Skammestein: Visitor Garden, Art and Church History

When looking for a hotel in Skammestein, it helps to decide what you want to focus on during your trip. Eker Gård combines plant diversity, changing art exhibitions and courses; Lidar Church adds local history to the mix. At Olestølen, mountain hikes and guided tours about life at the mountain summer farm differ in duration, season and group size. This makes it easier to assess the options based on what matters to you during your stay.

Visitor Garden, Exhibitions and Courses

Eker Gård is a KVANN visitor garden in Skammestein and contributes to promoting plant diversity. This focus is clearly defined for travelers with a particular interest in plants. Eker Gård also presents changing exhibitions of photographs, paintings and sculptures. The content may change, so if you are planning to visit for a specific exhibition, check what is currently on display beforehand.

Courses at Eker Gård include mosaics, photography, cooking and painting. Course schedules may vary. If you want to include a particular subject in your travel plans, find out in advance which courses are being offered. This can help you decide whether a visitor garden, an exhibition or a course should be the focus of your visit.

Mountain Hikes and Life at the Mountain Summer Farm at Olestølen

Olestølen offers three-hour mountain hikes with a packhorse for small groups of four to eight people. The route passes through a mountain landscape at an altitude of about 1,000 meters. Advance inquiry is required. The stated duration and group size give you a concrete framework for including the hike in your travel plans.

Another offering at Olestølen is guided tours about life at the mountain summer farm, past and present. They are offered in July and August by prior booking. Families and groups of at least eight people are accepted. The two offerings therefore differ both in subject and in their time and group-size requirements: one is a three-hour mountain hike, while the other focuses on life at the mountain summer farm and is available only during the stated months.

Seasonal Products

During the summer season, Olestølen sells a selection of handmade organic specialty cheeses, its own kurv (cured sausage) and local handicrafts. The product selection may vary. If you are planning to stop by for a particular product, take both the seasonal availability and the changing selection into account.

Lidar Church and Historical Tradition

Lidar Church is located near Skammestein on a southwest-facing slope. The land above the road between Fagernes and Beito was formerly undeveloped.

There is an alternative starting point for the hike up Javnberget at Lidar Church, where there is a spacious parking lot. Before setting out, check access conditions for the route based on current conditions. A 1911 account offers another historical perspective: a stave church is said to have stood at Søndre Voldene near Skammestein, where it was called “Lidar Hæras kapell.” This is an account concerning a former building.

Discover more destinations: Beitostølen, Rogne, Heggenes, Beito.

Return to the main travel overview: Øystre Slidr.