Kategori: Half-day tour

«Chill out in nostalgic Holmsbu»

Holmsbu and Hurum have attracted bathing summer guests and famous painters since the 1870s and are today a favorite holiday resort with whitewashed houses.

Holmsbu village

From the early 18th century, Holmsbu has been a center for shipping and trade. Towards the end of the 19th century, steamships arrived daily with bathers, and in the 20th century, Holmsbu housed Norway's largest and most stable artist colony. Today, lively Holmsbu offers a variety of experiences and is the starting point for trips of many kinds. A perfect starting point for weekend trips and day trips where you can experience delicious food with views of the harbor, concerts, art, exploring the coastal path and walking in the primeval forest.

Find peace in the sunset breeze. At the floating sauna you can enjoy the revitalizing combination of steaming sauna and refreshing sea bath all year round! And Badehotellet provides a good bed and tasty meals.

The artist colony

The unique light and landscape at the southern tip of Hurum has been immortalized by many artists. It all started with Oluf Wold-Thorne renting a room in Holmsbustøa. His friend Henrik Sørensen came to visit in 1913, enjoyed himself so much and then lived in Holmsbu almost every summer for the rest of his life with several renowned painters, referred to as "the Holmsbu Painters". They painted beautiful decorations in Holmsbu church in the 1950s and 1960s.

Holmsbu Picture Gallery with Henrik Sørensen's collections is nicely located in nature in Støa. The building itself was built by people from Holmsbu in large stones of Hurum granite that have been found in ura on the site. The building's location and shape harmonize with the surrounding landscape and the art that was created there. It is open from June to September and Hurum art group also holds summer exhibitions in the small houses at the bottom of the road. Parking for car.

Medevial grave and early settlement

The country's oldest Medieval Grave can be found by continuing the road towards Rødtangen – at the top of the hill after the «spa hotel» you can see the sign for the Bronze Age tombs. A dolmen tomb is a tomb from the Neolithic (4500 – 1800 BC). The tomb is made up of large, standing stones that have formed the walls of a burial chamber. Above these has been a large stone that has served as a roof. Next to it are also burial mounds from the Bronze Age. In the older Bronze Age, the dead were placed in the coffin fully clothed and with various objects.

«Norway's most beautiful rainforest» in Holtnesdalen.

Holtnesdalen nature reserve is especially beautiful in the spring carpeted with whiteweed. Here is unique primeval forest, deciduous forest and carpets of wildflowers. Nature is magical with a deep and lush ravine, high sharp rock walls, narrow paths, and wild and beautiful rainforest. The stream divides the valley into two parts and creates deep, dark valley depressions – with ferns and deciduous forest in the valley bottoms, and more coniferous forest at the height between them. You can start the trip from the Picture Gallery which is the shortest and easiest, or the more demanding route by following the road further towards Rødtangen, take Holtnesveien. Follow to Holtnes and turn right and follow along the fields inwards to the large wide oak. Follow the signs to Holtnesdalen nature reserve. This stretch leads to steep and rugged sections that can be avoided by starting at the image gallery.

Local taste experiences

Hurum is home to farms known for their good products. Many sell goods straight from the farm in season. In Holmsbu you can get the farmer's vegetables from Bergsmyrene Gård, the steak from Biffgården or Grønnsletta and edible flowers and cut flowers at FioriBlomster.

Sand Gård, at the descent to Holmsbu, sells fresh bread and buns from the farm bakery all year round. To the delight of the children, you can also visit the animals in the summer.

«Semsvannet tour. The locals' favorite and a fantastic hiking area all year round »

Semsvannet is the local favorite tour for the citiziens of Asker for Sunday excursions, a great area with a cultural-historical environment that is suitable for everyone. 

Upper Sem and NaKuHel

The tour starts at the exit car park at Sem, right behind the Crown Prince Couple's residence. Here at Øvre Sem there are traces from the former agricultural school and now we find Sem Gjestegård and NaKuHel here. In summer, the area is bustling with activity and the bees make honey in their cubes. In "Smia", hikers meet over a cup of coffee and something to bite into with self-produced honey.

Make the trip around Semsvannet towards Tveiter Gård. In the bend at Svartdalen is the hatchery where fish fry can grow robust before the fish are released into the wild. Up below the hill and by Tømmervika are large boulders from prehistoric times, great for climbing and hiding. On the other side of the water, the bridge is past Tveiterfossen, where it is possible to enter behind the waterfall if the water flow is not too great. The trip goes past grazing cows and horses.

Bryggerhuset is a nice stop on the way, serving freshly brewed coffee and fresh baked goods.

Continue the walk along the road around the end of the water. At the crossroads, we take a detour down to Sem Sagbruk. Follow the forest road to the right; Holtmarksvei and Nedre Bergvei to Sagdammen.

Operations at Sem Saw

Beautifully located by the Askerelven on Sem, the Asker museum has a unique collection of industrial cultural monuments. The buildings are located by Sagdammen and by Høveldammen, places where the waterfalls for hundreds of years have given power to businesses based on wood.

