Gullvegen is in the heart of a UNESCO Geopark and a central player, with its 2 geo-sites at Lykling and the farm.
In Sunnhordland you are always close to a place where rocks, landscapes and exhibitions offer both views and insight. You are invited to discover the soul of Sunnhordland through our nature and culture. But tread carefully, leave no trace, shop locally and be prepared for our wild western weather.
Location 13: The gold mines at Lykling
"It's gold in them hills" - Engineer Plummer, during test blasting of the rock at Lykling in 1882
Norway's Klondike
In 1862, a pyrite miner discovered glittering traces of gold in quartz veins running through the rugged coastal landscape of Lykling. A few decades later, during the 1880s gold rush, English miners and investors arrived to develop what would become Norway’s largest gold mine.
Over the following 25 years, around 200 kilograms of gold were officially extracted, though many believe the true amount was considerably higher. Mining operations eventually came to an end, and the last mine closed in 1910.
Today, the area is protected as a cultural heritage site. Wander among historic mine entrances, explore the remains of waste rock heaps, and imagine the sounds of picks and shovels echoing across the landscape during the years when the dream of gold drew people here from near and far.
Location 12: Urda - Soapstone quarry
"Norway's finest soapstone quarry" Geologist Øystein Jansen
The Soapstone That Built the Medieval Churches of Western Norway
Along the cliffs of Urda, you can still see the marks left by centuries of skilled craftsmanship. Here, soft grey soapstone was carefully quarried and shaped into finely cut building stones that were used in Moster Church, as well as many of the churches and monasteries built in Bergen before 1160.
Over time, the valuable resource was exhausted, and the quarry gradually fell silent. Yet the story remains written in the landscape. As you walk through the area today, you can see where the soapstone meets the harder serpentinite rock and imagine the sound of chisels shaping stone centuries ago. Small heaps of discarded rock between the quarry and the road stand as quiet reminders of a once thriving industry.
Urda was more than a quarry. It helped shape an important chapter in Norway’s medieval history and may even have been owned by the Crown. Today, it offers a fascinating glimpse into the craftsmanship, trade, and ambition that helped build Western Norway’s earliest stone churches.