Southern Norway offers narrow coastal roads, proximity to the sea and long beaches. Here, you can follow us down the coast to Stavanger, and then further up Western Norway towards Lærdal. For continuing along western Norway, see links at end of article.
Lindesnes
Lindesnes is Norway’s southernmost point. There we found a cozy little campsite, stayed overnight, and visited the lighthouse the next day. Around the lighthouse, a museum, café, and so on had been established. As Norway’s southernmost point, it attracts many visitors, though perhaps not as many as the North Cape. In any case, the lighthouse and museum were interesting to see. The museum told the story of those who had lived there under harsh conditions, with small potato plots wherever there was room between the rocky outcrops. Norway’s role as a seafaring nation and the importance of lighthouses were, of course, also explained.
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At Lindesnes Camping
Lindesnes Lighthouse
Farsund
Then the real journey began. We took the narrow County Road 401 towards Farsund, through coastal and inland landscapes, across narrow bridges and sharp bends, before joining the E18 for a while. From Farsund, we took Road 44 towards Egersund. The scenery that greeted us was very surprising—much wilder and more varied than we had expected. The mountains are probably lower than those in Western Norway, but the road winds its way between rocky outcrops and lakes, with quick descents down to the fjords. One of them was Jøssingfjord, well known from wartime history. The Altmark affair, in which Germany accused Norway of failing to preserve its neutrality by allowing the British to board the Altmark, which had sought refuge in Jøssingfjord. Some clips from the dashcam
Helleren
Helleren is also located here, an old crofter’s farmstead spectacularly situated beneath an enormous rock overhang that extends far out over the houses. Several great hikes start from Jøssingfjord. Along Route 44, there are many opportunities for hiking, with signposted route suggestions. If you want to wild camp, there are a number of places, although it can be difficult to get off the road.
Helleren – Jøssingfjord
Jæren
In Egersund, you can stop by the Faience Museum. Perhaps not as grand as expected, but you can at least see Grandma’s old dinnerware from your childhood again. We then continue along Route 44 towards Jæren. The landscape becomes a little more relaxed now, and soon Jæren’s beaches and heathland unfold before us. We stay at the excellent Brusand Camping on Ognastranda. There is another campsite further east along the beach, but it seemed very windswept and mostly resembled a penal colony, with cabins packed tightly together.
At OgnaThe next day, we headed back a little towards Egersund to hike in the beautiful terrain we had passed the day before. And here, of course, we found the perfect spot for wild camping, on the other side of the railway line, facing a large nature reserve. Drive under the railway by the campsite here (permanent pitches only), then follow the gravel road east. There are probably already a few motorhomes parked there, but there is plenty of room for more. It is also a wonderful hiking area, with rocky outcrops along the sea and lots of small sandy beaches between them. Further on, from Ogna towards Stavanger, the landscape becomes completely flat, with fields divided by countless stone walls. It is somewhat monotonous, but several lighthouses are open to the public. We stopped at Obrestad, where an enthusiastic young man working as a summer guide gave us a thorough introduction to the lighthouse’s history.
Stavanger
Stavanger was hosting the Gladmat food festival. The food was probably happy—at least, it was expensive. But there were cruise ships docked at the quays and it was extremely crowded. So instead, we strolled through the beautiful old wooden-house district and spent a few hours in a traditional pub.
Good food in Stavanger
Lysebotn – Preikestolen
If you fancy a mountain hike, you can join the throngs heading up to Prekestolen. It rises high above the Lysefjord, just north of Stavanger. Drive through the Ryfast Tunnel and then south again through Jørpeland.
An alternative is to see Preikestolen from below. Take road 450 from Stavanger to Lyseveien, which, via countless hairpin bends, takes you down to Lysebotn at the innermost end of Lysefjord. From there, you can take a ferry out through the fjord and continue north along Western Norway. However, there are a great many tourists in the area. The ferry is small and expensive, so reserve a place.
See: ferry-on-the-lysefjord-lysebotn-forsand-lauvvik
LysebotnImage byJonathan Reichel fromPixabay
PreikestolenImage bygabmarjan fromPixabay
The Barony of Rosendal
If you choose the slightly smaller roads further north, such as Route 500, you will come to the Barony Rosendal. It is a small 17th-century castle with a fantastic garden, and Norway’s only barony. Definitely worth a visit, both inside and out. Concerts are also held here: intimate concerts inside the castle and larger events in the barn. Down by the quay in Rosendal, facilities have been provided for motorhome camping.
Røldalsfjellet
If you stay on the E134, however, you will reach Røldalsfjellet. A little while after Røldalsvannet, the E134 disappears into one of the countless tunnels, but you would do well to take the old road over the mountain. It branches off just before the tunnel and takes you through beautiful mountain scenery with small lakes and a magnificent waterfall. The road is part of the Scenic Roads Ryfylke.
Låtefossen
After Røldalsfjellet, you come to the spectacular Låtefossen waterfall. The 165-metre-high waterfall plunges straight down beside the road, which passes over a stone bridge. Your car gets a shower.
Image byMARIE SCHNEIDER devoutPixabay
Folgefonna
You will also pass Folgefonna, Norway’s third-largest glacier. There are several places where you can reach the glacier; check https://folgefonna.info/
Further north along the west coast
Here you can read about Måbødalen/Lærdal to Stryn: Road Trip in Southern Western Norway
And Stryn to Sunndalsøra: Road Trip Western Norway North
And you can continue north to Nordmøre. Kristiansund, the Atlantic Road, Smøla: Kristiansund and Smøla
You can return via Trondheim and the east of Norway. Wild nature and less tourists: Wild Camping in Finnskogen – From Halden to Trondheim Along the Swedish Border
Return via the E16 and Valdres
If you choose to turn off from Lærdal, you will pass Øie stavkirke in Vang. The church is small and not as spectacular as Borgund, but it is interesting because it has preserved its original Catholic interior. The other churches were rebuilt after Luther made his way into the country. The reason for the Catholic interior is interesting too. The church was discovered beneath the floor of a newer church in the early 1900s and was re-erected in the 1950s. It had been dismantled because it stood in an area prone to flooding. And instead of reusing the materials in the new church, as was unfortunately common, the congregation had placed the church beneath the floor. The guides were an enthusiastic retired German couple who worked as guides during the summer. They spoke good Norwegian and would have liked to move to Vang, but their German pensions did not go very far at Norwegian price levels.
