Kalve: Hiking Trails, Skansen and Loshytta

Discover Kalve via its hiking trails: they lead to Skansen, Loshytta and down to Gardavågen. Along the way, you’ll encounter traces of the landscape’s former use, as well as distinctive rock formations and views of the shipping channel. There’s also a particular circular hike that’s interesting for families: the Kvaløy-Skansen/Loshytta hike on Kalve takes 3.5 hours and is suitable for children.

Hiking trails with different destinations

The Kalve-Skansen hiking trail starts at the car park in Kalsvik on Kalve. Along the way, you’ll pass stone fences, hay barns and livestock sheds. Some of the land along this route is still used as hay meadows. This shows that the landscape is more than just a backdrop for a hike: the trails also pass features that reflect the area’s rural use.

The Kalve-Loshytta hiking trail starts by the first barn beyond the car park in Kalsvik. It is called Laksavegen and leads down to Gardavågen. Skipmannsstegen is part of this trail: a dry-stone staircase built along the rock face. The staircase is a distinctive feature of the route and sets it apart from the Kalve-Skansen trail in the way it is described.

The Kvaløy-Skansen/Loshytta circular hike is listed as taking 3.5 hours. If you’re travelling with children, you can factor this into your day’s plans. The hike links Skansen and Loshytta in a circular route; the descriptions of the other two trails provide additional destinations and landmarks to guide your exploration of Kalve.

Loshytta and the history of Gardavågen

The present-day Loshytta was built around 1890 and served as a lookout for observing ships. It was also used during the Second World War. On 9 April 1940, guards were stationed there and watched the arrival of warships. These details and uses make the hut more than just a hiking destination: they point to the importance of shipwatching at this location and to a specific wartime event.

Gardavågen also tells of past activities on the water. Several boathouses once stood there, storing equipment for salmon fishing and fishing with fish traps. Gardavågen also served as a landing place for pilot boats and open fishing boats. Together with Laksavegen, which leads down to the bay, these details offer a reason to take in the area’s former use as well as its landscape while hiking.

Rocky landscapes, views and birdwatching

At Skansen, ice and the sea have shaped a natural amphitheatre in the rock. From Skansen, there are views of the shipping channel and Marsteinen fyr lighthouse. Those interested in landforms and maritime landmarks will find two different aspects in one place: rock shaped by ice and the sea, and a view of the shipping channel and lighthouse.

Visitors can watch white-tailed eagles, ravens, cormorants, oystercatchers, gulls and terns at Skansen or Loshaugen. A fully protected bird sanctuary lies southwest of Storekalsøy, close to the destination. The observation spots on Kalve and the location of the sanctuary are different points of reference. If you’re interested in birds, you can consider Skansen or Loshaugen as destinations for nature watching.

Choose Kalve as a holiday destination

If you choose Kalve as a destination for these experiences, you can focus your search on a holiday apartment in Kalve and decide which of these themes matter most to you when planning your days.

From Bakkasund, you can cycle to Kalve and then hike to Skansen along the signposted North Sea Trail. This is one way to combine cycling and hiking in a single outing. Find more places here: Våge, Vestre Vinnesvåg, Stolmen, Storebø, Litlakalsøy, Torangsvåg, Bakkasund and Bekkjarvik.

Go to the main travel overview: Austevoll.