We drive Byrkjelo, Skei, Vassenden, Førde, Naustdal, Stavang, Storebru, Hyen, Sandane.
A four-hour drive if you were to go straight through, but it's more fun to take a whole day for it, of course. We set off eastwards, to Byrkjelo. Then southwards towards Skei. We pass through Våtedalen, a wet valley, as the name suggests. It is narrow with rough rocks on either side. The Storelva river flows parallel to the road. This river often bursts its banks. But it's not just a valley of water, the valley is also for the animals. They are allowed to roam free and graze wherever they please. So it's quite possible that you'll find yourself in a traffic jam caused by a herd of goats.
At Skei, we take road number 5. We keep to the left and follow the signs for Sogndal and Astruptunet. And there, at Astruptunet, we take a break and visit the place where the famous painter Nicolai Astrup lived, worked, and painted. Many paintings are on display, but also the garden, which he often depicted in his works.
After this, we continue to Vassenden and then Førde, where we leave E39/5 and continue only with road number 5. We pass one of the nearest shopping centers for us. If there is a need to shop, this can be done here.
We continue driving, heading towards Naustdal, where we turn left at the gas station and onto road 611. A stunning road that takes us along the Førdefjord, all the way to the North Sea at Stavang. Here, the road number changes to 542, and we continue on this road until we see a sign that says 'Helleristingar'. We have arrived at Ausevika.
We park the car and follow a marked path. It's only a short distance to the rock drawings. We stand on a platform and can thus view all the drawings well. There are over 350 characters here. It is estimated to be from 1500-1800 BC. Some think it's even older, but of course, that's not exactly certain. Because there are drawings that indicate hunting and also drawings that indicate agriculture, it is assumed that this dates from both a stone and a bronze age. You could imagine that you see society transforming here from hunters to farmers.
After Ausevika, we got hungry and drove to the small beach by the boat harbor in Eikefjord. It's so nice to light up your disposable BBQ and enjoy a delicious grilled sausage sandwich.
From there we head back towards the 5 and turn right to then join the legendary road 615 at Storebru. This narrow road is fantastic and gives you a very good idea of how beautiful it is here. Peace and nature is all she breathes.
At the end of this road, we arrived in Sandane. A bite at pizzeria Mona Lisa goes down well after such a day.
