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Sandviken Camping
This walking route will take you back in history. Here you can learn about the campsite's history and elements available on the site that relate to important eras and places around the municipality. We hope you enjoy our route and the information we share with you!
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Choose us as your base for a break in our sustainable travel destination. Our location offers many contrasts within a small radius. Here at Sandviken you will find the most excellent setting for your camping adventure, whether that is in a tent, campervan, cabin, or glamping. Here you can stay close to nature surrounded by mountains, lakes, forests, and rivers. Start your day with a refreshing dip in Lake Tinnsjøen, Europe’s third deepest lake. Let the children play at the playground or play minigolf, enjoy the spectacular view from the barrel sauna with a good friend, a canoe tour out on the lake, taste the world’s best brown cheese or take a hike in the local area. As night falls, you can relax around an open fire made with wood from our own forest and take the time for a good chat. Sandviken is a great base for day trips to experience everything that the National Park municipality of Tinn and surrounding area has to offer: climb Gaustatoppen; Southern Norway’s highest mountain, hike on the Hardanger plateau; Europe’s largest high mountain plateau and the Nordics largest National Park, learn about the exciting industrial and war history of the UNESCO industrial heritage site of Rjukan, visit Heddal Stave Church, Norway’s largest Stave Church or cuddle a cow at the mountain Farm Håvardsrud Seterliv. Welcome to a respite from your everyday life. We look forward to sharing our piece of paradise with you. For more information, visit our website: www.sandviken-camping.no. Or get to know us better by following us on Facebook and Instagram.
Can you see the large stone on the flat? How could it have got here? Legend has it that the troll Jutulen, threw it down here in anger from Håksnesfjellet, the highest mountain that you can see on the right when you look over Lake Tinnsjøen. This is how the story goes: The bride Marit was making her way to the church by boat over Lake Tinnsjøen. Marit will stand before the alter of God, she is beautifully adorned with brooches and rings. On her head a magnificent crown sparkling and shining in the sun. As the boats reach the shore and the people come onto the land, a wounded sob could be heard from Håkanesnutene. Jutulen, was very much in love with Marit, and he was angry and hurt. A thunderous voice was heard to say, “Here is my wedding gift” … A loud whirring sound is heard in the air, a dark cloud appearing in the sky, which reveals itself as a large stone, sailing over the heads of the people, knocking the crown off Marit’s head, and landing on the beach. Enjoying the spectacle, Jutulen arose from the mountain, but he had forgotten that the sun was shining, the rays hit him, and he cracked into pieces. The people searched for the crown, but it was under the stone, where according to legend it remains today. You can look for it yourself; can you move the stone?
Imagine a warm summer’s day, the birds are tweeting, in the distance, you can hear a rumbling humming sound. Thick black smoke is rising into the sky, and you can smell exhaust fumes. People are beginning to gather on the pier. The year is 1915 and you are about to board the 174-foot-long D/F Hydro, at that point the biggest steam ship seen on Lake Tinnsjøen. You are dressed in your finest clothes and are looking forward to being a passenger on one of the first trips on Lake Tinnsjøen. Industry in Rjukan grew at a phenomenal rate and there was an increasing need to export goods to the whole world from the harbour in Skien. The railway ferry the D/F Hydro mainly transported fertilizer from Mæl to Tinnoset where it was transported further south. Today, there is no ferry activity on Lake Tinnsjøen. But at Mæl you can visit the D/F Ammonia, which was built in 1929, and you can also learn more about the Rjukan railway. If you are lucky you might get to see the M/S Storegut sailing past Sandviken. On the bottom of Lake Tinnsjøen lies the wreck of the D/F Hydro, it has laid there since the heavy water sabotage in 1944. If you want to learn more about that historic sabotage action, then take a trip to Rjukan and visit Vemork.
The pier that you are now standing on dates to the second half of the 19th century. At that time the possibilities for reaching remote Telemark and especially the isolated community of Tinn were limited. Deep valleys, high mountains, large lakes, and wild rivers made it difficult to develop infrastructure. The only transport option was horse and cart. The idea of navigating Lake Tinnsjøen was put into practice in 1864. At that time a wooden pier was built where you are now standing. The stone pier was finished 2 years later, but it was not exactly the same as the one you see today. The first steamship D/S RJUKAN, sailed north to south to Tinnoset and transported the post and timber. Prior to this, people had to travel all the way to Kongsberg to buy provisions, but now goods such as, flour, brown sugar, coffee, barley, wheat, salt, herrings, bacon, tobacco, and spirits could be delivered in sacks, barrels, and crates directly onto the pier. Iron and steel which were essential to produce the famous Tinn scythes could also be delivered. Boats also became important for the exporting of the scythes, which had previously been transported across the Hardanger plateau on foot. After the completion of the road in 1935, it was possible to travel to Kongsberg by car or bus and this had consequences for the ferry traffic which slowed considerably.
