Discover Brattholmen

Brattholmen’s history is reflected in very different traces: a standing stone, an old schoolhouse and the site of a former inn. There is also a distinctive main building whose façade can be seen from the sea. This combination of building history, preservation and former maritime traffic gives the place a tangible cultural-historical character. When looking for a holiday apartment, you can consider whether local history or the nature and hiking opportunities of the wider destination of Øygarden matter more to your travel plans.

Schoolhouse, standing stone and preservation

A cultural monument in Brattholmen is automatically protected and designated as an H730 protection zone; there is also a five-metre-wide safety zone. The standing stone also bears several layers of history: it is considered to date from the Iron Age and bears a later inscription. It is located in a planned outdoor recreation area and can serve as a resource there.

The school near Brattholmen was built in 1876. Materials from the old church in Fjell were used at Brattholmen School. Its old schoolhouse still stands opposite the current school, on the other side of the road. Brattholmen therefore brings together different architectural traces—from the planned treatment of a cultural monument to the continuing history of the school.

The history of the inn by the sea

The site of the old inn in Brattholmen was probably established in the first half of the 18th century. The harbour was the main reason for choosing the location: it offered a very suitable haven for ships travelling to and from Bergen when calm conditions, or the wind and current, prevented them from continuing their journey. The inn site later developed into a central trading post with a steamer stop, for as long as this pattern of transport lasted. The site also included a boathouse with a distillery.

The old main building in Brattholmen is easy to spot from the sea: its exterior façade is in the Swiss style of around the turn of the century, and it has a tower and carved dragon heads on the gables. These details give the building a distinctive appearance, unlike the more austere history of the schoolhouse.

Culture and nature in the wider destination of Øygarden

The North Sea Traffic Museum in Telavåg features exhibitions about the Telavåg tragedy, the coastal resistance movement and the escape route across the North Sea to the United Kingdom during the Second World War. The North Sea Traffic Exhibition also includes a 25-minute film about the Telavåg tragedy. Alongside Brattholmen’s local building and trading history, this gives Øygarden its own way to explore the maritime history of the war.

For birdwatching, the Hildringsbu hut on Skogsøyna is open during the season; check seasonal access before your visit. The Skogsøyna recreation area also offers opportunities for fishing and swimming. A total of 195 bird species have been recorded in the Tjeldstømarka nature reserve—another way to connect with nature in the wider destination.

Ormhilleren is an open, family-friendly recreation area with a large, sheltered bathing cove whose shore is laid with shell sand. From there, the Kyststien trail runs along the west side, while the Kystvaktstien trail follows the sea beneath the Rongesund Bridge. On Algrøyna, the Barmane recreation area has sheltered waters, mooring facilities and coves with shell sand. Recreational fishing takes place there both from the sea and from land.

The trails also vary in character. The Seløy–Gløvrebu route follows a marked, gently undulating path with views of the sea, holms and skerries. At Gløvrebu there is a fire pan and small fire pits for visitors taking a break there. The Tjeldstø–Alvheim–Hovden circular route is listed as 9 kilometres, with an estimated walking time of about 3.5 hours. Russarstegen is a section of the Nordsjøløypa and leads to Fjell Fortress, which was built by prisoners during the Second World War.

Choose a holiday apartment based on which of these priorities you want to focus on when planning your trip.

More destinations

Discover more destinations: Kolltveit, Straume, Foldnes, Misje, Fjell, Ågotnes, Solsvik.

Return to the main travel guide: Fjell.