Hjelledalen
Discover a bit of living history at the abandoned farm Segestad at the far end of an outcrop overlooking Oppstrynsvatnet lake.
The trail to Segestad, which winds its way up the mountainside beside the mighty Glomnesfossen waterfall, takes you on a journey back in time. The farm, which is open to visitors, offers a unique insight into how mountain farmers lived just a few generations ago. There are information boards on the farm about what life used to be like in the old days.
To get to Segestad, travel to Hjelle in Oppstryn and then take the farm road about 1 km to Glomnes farm. The path up to Segestad starts at Glomnes and it usually takes about an hour to walk up. From the farmyard (314 m.a.s.l.) you get amazing views of Hjelledalen, Erdalen, Strandsida and the well-known surrounding mountains. Of all the farms in Stryn, Segestad has one of the most distinctive and magnificent locations. The farm is situated in an open landscape at high altitude on a protruding ridge at the gateway to Glomsdalen valley, on the northside of Oppstrynsvatnet lake. The farm is a cultural treasure and is testament to hard work and the people who settled and lived off the land in the most far-flung of places.
In times of old, Sigdestad was known as Sigvaldstadir, a name from the Viking Age about 800–1000 AD. In 1985, the Historical Museum in Bergen carried out archaeological surveys in Glomsdalen valley and found several building foundations dating as far back as 1500–500 BC. Legend has it that there were other settlements in Glomsdalen, and old documents mention names such as Selstad, Tømra, Nås and Flåten, in addition to Sigdestad.
After the ravages of the Black Death in 1349, all the farms were abandoned and Sigdestad was the only one that resumed farming activities. The foundations of ten houses and an old well were found during an inspection of Sigdestad by the court in 1594. The farm was then placed under the Crown and, in 1660, Sigdestad was bought by the clergyman Absalon Beyer.
This mountain farm was previously considered one of the best farms in Oppstryn and was valued at 4.94 skyldmark. The value was primarily calculated from the farm’s plentiful pastures and large outlying fields, which had a lot of game. Even by today’s standards, these numbers from 1782 are nothing to be scoffed at: 12 dairy cows, 8 young animals, 1-2 pigs, 2 horses, 30 winterfed goats and 20 winterfed sheep. There were two farmhands and two maid servants that worked on the farm.
There’s paid parking just before Glomnes.
Source: Nordfjord