Knivsfla, Norway

 (Please read this first )
Knivsflå is one of a handful of farms along the sides of Geirangerfjord in Stranda, Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. Actually it was two farms sharing the location, and they have been inhabited since at least the 1600s. There is also a mountain pasture situated some 500 metres (1,600 ft) above the fjord. It is reachable by a hardly visible footpath, starting from Knivsflå. The Knivsflå farm was abandoned in 1898 due to the danger of falling rocks. The farm is located to the north of the Seven Sisters waterfall, and directly across the fjord from the old Skageflå farm. 

Knivsflå lies approximately 250 metres (820 ft) above the fjord. One can reach Knivsflå from Geiranger with help of the sight seeing boat (M/S Geirangerfjord) that will take one to a spot below the farm, the walk up then takes 30–60 minutes. Also, Coastal Odyssey, a sea kayaking company in Geiranger, runs guided kayaking trips to the farm with interpretation.

Knivsflå lies on a mountain ledge just beside De syv søstrene waterfall in Geirangerfjorden. Before it was called Knivsflå it was known as Knivsfossene. The farm lies at about the same height as the neighbouring farm of Skageflå on the other side of the fjord. Knivsflå is an old farm which was mentioned in written sources as far back as 1603. At that time Knivsflå was an abandoned farm.

There are indications that the farm may have been cleared many generations earlier. In the olden days, Knivsflå was reputed to be the best farm in Geirangerfjorden. It lies in a suntrap. Spring comes early and the pastureland is excellent. At its best the farm could keep 15-18 cows and up to a hundred goats. The farm also grew corn for its own use. Even in bad years the people at Knivsflå had plenty to eat.

However, accidents and premature death have affected Knivsflå to a greater extent than at other fjord and mountain farms. In the forty years from 1831 four people died on the farm - two daughters, one hired man and one servant girl. The last to die was Oline Marte, aged 15. One day she was on her way home from the summer farm and took a short cut across the river above De syv søstrene. With her milk pail in her hand she slipped and fell over the waterfall, and died.

The land around the farm is dangerous with steep drops and riverbeds, but it was the danger of a rock fall that meant that Knivsflå was abandoned as early as 1898. The municipal council in Sunnylven decided that a huge boulder balanced above the farm was so dangerous that the people living at Knivsflå had to move. The boulder is still hanging there today. Even though the people moved into Geiranger, the two farms at Knivsflå were still used for pasture up until the 1960s. Hay was dried at Knivsflå, brought down to the waterside using aerial cables and then rowed to Geiranger, where the livestock was kept. In its heyday, seven aerial cables were used to get the hay down from the summer farm.

How To Get To Knivsflå

If you want to get to Knivsflå you need to arrive to Oslo, Norwegia. The Geiranger Fjord (Norwegian: Geirangerfjorden) is a fjord in the Sunnmøre region of Møre og Romsdal county in Norway. It is in the municipality of Stranda. It is a 15-kilometre (9.3 mi) long branch of the Storfjord (Great Fjord). The small village of Geiranger is located at the end of the fjord where the Geirangelva river empties into it. After arrived in Oslo international airport you cn take a bus to goto GeirangerGjord. There are express bus routes from Oslo, Trondheim and Bergen daily to Geiranger. In summer, daily buses to Åndalsnes (Nkr197, three hours) via Valldal leave Geiranger at 1pm and 6.10pm. For Molde, change buses in Åndalsnes; for Ålesund, change at Linge.

If you using boat, The popular, hugely recommended run between Geiranger and Hellesylt (passenger/car with driver Nkr100/210, one hour) is quite the most spectacular scheduled ferry route in Norway. It has four to eight sailings daily between May and September (every 90 minutes, June to August). Almost as scenic is the ferry that runs twice daily between Geiranger and Valldal (adult/child single Nkr160/80, return Nkr250/120, 2¼ hours) between late-June and mid-August.

From mid-April to mid-September, the Hurtigruten coastal ferry makes a detour from Ålesund to Geiranger (departs 1.30pm) on its northbound run only.

Domestic flight connections are good, with direct flights from the largest cities of Norway to Ålesund Airport Vigra and to Ørsta/Volda Airport Hovden. Direct flights to Copenhagen and Riga. Northbound and southbound coastal express Hurtigruten calls daily at Ålesund and Torvik by Fosnavåg, and during summer season you can join daily round trips between Ålesund and Geiranger. Good bus connections to/from most cities and towns in Norway. The train trip with Raumabanen is an experience in itself, from Åndalsnes the "Train Bus" takes you further on to Ålesund & Sunnmøre.

If you choose to get there by plane, Domestic flight connections are good, with direct flights from the largest cities of Norway to Ålesund Airport Vigra and to Ørsta/Volda Airport Hovden. Direct flights to Copenhagen and Riga. Northbound and southbound coastal express Hurtigruten calls daily at Ålesund and Torvik by Fosnavåg, and during summer season you can join daily round trips between Ålesund and Geiranger. Good bus connections to/from most cities and towns in Norway. The train trip with Raumabanen is an experience in itself, from Åndalsnes the "Train Bus" takes you further on to Ålesund & Sunnmøre.

 To get to Knivsflå from Geiranger is possible by using boat. (Back To GeirangerFjord)

Posted in: Norway