Åsen and Solhaug (22.01.2023)

Written by hbar (Harald Barsnes) GSM

Start point Ulvik sentrum (7m)
Endpoint Hjeltnes (9m)
Characteristic Hillwalk
Duration 2h 24min
Distance 9.5km
Vertical meters 300m
GPS
Ascents Åsen (271m) 22.01.2023
Visits of other PBEs Solhaug dagsturhytte (110m) 22.01.2023

Åsen and Solhaug

Birjetangen (from the bus)
Birjetangen (from the bus)
Ulvik (from the bus)
Ulvik (from the bus)
Åsen (and Solhaug) from Ulvik
Åsen (and Solhaug) from Ulvik
Walking along Ulvikapolllen
Walking along Ulvikapolllen
Unnecessary detour at Håheim
Unnecessary detour at Håheim
Marked route above Håheim
Marked route above Håheim
Tractor road to Åsen
Tractor road to Åsen
Tractor road to Åsen
Tractor road to Åsen

Started by taking the bus (or rather buses, four in total) from Bergen to Ulvik, and got off at the stop "Ulvik sentrum". The reason for starting my hike from there, instead of taking the bus all the way to the final stop at Hjeltnes, was that it would allow me to take full advantage of the available sunlight on this late January day (as analyzed in advance using ShadeMap). Thus, I could enjoy the sunshine almost until starting the real ascent to Åsen.

At Håheim I did an unnecessary detour, as I later discovered that the marked route to Åsen simply follows the road to Håheim and then south via a tractor road. Shortly after reconnecting with the main route, I continued on another tractor road south, forking right when the road split after just 50 meters, before finally turning southwest towards the summit. Soon the terrain was covered by roughly 10 cm of packed snow.

With regards to the highest point at Åsen there are at least six to choose from, with one of them being almost 300 meters northeast of the building with the antenna. I think the real summit is either the small hill around 40 meters northwest of this building or the other small hill 65 meters north of the same building.

After visiting all of the most likely candidates, I did a brief search to see if there were any better views to be obtained, as the view from the summit area was rather limited due to lots of tall pine trees, but quickly gave up and instead turned northwest towards Solhaug. This involved partly trying to follow some of the snow-covered trails indicated on the map, but mainly just heading off-trail in the wanted direction.

Less than 700 meters southeast of Solhaug I came across a narrow tractor road which led me all the way to Solhaug. Great views down to Ulvik with snowcapped mountains in the background. Next, I simply followed the marked route down to Hjeltnes where I arrived almost half an hour early for the bus back to Voss. Thankfully the bus showed up almost 15 minutes early and I was very happy to wait inside the warm bus. The trip was then concluded by taking the bus to Voss, and there waiting another 50 minutes for the train back to Bergen.

In summary, a nice short hike with some great views along the way, just not from the summit area (nor the many alternative summits).


Alternative summit area northeast of the antenna
Alternative summit area northeast of the antenna
Approaching the antenna at Åsen
Approaching the antenna at Åsen
The highest point at Åsen?
The highest point at Åsen?
The building with the antenna
The building with the antenna
Limited views towards Osafjorden from southwest of the antenna
Limited views towards Osafjorden from southwest of the antenna
Off-trail towards Solhaug
Off-trail towards Solhaug
Kristnuten with Vassfjøra in the background
Kristnuten with Vassfjøra in the background
Kvasshovden and Kjerringafjellet from above Solhaug
Kvasshovden and Kjerringafjellet from above Solhaug
Solhaug
Solhaug
Solhaug with Skorafjellet in the background
Solhaug with Skorafjellet in the background
Ulvik from Solhaug with Kongsberg at the center
Ulvik from Solhaug with Kongsberg at the center
Ulvik from Solhaug
Ulvik from Solhaug
Descending to Hjeltnes with Kvasshovden and Kjerringafjellet in the background
Descending to Hjeltnes with Kvasshovden and Kjerringafjellet in the background

Start date 22.01.2023 12:09
(UTC+01:00)
End date 22.01.2023 14:33
(UTC+01:00)
Total Time 2h 24min
Moving Time 2h 21min
Stopped Time 0h 3min
Overall Average 4.0km/h
Moving Average 4.0km/h
Distance 9.5km
Vertical meters 300m

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