The Child Wanderer Path Laudal - Nodeland

Stage 4 of the Children’s Hiking Trail – Laudal to Nodeland (approx. 31 km)

The trail begins at the Mandalselva Villakssenter / Laudal power station and ends at Greipstad Church near Nodeland. Along the way, you pass several bodies of water, including Høyevannet, Sjåvannet, and Tronstadvannet. After Tronstadvannet—which serves as a drinking water source for the Kristiansand region—the path branches off to the crofter’s farmstead called Skogen. From Skogen, the trail continues along a forest road to Greipstad Church.

• From Laudal, the trail starts at the Villakssenter and heads south along the river past Mjåland, where there is both a farm shop and the Villmarkscamp campsite.

• It passes the landing site at Kolandsvadet just south of the campground, then climbs the road to Kalvekleiv, through the farmyard, past the garage at the eastern end, and along the edge of the field by the riverbank. From there, you continue southward for about 500 meters on a rugged and steep path to Fuglestveit. In some places, ropes have been installed to aid the hike.

• From the cabins, the trail proceeds on a flat, good path. After passing the last farm at Fuglestveit, the trail continues south on a well-developed hiking path that meanders along a beautiful, idyllic riverbank.

• As you approach Finsdalsbrua (Finsdal Bridge), the trail turns left and ascends away from the river through a spruce stand. After a few hundred meters, it passes through a stone wall almost resembling a church wall. Shortly thereafter, you pass a large logging area, where the trail turns left and follows a marked route upward along the Finsåna river, crossing a bridge and onto a forest road that passes Finsådal.

• You then follow the road for about 1 km until a marked trail leads right onto Byvegen (now a forest road), which is part of the old main route to Kristiansand. From here, the trail partly traverses forest and marshland, partly tractor tracks, and a bit of forest road until reaching the county road at Høye. Høyevannet lies at an elevation of 114 m above sea level, so the ascents from Finsdal are moderate.

• Locals say that child hikers continued along the “school path” descending steeply from Bjelland (Bjeddan). The marked trail turns left just before the old schoolhouse at Høye, crosses farmyards, and follows a steep timber road for over 1 km before leveling out at around 250 m above sea level. It passes some rocky outcrops and heathland for a couple of kilometers, where logging roads from Bjeddan meet. You pass an old sawmill and emerge into the farmyard. From the ascent at Høye, there are only slight height differences all the way to Breland.

• The marked trail follows a gravel road for about 2 km down to the county road and continues up to Breland, passing the beautiful Sjåvatnet—approximately 2 km. About 100 m before Breland station, the trail turns right and follows the old Birkelandskleivene down to Birkeland. This is an old main road, now partly converted into forest road, with other sections still original. At the lower, winding, and steep part of this cleft lies the border between Lindesnes and Kristiansand municipalities.

• From there, the route follows a forest road past Bjortjønn and Tvitjønn, then down the so-called Birkelandskleivene. The road is occasionally steep and winding. You pass the old schoolhouse at Birkeland. From Birkeland, you follow the county road out to Tronstad, where you leave the county road to go through the Tronstad farms and along Tronstadvannet.

• Next, you mostly follow the county road down Greipstaddalen to Greipstad Church. Just before the church (about a 5-minute walk), you may take a small side route to Porsmyr rural museum (formerly a large farm). A dedicated volunteer team has spent years restoring the buildings, and today it serves as a community museum used actively—on certain Sundays during the summer, coffee and waffles are sold.

• From Greipstad Church, it’s about a 10-minute walk to Nodeland station, where trains run to and from Kristiansand several times daily.

Travel by train

• Marnardal Station: ~3.5 km south of Laudal

• Taxis available: tel. 91 61 92 35 / 38 28 89 41

• Nodeland Station: ~1 km east of Greipstad Church

Overnight stays:

• Villmarkscamp in Laudal (tel. 906 60 209)

• Bjeddan Gard: ~13 km from Laudal towards Nodeland, offering overnight stays in lavvo or lean-to (with stove and outdoor toilet). Tel. 97 13 10 07.