Norway south west and fjord coast

[Mike Bryon]

Planning a 6 weeks trip to Norway aim to landfall Mandal around 16th June then to cruise West and North. Would really appreciate suggestions of not to miss anchorages and where to celebrate the solstice. Also is it feasible/legal to go without a holding tank (2022 pilot says law may change)? UK flagged, 39ft, 2m draw sailing boat. Thanks in advance.

 

[dunedin]

I liked the Norwegian Cruising Guide (electronic version) which has many good suggestions Norwegian Cruising Guide

So many places to visit - though Kvitsoy off Stavanger was our first visit, which was a fun introduction to Norwegian rock hopping
Also Kirkhavn on Hidra is still one of my screensaver photos

 

[Blue Seas]

I shall watch this thread with interest!

 

[Arcady]

I shall watch this thread with interest!

Likewise. It’s on our list of places to visit too!

 

[dunedin]

We didn't choose to go much further North beyond our arrival near Stavanger, but this was where we visited in S Norway

 

[webcraft]

You could have a look at our 2010 blog

Fairwinds 2010

. . . though a lot has probably changed since then. We are heading back with Fairwinds this year.

In Norway there is no formal regulation requiring foreign-flagged vessels to have holding tanks installed; however, Norwegian law states that the discharge of sanitation devices is not allowed within 300 m of shore.

 

[westhinder]

We spent 6 weeks on the West coast in 2019, made landfall in Tananger and cruised to Bergen and back south again, departing from Egersund. We spent a lot of time in the Lysefjord and mainly the Hardangerfjord and its islands. We received very valuable insider tips from local sailors we met.
The Lysefjord is not to be missed for the Preikestolen, or the Pulpit, an overhanging rock with a sheer drop to the water of over 600 meter. The walk up to it is not to be missed and can be undertaken from Tau. No anchorage in the Lysefjord, it is too deep, but there is a quay with mooring buoys halfway down the fjord at the old Flørli hydropower station.
The Hardanger is such a giant complex of fjords and inlets and islands that you could easily spend a whole season exploring it. Sundal is a nice spot, with a beautiful hike to the foot of the glacier an a charming hotel/restaurant. Norheimsund has a most interesting centre for wooden boatbuilding, a working museum. If you’re looking for solitude, Botnen at the head of the Fyksesund was one of the local secrets. It can only be reached by boat, not by road. There is a beautiful little harbour on the island of Burgundoya, tipped by another local.
Kvitsøya has already been mentioned, I can endorse that. Another island is Stora Kalsøy and its tiny harbour Bakkasund, reached through a maze of rocks and islets.
Want bigger cities? Bergen, of course, where we lay in front of the famous red Hanseatic houses, and Stavanger, both ideal for crew changes.
In six weeks we barely scratched the surface, and Bergen is not even a third of the way to the North Cape. You will also need to take the time to hike and enjoy the scenery from a different perspective.

We hope to go back one of the following seasons.

 

[BabaYaga]

however, Norwegian law states that the discharge of sanitation devices is not allowed within 300 m of shore.

To which can be added that, since a couple of years back, there is also a complete ban on discharge to sea in the Oslo fjord area:
Forbyr utslipp av kloakk fra fritidsbåter i Oslofjorden
(should you change your mind and head in that direction...)
Concerning where to spend time etc, my advice would be to take a few days to enjoy the area once you arrive, since I think that part of the coast (say from Kristiansand to Flekkefjord) is a great cruising area, very unspoilt, with many outlying islands and skerries.
Further to the NW, if you continue past the entrance to the Hardanger fjord, one area we found particularly beautiful was the maze of islands between the larger islands Bømlo and Stord.