A visit to the book town is always a fun time! You may not get what you came for, but you will usually leave with something interesting and unexpected. I came primarily because I hadn’t been in a while, and I was looking for some Le Guin, and as always folklore and ethnology.
I didn’t find any trace of Le Guin, but of course I found folklore and ethnology. I also found the book about the knights of Losna – which I had been curious about for a while…
The book town is not far from where I live, and it’s generally pretty accessible if you are in Sogn, Sunnfjord or Nordfjord. It’s situated close to a main road, the Rv5. The last 3 kilometres off of the main road is a short and sweet drive along the fjord. And then you’re there. The book town is situated in the tiny village of Fjærland. You could say that the village and the book town really is one entity. Everyone in Fjærland is involved one way or another.
The shops are all situated along the road, and there is just one road. There are two shops at the end, by the old ferry quay, and the rest are scattered along the road. You can find all kinds of books, and the prices are generally very fair.
If you have more outdoorsy interests, there is also a floating sauna in the fjord, and kayaks for rent. Of course there are mountains all around too, and for the extra sporty types out there – there are glaciers nearby. If you want to spend the night, there is both a small hotel and a campsite. Personally, I’m waiting for the old hotel to be reopened, then I’ll for sure stay the night!
In short, Fjærland has something for everybody. I highly recommend stopping by if you should find yourself in these parts of western Norway.