley. This is the most visited stave church in Norway, and with its charasteristic design it has often been used as a “model” when other stave churches has been restored or built.

There is a visitor centre and café near by where you can buy tickets for a guided tour and to get information about the stave church.

The visitor center is open from mid-April to mid-October, this can vary. Check out the official website for Borgund Stave Church for more information on opening hours, tickets and guiding.

The Vindhellavegen Road between Borgund and Husum

FJORDS NORWAY - Vindhellavegen is part of Kongevegen. Lærdal valley in the Sognefjord area.
Vindhellavegen is part of Kongevegen. Borgund in the Lærdal valley, Sognefjord area.

If you are hiking along the Vindhellavegen Road, it is great to start from the visitor centre at Borgund Stave Church where you can also park your car. From there it is about 500 meters to walk along Fylkesveg 630 in a northern direction to where the Vindhellavegen Road starts.

The first part of the Vindhellavegen Road goes slightly uphill until you are west of Borgund Stave Church. Then the road goes slightly downhill to the point where the steep turns at the Vindhellavegen Road starts. This is also the most beautiful part of the road and what most of the people come to see and to experience, and not least to photograph.

Below the steep turns, the Vindhellavegen Road continues downhill until it ends down at Husum by Fylkesveg 630, west of Borgund Stave Church.

The hike along the Vindhellavegen Road, from the start at the visitor centre to the parking lot where it ends, is a total of 2.2 kilometers. The Vindhellavegen Road itself is 1.7 kilometer long. The photos and the video are from a hike along the Vindhellavegen Road in early November 2021.

Hiking the Sverrestien Trail back to Borgund Stave Church

Instead of walking the Vindhellavegen Road back in the opposite direction, it is a good alternative to hike along the Sverrestien Trail which starts from Husum by Fylkesveg 630, only 50 meters south of where the Vindhellavegen Road ends. The start of the Sverrestien Trail is well marked with signs, and the trail is well maintained and marked all the way back to the new Borgund Church where the Sverrestien Trail ends. The new Borgund Church is located just south of Borgund Stave Church. This part of the Sverrestien Trail is three kilometers long and has some incline in the first half of the trail.

The Sverrestien Trail is an old horse road that was used until the Vindhellavegen Road was built in year 1793 AD. This is where King Sverre Sigurdsson (1151 – 1202 AD.) and his Birkebeiner-army retreated after losing the battle against the peasant army at Voss in year 1177 AD. The photos are from a walk along the Sverrestien Trail in early November 2021.

If you walk the Vindhellavegen Road, we also recommend you to visit Borgund Stave Church, which is located next to the road. This is where the walk along the Vindhellavegen Road ends if you hike the Sverrestien Trail back.

Sognefjord – What to See and Do

The Sognefjord, the king of the fjords, is the longest fjord adventure in Norway. The Sognefjord is 204 kilometers long and 1308 meters deep at its deepest. Join a guided glacier walk on the Nigardsbreen glacier, see the beautiful stave churches. Join a fjord safari or a fjord cruise on the Aurlandsfjord and Nærøyfjord. Experience the view from Stegastein viewpoint above the Aurlandsfjord. Take a short hike to Mt Molden in Luster and you will see the fantastic view down to the Lustrafjord. Balestrand is one of the first places the foreign tourists visited when they discovered Norway in the mid-19th century. The Fjærlandsfjord, Aurlandsfjord and Nærøyfjord, the Årdalsfjord and the Lustrafjord are all branches of the Sognefjord. These side fjords are perhaps even more famous than the Sognefjord itself, which is located in the middle of western Norway. The Sognefjord is so long that it almost divides Norway in two.

References

Stavechurch.com
Wikipedia

Accommodation at Borgund and in Lærdal

Husum Hotel at Borgund
Borgund Hyttesenter at Borgund
Lærdal Holiday and Leisure Park in Lærdal
Lærdal Hotel in Lærdal
Lindstrøm Hotel in Lærdal
Lærdalsøren Hotel in Lærdal

HOTELS - ACCOMMODATION - LINKS

Here you will find an overview of recommended HOTELS in addition to SPA & BATH HOTELS and OTHER ACCOMMODATION PLACES in Western Norway. The combination of beautiful nature, activities that you can do in all four seasons and a stay at a great accommodation is unique. A stay in one of these places will do you good, both for body and mind.

There are ten restaurants that have awarded Michelin stars and Michelin awards in Western Norway. Eight of the Michelin restaurants are in Stavanger and two in Bergen. Here you will find FJORDS MICHELIN, where you will also find a list of recommended hotels in Western Norway, recommended by Michelin.

VISIT NORWAY is the official travel guide for Norway. VISIT NORWAY'S FJORD GUIDE gives you a good overview of the most beautiful fjords in Norway. USEFUL LINKS is a list of websites with great information on Norway and the Fjords.

Vindhellavegen, Sverrestien & Borgund Stave Church – Map Overview