Join a real old man on a historical walk

May 14

What motivates 20 local pensioners to take on the task of developing a cultural and industrial history walking tour for tourists? And also act as guides for visitors to Årdal ?

The answer is: A great desire to showcase a village they are proud of.

In recent years, a very special volunteer project has been underway in Årdal . In 2020, a year that was otherwise a dark chapter for many tourism businesses, the three yearlings Helge Rørvik, Odd Øvregard and Ingvar Laberg took the initiative to open Årdal Tourist office. Volunteering.
And at the time of writing, there are a total of 50 people on the staffing list.

And now they are taking the volunteer project one step further by developing a guided cultural and industrial history walk in Øvre Årdal And after the first test drive was over, it was made clear that the ambitions don't stop here.

- We have now developed a template for a concept that we can further develop for tours in other parts of the village, says Ingvar Laberg, who has had the main responsibility for writing the script and carrying out the first round with the 20 people who have signed up as guides.

And the plan is ready!
Similar tours will eventually be developed on Årdalstangen, in Utladalen , to the Blåberg mines and Bøttejuv. For in Årdal You don't have to walk many meters before you can convey exciting stories about people, nature, and culture.

And not least an industrial revolution that transformed a simple agricultural village into an urban and diverse community.

And soon you too can join this group on a tour. June 19th marks the start of this new and exciting offer for tourists and visitors. In conjunction with the National Park Festival at Storen, 20 lucky participants will be able to join a guided tour. And then tours will be set up on fixed dates throughout the summer.

And the goal of the volunteer group is clear: They want to be good ambassadors for their village, so that more people can become better acquainted with the Årdal community. They want to convey history, the nature from fjord to mountain, the industrial development and the hydroelectric power that made it all possible. And if you are among those who feel a little curious about these Årdals, then you will have the chance to get up close to some of them this summer. And we can guarantee that they probably also have the occasional robber story lurking …