«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.