Arkiv - November 2016

The Lista lighthouse

02/11/2016

Activities, Coastline, Destinations, Family holiday, History, Subject

Farsund

The little coastal town of Farsund is located 1.5 hours from Kristiansand in southern Norway. It was home to local pirates that robbed the British supply ships that would sail by which were actually sanctioned by the government. Legal pirates? Yep!

Some wooden boats in the town centre of Farsund

This rugged coastline is and was quite dangrous for shipping so a lighthouse was built in Lista which is a 15 minute drive from the town centre of Farsund on the very south western end of the mainland. It was built in the mid 1800s and in the beginning had a foghorn. It towers 40 metres high and has great views over the coastline and inland.

Bird watching

The lighthouse is also home to some rare birds so a birdwatching station has been set up in front of the lighthouse as well as a museum inside one of the buildings. (Expect to see some bird poop) What is cool to note is that many birds migrate here for the summer and move onto other countries around the world.

Bird watching from the station next to the lighthouse

Word War 2 history

The germans occupied the country in the Second World War and so there are bunker networks literally everywhere. There are still canon and machine gun nests at the front of the lighthouse and if you take a walk in the woods you will stumble across many other bunker networks. Nordberg Fort is just around the corner and is open to the public.

Yoga on one of the canon bunkers at the front of the light house

Beaches

There are some very beautiful beaches that dot this coastline – some where you can even go surfing. (Not all – because some are protected because of the birdlife). There is a local SUP and surf school that recently opened if you want to give it a try.

Windsurfing at a beach 10 minutes from the lighthouse

Flipside Camp

Scandinavias largest indoor skatepark is also located here called Flipside Camp. Click here for more info.

Kids at Flipside skatehall

These are just some of the things to do in Lista and there are numerous options available for accommodation.

Here is a drone film of the lighthouse published by youtuber: Snartemo60

Hiking in Knaben

02/11/2016

Adam

Activities, All year, Destinations, Family holiday

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Knaben

Knaben is an old mining village which is about a 40 minute drive from the town of Kvinesdal in southern Norway. The terrain is varied with both hilly and flat areas which make it ideal for hiking. If you are after some exercise and history, then also visit the Knaben museum and old factory where essential minerals were extracted from local rocks. These minerals were used to make weapons and the Germans occupied this important area during WW2 which was bombed by the allies.

Starting the hike from the Knaben industrial buildings

Bragold cave

This is a hike that begins at the old mining building and continues in a little valley that ends at a large lake. The terrain is very easy going and the walk will take approximately 25 minutes one way.

The rocky terrain during the hike

When you reach the end, there is a signpost with information about the Bragold cave in both Norwegian and English.

The cave goes in for about fifty metres and was used when they were searching for the important minerals used to make weapons.

There is enough space in the cave for sleeping but it is empty – so you will need to take your own sleeping bag and roll up mattress. I was there in late September so the cave was quite damp inside.

A little fire to keep us warm in the Bragold cave.

We started a fire which warmed us up nicely.

There are two possible ways to go back to the mining building and parking area one of which is a little longer than the other.

There is some information about the hike on the Norwegian Outdoor tour website UT.no with a map.

There are a number of options for accommodation in Kvinesdal and Knaben as well as things to do in Kvinesdal.

Please remember that when you go hiking, to tell someone where you will be. Also think about the weather because it can be unpredictable sometimes. On this hike for example, we needed water proof boots and rain jackets. We also took a compass, drinks and food.

Fresh waters from various streams

Here is a map of the area and information in English. (copyright) Lister Fritluftsråd

Knaben map

All photos: Adam Read @ Visit Sørlandet/USUS AS