Discover Åkra

A wooden church dating from 1735, a trail through Åkradalen, and guided rides on Icelandic horses offer several possible ways to shape a trip to Åkra. There are also practical points to help you find your way: the lower and upper car parks on the forest road, the riverside trail to Åkrastølen, and a stop at Vikastølen with food cooked over a campfire. If you are travelling with family or friends, you can decide together which of these experiences matter for your break. When looking for a holiday apartment, you can assess whether Åkra suits your travel plans and interests.

Wooden church and landscape park

Åkra Church is a wooden church built in 1735. This gives Åkra a specific cultural landmark, alongside its trails and outdoor activities. The year it was built places the church in its historical context; its character as a wooden church is another distinctive feature. If you are bringing different interests together on a trip, you can consider culture and nature as separate focuses without having to combine them into a single itinerary.

The area around Åkra is part of the Åkrafjorden Landscape Park. One of the park’s aims is to develop tourism based on geotourism. This context may interest travellers who want to know not only about individual activities, but also how a holiday destination relates to its landscape. Together with the church, it gives Åkra a character shaped by different points of interest: cultural history and the landscape park’s focus.

Getting to Åkradalen

After the Åkra Bridge, turn left. After about 500 metres, you will reach the lower car park at the start of the forest road. For a toll, you can drive along the approximately 3 km forest road through Åkradalen to the upper car park at an altitude of 450 m. This gives you two points of arrival: the lower car park at the start of the forest road and the higher car park at the end of the described drive. When planning, you can consider whether to start there at the lower car park or include the toll road up to the upper car park. The distance and altitude help you make that decision without implying a walking time.

The trail to Åkrastølen

The trail to Åkrastølen follows a clear path alongside the river through Åkradalen. It then leads through Urene between large boulders; before Stølsbrekko, you cross a small wooden bridge. The river, boulders, and bridge provide a clear sequence of recognisable landmarks along the route. There are three mountain farm cabins at Åkrastølen. If you are considering this trail as one of the main focuses of your stay, you will find both landmarks along the way and a clearly named destination. The names Åkrastølen, Urene, and Stølsbrekko help distinguish the different sections.

Guided rides with a stop at Vikastølen

The Smiedal farm in Åkrafjorden offers guided rides on Icelandic horses with a local guide. The guided ride includes a stop at Vikastølen, where food cooked over a campfire is served. The activity therefore includes both the guidance of someone who knows the area and the described stop for a meal by the campfire. This makes it a different travel idea from the trail to Åkrastølen: the focus here is a guided experience on horseback. If you are travelling together, you can consider whether this kind of outing fits your holiday plans. If this activity particularly interests you, you can look for a holiday apartment in Åkra.

More destination pages: Sunde, Fjelberg, Matre, Holmedal, Halsnøy Kloster, Hatlestrand, Sandvoll, Ænes.

Back to the main travel overview: Kvinnherad.