Skudeneshavn

Skudeneshavn grew in the nineteenth century on herring and shipping, and when the herring left the town stopped growing, which is why its old quarter survives almost complete: around 120 protected white timber houses with their outbuildings, boathouses and gardens on narrow lanes above a natural harbour, one of the best-preserved wooden sailing towns anywhere in Europe. The buildings date largely from between 1830 and 1870. The town is quiet outside summer, and busy in it, with guest boats filling the harbour and a wooden boat festival, Skudefestivalen, each July. A fast passenger ferry runs from Stavanger in summer, making it feasible as a day trip.

History

Skudeneshavn was declared a ladested on 10 February 1858 and became its own town municipality with 1,209 residents, until it was merged into Karmøy on 1 January 1965. The name comes from the Skudenes peninsula, Old Norse Skútunes, with havn, "harbour", and in 1990 the town won second prize in a competition for Norway's best-preserved small town (Wikipedia, Skudeneshavn).

The main sights

• The white timber quarter - around 120 protected houses from the sailing era.
• The boathouses - sjohus and outbuildings along the harbour.
• The natural harbour - a sheltered basin filled with boats in summer.
• Skudefestivalen - a wooden boat festival held each July.

When to go

June to August, when the ferry runs, the harbour fills and the cafes open; the July festival is the peak. Outside summer the town is very quiet with limited services, though the architecture is unchanged.

What to expect

The houses are private homes, so this is a lived-in town rather than an open-air museum. Facilities are limited outside the summer season. The town is small and walked in an hour or two.

Nearby

Avaldsnes and Haugesund lie north on Karmoy; Stavanger is across the fjord by fast ferry.

Key facts