Ladders drawn up
They were said to be pulled up when the tax collector called.
Frode Inge Helland — CC BY-SA 3.0 · rheins — CC BY 3.0 · CucombreLibre from New York, USA — CC BY 2.0 · Zdenek Svoboda — CC BY 2.0
An abandoned farm on a rock shelf about two hundred and fifty metres above the Geirangerfjord, the best known of Norway's mountain farms. These farms are a purely Norwegian phenomenon: families lived on rock ledges almost suspended above the fjords because level ground was scarce and owned. Access was by rope ladders that could be pulled up — the story goes that they were drawn up when the tax collector came, so he could not climb. Children were tied with ropes while they played, for fear of falling. Skageflå was inhabited until about 1916 and then abandoned like the others, and its timber buildings have been restored. The Geirangerfjord itself is on the World Heritage list, and the mountain farms are part of its listed value. Access is by boat from Geiranger and then a hard climb of about an hour on a steep path, or on foot from Homlong in about two hours.
They were said to be pulled up when the tax collector called.
The young were tied while playing for fear of falling.
Then abandoned like the others, its buildings since restored.
The southern shore of the Geirangerfjord
Because usable land on the fjord shores was very scarce and owned by old families. Anyone who inherited none had to make a living from what nobody wanted: suspended rock shelves that caught the sun and held a little soil and a water source. These farms were nearly self-sufficient — goats, sheep and a little grain — and life on them was extremely hard. All were abandoned in the early twentieth century when the cities and emigration to America offered easier alternatives.
The tourist boat trip on the Geirangerfjord passes beneath Skageflå and Knivsflå and explains them without any climb — enough for most visitors. And the Westerås farm near Geiranger is reached by a far shorter walk. The climb to Skageflå itself is for anyone who wants to stand in the place rather than only see it, and is worth it if you are able.
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