Herdalssetra

Herdalssetra has been a summer farm for around three hundred years, and it still works as one: each June several hundred goats, along with cows, sheep and a few Norwegian fjord horses, are brought up to the high valley to graze, and the milk is made into cheese on site, including the brown goat cheese and a blue-veined variety that has won awards. About thirty turf-roofed huts stand in the valley, some of them centuries old, forming one of the largest surviving seter clusters in Norway. Visitors can watch the milking and cheese-making, meet the goats, and eat in a small cafe. The access road is a narrow toll route with steep sections and passing places.

What you actually see

• The goat herd - several hundred animals grazing the high valley in summer.
• The turf-roofed huts - around thirty seter buildings, some centuries old.
• The cheese making - milk processed on site into brown and blue cheeses.
• The valley setting - a high enclosed valley above the Norddalsfjord.

When to go

June to September, when the animals are up and the farm is working; outside those months the valley is empty and the road closed. Milking times in the afternoon are when the herd comes in.

Honest expectations

The access road is narrow, unsurfaced in parts and tolled, unsuitable for large vehicles. This is a working farm, not an attraction, so the experience depends on the day's work. Facilities are a small cafe and basic toilets.

Nearby

Valldal and the Trollstigen road lie west; Geiranger is over the mountains to the north.