Hå Old Vicarage-Stavanger Cathedral-Utstein Abbey and Utstein…

Travel description

Alternative: Hiking and Train

Take the train to Stavanger Railway Station, approx. 40 min. Walk from the station along Breiavatnet to Stavanger Cathedral, approx. 400 m.

Travel time: approx. 2–3 hours

Aternative: Walk

Hike from Obrestad lighthouse/Hå old Vicarage to Stavanger, approx. 52 km

Travel time: 2 days

Travel description for hiking:

Hå old Vicarage - Orre River, approx. 9 km

The route goes over the suspension bridge across the Hå River and continues north along the coast. Follow the beaches. If there is a lot of water in the streams and rivers, you should take County Road 507, Nordsjøvegen, between Skeie Airport and Orre Old Church, Jæren’s oldest building dating from 1250. There are toilets here.

Orre River – Borestranden beach, approx. 12 km

Just north of Orre River/Orre Old Church, follow a gravel road down to the sea. Take the first road to the right and follow the path over the sand dunes to Friluftshuset at Orre, which has toilets and a café during opening hours.

Borestranden beach - Hellestøstranden beach, approx. 7 km

Follow the beaches northwards

Hellestøstranden beach - Solabeach, approx. 9 km

At the end of Hellestøstranden beach, you need to go up to Vigdelveien and follow it for a few hundred meters before taking the first right turn to the left down toward the sea. Then follow the marked coastal path to Ølberg Harbor and continue on to Sola Beach. At Ølberg, there is a kiosk, a restaurant, and access to toilets.

Solabeach – Stavanger Cathedral,, approx. 15 km

From Solabeach, follow the pedestrian and bicycle path past Sola ruinkyrkje (ruin chuch) and continue to Joa. Along the east side of Hafrsfjord, a trail leads to Grannes, where there is again a pedestrian and bicycle path to Møllebukta passing the peace monument Swords in rock. There are toilets at Møllebukta. Follow the trail along Møllebekken to Store Stokkavann. Walk along the lake to Sandal, turn right up the hill, and follow the markers into Stavanger city center, with the Cathedral as the key site. In Olavskleiva, you pass "Olskjellå," a water post located where Olavkilden stood in the Middle Ages when there was an Olav monastery in this area.

Stavanger Cathedral - Utstein Abbey and Utstein Pilgrimhostel

A wonderful journey combining a local bus from Stavanger city center for 28 km. The trip ends with a 7 km hike of a couple of hours to Utstein Abbey and Utstein Pilgrimhotel.

Travel description

Lokal Bus

The trip from Stavanger to Utstein is by bus if you don’t have your own boat transfer. See Kolumbus for timetables and stops.

About the Key Site

Utstein Abbey

Utstein Abbey is the only preserved medieval monastery complex in Norway. Before the monastery was established, the site was a royal estate—one of King Harald Fairhair’s properties was located here. Tradition links the monastery to King Magnus Lagabøte, who is said to have given the royal estate to Olavsklosteret in Stavanger when he became king and moved to Bergen in 1263, though historians have different views on this dating. Utstein Abbey was associated with the Augustinian Order, and the monks here also served Stavanger Cathedral.

After the Reformation, the monastery fell into disrepair and eventually became privately owned. It was restored in the mid-20th century and is now owned by Museum Stavanger AS (MUST). The site functions as a museum, a venue for courses and conferences, event spaces, and concerts. The church still serves as a parish church for Mosterøy. Pilgrims can also receive a stamp for their pilgrimage passport here.

Utstein Pilgrimhostel

Utstein Pilgrimhotel was established in 2002 in the old schoolhouse on Mosterøy, not far from the abbey. The Pilgrim Farm serves as a center for silence, prayer, pilgrimage walking, and spiritual guidance.