Radøy: Landscape, Hiking Trails and Culture

Radøy combines an open, human-shaped landscape with mountain trails, coastal waters and places of cultural and historical interest. In the north, long valleys and narrow, parallel straits extend northwest towards the sea. In the hollows, there are long, narrow lakes or small, slow-flowing streams. The following destinations offer different starting points for planning your trip—from scenic views and water activities to an open-air museum and stone walls.

Landscape Between Straits, Hills and Waters

Several thousand years ago, the forest on Radøy was transformed through slash-and-burn farming and clearing into an open, human-shaped landscape of heathland and grassy meadows. Heather then spread. The landscape can therefore also be understood as the result of long-term changes caused by human use and subsequent plant growth.

From Nøttveitveten, you can see the striking transition between Radøy’s low coastal plain in the northwest and the hills farther east. Radøy’s coastal waters also include lakes rich in fish; sea trout migrate up some of the rivers.

Hikes to Notable Peaks

The hike to Kvistefjellet starts at Kvistevegen and follows a marked trail to the summit. The mountain is 209 m high and the second-highest on Radøy. From there, the view extends across much of Radøy and the neighboring municipalities, including towards Masfjordfjella, Gulen, Fedjeosen, Øygarden, Sotra, Byfjella and Gullfjellet.

Another hike passes through Radøy’s former Millennium Site area to Nøttveitveten (205 m) and Morkefjellet (217 m), the highest mountain in the former municipality. A cairn stands on the summit of Nøttveitveten; just below it is a shelter with seating.

The two hikes differ mainly in their destinations: the route to Kvistefjellet leads to a single peak with expansive views, while the other hike links Nøttveitveten and Morkefjellet. This lets you choose based on the respective summit destinations and landscapes, without assuming a hiking time or difficulty level.

Water Activities and Sjøbua at Byngja

At Byngja, you can swim in fresh and salt water, fish in the sea and go kayaking. There is a large car park with space for 23 cars, toilets, tables and benches, and a footpath about 1.2 m wide from the car park. These details give you practical information about the facilities available in the area.

You can reach the Sjøbua day-trip cabin at Byngja by kayak, boat or on foot. From the car park, a path just under 1 km long leads to the cabin: first along a gravel road to the bathing area, then along an accessible wooden boardwalk. Check local route conditions before setting out. Sjøbua has a small wood-burning stove, a library with children’s books in Nynorsk, and benches indoors and outdoors. Overnight stays in the cabin are not permitted.

Cultural History at Sletta and Vågenes

The Vestnorsk utvandringssenter at Sletta is an open-air museum with buildings erected by Norwegian Americans in the United States and later moved to Norway. The history of the buildings gives visitors a tangible connection to emigration to America.

The stone walls at Vågenes also tell the story of Radøy’s landscape: they are made of rounded stones cleared from the large moraine that crosses Radøy. Together with the open-air museum, this place offers a different perspective on the region’s history—here through the stone used, and there through buildings brought from the United States to Norway.

Discover more destinations: Voss, Samnanger, Eidfjord, Kvam, Odda, Ullensvang.

Go to the main travel overview: Hordaland.