Norwegian Mountains

Håøytoppen, 171m

Fylke/Kommune : Hordaland/Meland
Maps : 1116-II Sæbø (Statens Kartverk, Norge 1:50 000)
Primary factor : 171m
Hiked : Nov 2005
See also : Gladihaug
See also : Gaustadfjellet
See also : Eldsfjellet

Håøytoppen

Håøytoppen

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Introduction

Håøytoppen is the highest point on the Flatøy island, squeezed between Holsnøy island and Knarvik (mainland). The northern part of the island is known as Håøy (Håøyni in dialect) and this is where Håøytoppen is located. The name is not shown on the 1116-II map, but can be found on Økonomisk Kartverk (1:15 000).

Håøy is a popular recreational area. Access is on foot or by boat. You will find ruins after military installations from World War 1. Based on the tremendous fjord views, it would be natural to assume that this was a important top already in the Viking era. However, Håøytoppen is not registered as a beacon mountain in "Den Norske Leidangen" where known Norwegian beacon mountains are listed.

You can get from the trailhead by highway E39 to the top on a good trail. It takes roughly an hour and most people should be able to reach this top.

Primary factor:

Håøytoppen (1116-II: 171m, Ø.K: 171,17m) has a primary factor of 171m being the highest point on Flatøy island.

Over a 5-minute period, I measured (GPS) the high point (32 V 293690 6718212) to 172m (no correction for error margin).

Trail descriptions:

Notes: Class ratings are in reference to YDS. Click here for more information.

The trails described below are not necessarily the *easiest* trails to this mountain.

E39 - Håøytoppen (all seasons)

Difficulty : Class 1
Exposure : No
Comments : On trail
Distance : Approx. 2,5Km to the top
Time : Approx. 1 hour to the top
Starting Elev.: Approx. 30m
Vertical Gain : Approx. 200m

Map of the area
Map of the area
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Detailed map
Detailed map
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Access

From Bergen, follow highway E39 northbound. After the Nordhordlandsbrua bridge, pay (NOK 45,- for passenger cars per Nov 2005) at the Toll station. Drive 1,4Km and turn left (unpostsigned) towards Norbetong (concrete production building). This is before the Hagelsundbrua bridge. Park outside the gate, and make sure you don't block for traffic.

The route

Walk down the road and turn right after the office building. By a transformer station, you will see a sign towards Håøy. Follow the trail, which can be boggy in places.

When you reach Eidevika, turn left and follow the trail along the shoreline. Close your eyes for all the garbage that floats around. Continue until you reach old ruins on the south side of Håøya. Turn right in a trail fork and pass an old building before entering a broader forest trail (perfect for bikes) that leads to the top. The top is marked by a red+white marker.

Trip report Nov 25 2005

A friend had told me about the great views from Håøy, and this Friday afternoon I left work a little bit earlier to visit this top before darkness would make pictures impossible (around 16:00PM). I forgot my hiking boots but assumed there HAD to be some kind of trail to the top.

I asked around at Norbetong and was told about the trail behind the building. My dog "Troll" hit the backpack already at the car. There was no way I would let him walk on the concrete waste that was running down this road. Once on the trail, he seemed to enjoy it in there, and decided to stay for a while.

I left the car 14:40PM and hiked quickly across Flatøy. Arriving Eidevika, I noticed the trail was heading west, but got distracted by some minor paths leading into the forest. The forest was "bog heaven". I tried to pass the wetland by stepping on some major turfs, but was "impressed" when they sunk on impact. Wet up to my knees, I considered how I should proceed.

I decided to go by the "brute force" method and hike straight up the forest. This was partly trivial and partly frustrating. Near the top I ran into the AVENUE that ran from the sea to the top. I let Troll out of the backpack and we reached the top 15:15PM. I was just able to shoot a round of pictures before it got too dark.

We followed the AVENUE back down to the sea and then a trail that took us back to the trail across Flatøy. We were back at the car 16:00PM. The litter floating around at Eidevika was heartbreaking. I plead to Meland kommune to see if something can be done here.

Pictures from the Nov 25 2005 hike

Move cursor to read notes, and click on the images to see full version.
Some of the thumbnails may have been cropped to fit the format.

1. Håøytoppen (175KB) 2. The trailhead (275KB) 3. Signpost (296KB) 4. On the trail (171KB) 5. Eidevika (331KB) 6. In the forest. No reason to go here (278KB) 7. Old WW1 ruins (375KB) 8. Håøytoppen summit (189KB) 9. Håøytoppen summit views (18mm, part 1/2) (574KB) 10. Håøytoppen summit views (18mm, part 2/2) (445KB) 11. Håøytoppen summit views (50mm) (612KB) 12. Håøytoppen summit views (50mm) (590KB) 13. On the proper trail (286KB) 14. Ruins down by the sea (348KB) 15. Eidevika (219KB) 16. Eidevika (356KB)

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Pictures from other hikes:


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