Stangvik: Wooden Church, Hiking Trails and Fjord Views

Stangvik combines a distinctive church history with hiking destinations, cycling routes and a lively local tradition. From Storsetra, views stretch across the Stangvikfjord and Breifjord; in Stangvik Church, preserved furnishings tell the story of earlier church buildings. You can get to know the character of the place through its landscape, outdoor activities or history, depending on your interests.

Stangvik Church and Its History

The present-day Stangvik Church was consecrated in 1897. It is considered the largest wooden church in Nordmøre and originally had 600 seats. Preserved items from the previous church building include the altarpiece, pulpit and a model of the church. These details connect the church to its earlier history, which goes beyond the construction date of the present building.

The first church in Stangvik was a cruciform stave church. It was built in 1407 and burned down in 1783 after being struck by lightning. The surviving objects connect this earlier church history with the present-day church. Anyone interested in culture and history will find several specific points of interest: the design of the first church, its recorded dates and the furnishings that survived from the earlier building.

Hikes Between Storsetra and Bøkeskogen

Storsetra is high up in an open landscape, with views across the Stangvikfjord and Breifjord. The hike is suitable for families as well as for an afternoon training session. You can reach the trailhead from the ferry junction in Kvanne: from there, drive about 6.5 kilometres towards Stangvika. You can also consider a flatter alternative for your hike. It follows Stangviklivegen, a forest road along the hillside in Stangvika. This lets you choose a route to suit the kind of hike you want, without treating the two routes as if they were the same.

Bøkeskogen is another hiking area in Stangvik. The beech forest was probably planted around 1887. Its own history makes it a different kind of destination from the open high ground at Storsetra. If you like to include different landscape experiences in your travel plans, you can think of these as two distinct highlights: one offering views across the fjord landscape, the other a woodland area with a dated but explicitly approximate origin.

Cycling Routes, Traditions and Time Outdoors

A network of cycling routes about 15 kilometres long runs between Kvanne and Stangvika. Its approximate length gives you a specific point of reference if cycling is one of the activities you plan to enjoy. The historic postal route, Den trondhjemske postveg, also runs from Stangvik to Vang skisenter near Kvanne.

One distinctive local tradition is the annual Pentecost church service in Stangvik. Among other things, people row to the church in old boats from several hamlets. The custom connects the service with a trip on the water and with the different hamlets the boats come from. For visitors who want to discover local traditions as well as go hiking, this is another aspect of the destination.

At Svissholmen, the area has been secured with government funding for outdoor recreation; there is a shelter with barbecue facilities. There is also a small house in the middle of Bøkeskogen with barbecue facilities and seating nearby. These two places provide their own spots to spend time outdoors. When planning, you can decide whether to focus more on a hike, a cycling trip, the church’s history or a visit to one of these places.

Choose Stangvik for Your Holiday

When choosing a holiday apartment in Stangvik, you can consider which aspects of the place matter most for your trip. Those mainly interested in hiking can explore Storsetra and Bøkeskogen; for cyclists, the approximately 15-kilometre network of routes between Kvanne and Stangvika is another point of reference. Those interested in culture have two very different topics to explore: Stangvik Church and the annual Pentecost church service. Choose according to the kind of experience you want, and select accommodation that suits your stay in the area.

For more travel ideas, you can also explore Todalen, Kvanne, Bølandet, Surna, Bæverfjorden, Settemsøran, Surnadalsøra and Torvik.

For the broader travel overview: Surnadal.