The operation of Sem saw and planing started in 1612, and today it is a living industrial cultural monument belonging to the Asker museum. In the 16th century, the upswing saw was introduced in Norway. This was an important technical innovation as the log had previously been split using an ax and wedges. The sawmills came to Asker around 1600, and Sem saw came into operation in 1612. It was a battle for wood, because the farmers also had a duty to procure coal for Bærum ironworks; in addition, a lot of timber went to salt cooking and lime burning. The work on the saw was seasonal and dependent on the water flow in the river in spring and autumn. The timber was cut in the autumn and sawn into planks, before it was stacked for drying and driven up for splitting and planing at Høvleriet in the winter. The work was heavy and demanding, and accidents could happen; nevertheless, the saw was a safe and permanent workplace.

Jon ran the sawmill with his brother and here you can hear an interview with Jon Barlund about Sem Sawmill.

The trip goes back along Semsveien back to Sem Gjestegård. Note, no sidewalks.

Asker Turlag and Asker museum are collaborating to mark a new path to connect Saga and Høvelen, and return to the exit car park without walking on the road.

Alternative starting point; the car park below Grendehuset by Saga. It takes you over the burial mounds and down to Høvelen. Enjoy a cup of coffee boiled on the fire to the sound of the waterfall noise, or continue the path along the fence to the beautiful Holstmark property until you reach the garden at Nedre Sem. Then you see Semsvannet! And you can continue "Semsvannet round" or choose paths in all directions….

Saw-day. Open visit to Sem Sag

You can get a live storytelling on a Sunday every year in the early summer (stay tuned at www.askermuseum.no). On Sagdagen, the Asker museum opens the waterfall and starts the water-powered circular saw from 1890 at Sem sag. Then you can see how to cut timber in ancient times. You can also see the strangest, technical devices that Albert Seheim, Asker's answer to Reodor Felgen, used in his workshop to make skis and wheels.

The timber that was to be split and planed was driven up to the planer, some turning upwards along Semsveien.

This is a wonderful outdoor area all year round. Here you can have great bike rides, waffle rides and wheelbarrow rides around the water or a summit trip to Skaugumåsen, ski trips in Vestmarka and ice skating on the water. You choose.

Bergvang Besøksgård is among the children's favorites and is a short drive away. Open visitor farm on weekends. Watch the animals being fed. Tour riding, alpaca hiking, husky driving and children's birthdays are arranged.

If you come from out of town, there are great accommodation options in central Asker and Vettre and many nice restaurants in Asker Sentrum.

Access:

Car to the exit car park at Øvre Sem or the car park below Grendehuset by Saga. Bus to stop Grana. Bus 760 from Asker or Sandvika.

This tour is referred to as the Oslo Fjord's finest and most pristine coastal stretch. Along the trail you will find a number of beautiful swimming and fishing spots as well as historic burial sites from the Stone Age. The trail runs mostly near the water's edge with formidable views.

The trip starts at Sagene boat harbor in Tofte. Take time to look at Roald Amundsen's polar ship M / S Maud, which he had built for his second expedition to the Arctic. She is now stored in the Sagene harbor. Then follow the path along the water until you reach Østnestangen. Here you can take a detour to the left to the lighthouse on Østnestangen. Or take the path to the right towards Sandbukta and Rødtangen.

Østnestangen and Sandbukta are parts of a nature reserve with varied geology, flora and wildlife. Rare red-listed species such as Mistletoe grow here and you can walk in deciduous forests.

The beaches are like pearls on a string with Sandbukta and Ertsvika as the finest, surrounded by clear-cut boulders. The path on to Knatvoldstranda is quite hilly and a bit challenging. When it's time for ice cream and refreshments, it can be bought from the kiosk at Knatvoldstranda camping and cabin rental during opening hours.

Solfjellåsene and Haraldsfjellet nature reserve have large deposits of yew and calcareous vegetation with rich and rare flora. Take a detour to Haraldstangen and enjoy the fantastic view before following the Coastal Path further.

Rødtangen – a favorite summer place

In 1857, a pharmacist and a lawyer rowed the long way from Drammen to Rødtangen to swim in clean seawater. This was the start of a stream of bathers to Hurum who from the 1870s arrived with the scheduled boats from Oslo and Drammen.

Rødtangen was an important unloading station for Drammensfjorden and the lighthouse has probably been there since the 18th century. Today you can see the fog bell on Nebba and hear «Olea tell about life on Rødtangen and the fog bell». Scan QR code on site.

Rødtangen is a favorite summer place, with a few permanent residents. Here is also a campsite and a shallow beach perfect for families with small children.

The area is rich in cultural monuments. Two dolmen tombs from the Stone Age and well-preserved burial mounds from the Bronze Age are among the most important finds. Both the dolmen graves and the burial mounds were built to be visible from the fjord. Signs along the path provide good information about the cultural monuments.

The trip is hilly and occasionally in quite steep terrain, but suitable for most people, but remember to pack a packed lunch and plenty of drinks. One way, the trip is 7 km and takes about 3 hours. Many people go one way and take the bus or taxi back. If you want a longer trip, you can continue to idyllic Holmsbu where you can round off the day with a great meal in the center and spend the night at Badehotellet.

Access:

Parking at Tofte. Parking at the bottom of Sagene valley or parks by the marina. For timetables and bus times, see Ruter.no