Discover Byrknes: Museum, Chapel and the 3-fjellsturen

You can explore Byrknes through its fishing history and a hiking tour: the Gulen Fiskarbondemuseum is located here, and the 3-fjellsturen starts on Byrknes. Another local landmark is Byrknesøy kapell. These themes offer different starting points for planning your trip, from the history of fishing and farming life to a route across the mountain.

Fishing history and architectural heritage on Byrknes

The Gulen Fiskarbondemuseum documents and shares knowledge about the lives of the fishing farmers who lived in these settlements. The preserved heritage includes houses, furnishings, boats and equipment. This means the history of the place can be encountered not only as a general overview, but also through specific objects and buildings.

One example from the collection is a Nordfjord færing. The boat was built in 1915 and used throughout its entire working life on Byrknes, in Klungrehaugen. It was adapted to transport peat for fuel. Its year of construction, place of use and modification give the boat its own story within the collection.

Byrknesøy kapell is an extended wooden prayer house. It stands on Byrknes at the outermost edge of Gulen, facing the sea. Together with the preserved houses and boat, it offers another way into the history of the place, this time through a religious building rather than work at sea.

Some museum activities are explicitly part of the annual school programme: pupils learn to make hay and stack hayricks; they also fish together in the traditional way out on the open sea. An overnight stay outdoors on one of the islands is also part of this programme. These activities are not a general hands-on offer for visitors. Fish soup and fish cakes made from the fish caught during the school programme are served at the opening of the season. The food is specific to this occasion; the menu may vary. The opening and closing of the museum season are recurring annual activities. Check the specific dates before planning your trip.

Hiking, events and seasonal offerings

The 3-fjellsturen starts on Byrknes and crosses the mountain from south to north. It has been held every year since 2014, except for the COVID year 2020, and usually takes place in late April. If you want to plan your trip around this event, check the announced dates for the relevant year.

There are further opportunities for activities in the surrounding area. YGIL rents out six kayaks seasonally, based in Tausevika on Byrknesøy. Before travelling, check whether the seasonal offering is available during your planned dates. Øytrimmen offers well-marked hiking trails and checkpoints that can be used year-round on Byrknesøy, Mjømna and Sandøy. Depending on the checkpoint, you can collect one, two or three points; conditions on individual routes may change. This information concerns the named islands around Byrknes, not the place itself exclusively.

Also in the surrounding area, the annual Kongeløpet takes place: the 13-kilometre fun run goes from Joker on Byrknesøy to Skjerjehamn on Sandøy. The route passes over bridges and islands, and follows asphalt and gravel roads through a coastal landscape. As dates and event arrangements should be checked, it is a good idea to look at the latest announcement before planning your stay around it.

Other cultural sites in the destination of Gulen

In the wider destination of Gulen, another historical focus is Gulatinget. From 900 to 1300, it was a regional assembly site from the Viking Age, where people from western Norway discussed politics, made laws and administered justice. In Flolid, the Tusenårsstaden Gulatinget features monumental artworks by Bård Breivik. A guided tour in Eivindvik takes you through the oldest assembly site, where representatives gathered for 400 years, and also provides information about the member of parliament and “potato priest” Prost Niels Griis Alstrup Dahl (1778–1852).

Another theme in the destination of Gulen is Sellevåg treskofabrikk. It produced wooden shoes until 1972 and is considered an example of small-scale industrial production in Norway. As a cultural monument of national interest, it preserves machinery and technical equipment at its original location. These sites complement Byrknes’ fishing history with their own historical themes within Gulen.

Discover more destinations: Åsheim, Brekke, Mjømna, Byrknesøy, Gulen, Ånneland, Dalsöyra, Eivindvik

Back to the main travel overview: Gulen.