Stadlandet: Coastal scenery and sweeping views

Mountain plateaus and steep cliffs by the sea, bright green lowlands, heaths and marshes: Stadlandet reveals the many different sides of a Norwegian coastal landscape. The scenery also includes species-rich hay meadows, natural pastures and extensive coastal heaths. Stadlandet UKL is one of 51 nationally selected cultural landscapes in Norwegian agriculture—a distinction that highlights both nature and a landscape shaped by farming.

Wide-open views and hikes

At Vestkapp, the Kjerringa plateau rises 496 metres above the Stadhavet sea. It offers one of the most spectacular viewpoints on the Norwegian coast. Vestkapp is the westernmost mountain plateau on mainland Norway. If you’re mainly looking for open coastal views on your trip, this striking place gives you a vivid sense of Stadlandet’s character.

There are also various ways to explore the landscape on foot around Ervik. One hike leads from there to Hovden, with sweeping views of the sea and Stad’s dramatic scenery. The nearby summit of Hushornet is 280 metres high; the round trip is estimated to take about two hours. Another hike starts in Ervik and leads to Mosekleivhornet; the round trip is listed as 8.4 kilometres, with an elevation gain of 488 metres. You can also hike high above the Stad peninsula, with the open sea right in front of you. These routes can be distinguished by their stated destinations and distances, without inferring a hiking time or difficulty level.

Water, waves and different holiday rhythms

Hoddevik combines a white sandy beach with consistent waves, surrounded by steep mountains and open sea. Ervik has an active surfing community and good conditions for much of the year. Hoddevik Surf House accepts bookings for drop-in surf lessons from its own guests and other visitors alike. If you’re interested in surfing, you can make these activities and the character of each place a focus of your trip.

Stand-up paddleboarding is also described at two locations. In Ervik, SUP users can pick up a board at the shop and paddle on the calm Dalsbøvatnet, a lake suited to beginners or a relaxed outing. In Hoddevik, you can rent SUP boards from Hoddevik Surf House and paddle in the bay. This activity is suitable for beginners as well as more experienced paddlers. The specific differences—the lake and the bay, and the options described at each—can help you choose what you’d like to focus on during your holiday.

Places of remembrance and history

A memorial chapel in Ervik commemorates the loss of the St. Svithun in autumn 1943. Ervik Church displays several items connected with the Sanct Svithun disaster, including a ship’s megaphone, a life ring, a memorial plaque, and several paintings and photographs. A stone cross on Kongshaugen commemorates the forced Christianisation at the assembly of 997. Stadlandet is also home to the remains of Atlantic Wall fortifications, linked to the peninsula’s strategic importance during the Second World War. If you’d like to discover history as well as nature, you can take these themes into account when choosing places to visit.

Getting there and choosing accommodation

You can reach Stadlandet by car via a county road from Nordfjordeid and the rest of Nordfjord. The drive takes you through open, scenic coastal countryside, with views of fjords, mountains and the sea. Your landscape experience begins along the way. When choosing a holiday apartment, it may help to first consider what you’d like to make the focus of your trip: viewpoints and hikes, surfing and paddling, or historic places of remembrance.

If you’d like to explore more places, you’ll also find Selje, Flatraket and Barmen here.

Back to the main travel overview: Selje.