Southern Norway Agder BYGLAND

Utsikten (the Viewpoint) Landeskogen - round trip 2 km

/ km From You

turistinfo@bygland.kommune.no

Category: The Great Outdoors

The walk starts from the parking place at Årdal Church, next to highway 9.

Follow the road to Landeskogen. Opened in 1916, this was originally a tuberculosis sanatorium. In the following years a network of paths was cleared by people on a job creation project. These paths were easy to walk and suited the patients well. The sanatorium was closed in 1961, and Landeskogen reopened in 1962 as a centre for the mentally disabled.　The original "Love path" went from the fjord and up to Utsikten (the Viewpoint), but later on, all the paths turned into "love paths" – due to the numerous suitors who visited the local nurses’ home at Landeskogen.　The path is easy to walk, and from the top there is a magnificent view of the Byglandsfjord. On the way back you may visit the Landeskogen Peace Centre.　Follow the road to the parking place, and feel free to study the runic stone at Årdal Church before you move on.

Difficulty: Easy; well-groomed path with no particular ascent.

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