Sit yourself down, take a deep breath and enjoy the view. Notice how the water is lapping the shore today. Turn your gaze towards the pier, can you see the tide marks on the stones? When the lake is full the water bounces off the boat slip barrier, and at its lowest you can see the pier’s lowest plate, which stands at a regulated 4 metres. Look out over the 20 kilometres of lake you can see in front of you, imagine, Lake Tinnsjøen is as deep as the mountains are high, at its deepest the lake is 460 metres deep. There you can find a completely unique eco system for fish, with 4 types of char in addition to trout. As far as we know there are no sea serpents in Lake Tinnsjøen, but if you look at the water from above, it can look like a dragon. Do you know that the water that you see here has been on a long journey, all the way from the Hardanger plateau? Our municipal coat of arms has 5 drops on it which symbolise all the rivers that run off into Lake Tinnsjøen. On its way, the water has also passed through numerous power stations generating green electricity, which we use here at the camp site. Since Lake Tinnsjøen is so deep, you can take a refreshing swim all year round. The temperature varying between 0 to just over 20 degrees. Are you tempted? From experience we can tell you that it is much easier to take a dip when you know you can warm up in the barrel sauna afterwards.
Can you see the troll sliding down the bridge on the barn at full speed? Norway is famous for its trolls, but here in Tinn you can find a special type of troll. Tinn trolls are born with a view over Lake Tinnsjøen and, their only job is to make people happy. And that is why they frolic in the woods around Austbygde and Sandviken Camping because they know that people are often out walking there. They are inviting you on an adventure walk in the woods. If you are especially observant, you can see many Tinn trolls in the “Øyan” leisure area, which lies between the campsite and the village on the walking trail the “Tinn Troll”. The Tinn Troll trail is a 4.2 kilometres long round tour and gives you a fantastic view over Lake Tinnsjøen and the campsite. The path starts directly opposite the entrance to the campsite, and we promise you it will certainly not be boring. But the Tinn trolls are just like the Tinn Valley residents, curious and with a love of travel, so you never know, you may also meet one far from home!
Did you know that the famous engineer Sam Eyde, the founder of Rjukan, owned Sandviken from 1907 to 1915? To this day, it is not known why he bought it. Maybe he wanted a place to holiday? Or maybe he wanted to generate power at Austbydge too? Eyde was one of many owners of Sandviken which was first mentioned in the 17th century. Many tried to make a living here, but the sandy soil was lacking nutrients and the danger of flooding great. It was, fortuitous that Gro and Olav Fagerberg used their savings to buy Sandviken in 1927. Olav was a carpenter and a recognized builder, and they set up sawmill and a planing mill along the banks of Lake Tinnsjøen. Since the demand for timber was high, they made enough to live off. In addition, there was farming, with cattle and potato fields. Their son Nils and his wife Borghild took over the farm in 1950. But shortly after, Nils fell sick and was not able to continue running the sawmill. At the same time tourists began to be interested in this area and began to ask if they could pitch their tents here. Demand increased and Nils and Borghild set up the campground in 1954.
What does Sandviken have to do with fertilizer? Well did you know that the granite stones that you can see in several places around Sandviken, previously had a different use? Drammen granite was formed approximately 280 million years ago. The stones here were taken from the acid tower at Rjukan, where nitric acid was extracted to make fertilizer! The invention of fertilizer revolutionised world food production and in 1911 the first barrels of fertilizer rolled out of Rjukan. This industry helped Norway go from one of the poorest lands in Norway to one of the richest in the space of 100 years. It took 200 blocks of granite to make an acid tower of around 23 metres high. It was important that the stones were especially resistant to acid corrosion over a long period of time. In total there were 72 such acid towers in Rjukan business park. Now there is only one tower remaining as an industrial monument, and it is the only one of its kind in the whole word. You can learn more about this amazing industrial adventure by visiting Vemork.
Can you imagine travelling around Norway with your family in an old VW Beetle or on a motorbike staying on farms in a big heavy tent? Well, that was exactly how the story of Sandviken campsite began, the first guests pitched their tents on the shores of Lake Tinnsjøen in the middle of the 1950s. Up until 1961 there was a mix of camping and farming here, so there were lots of spectators in the barn of an evening when the cows were being milked. A lot has happened since then and it has been a long journey for the Fagerberg family, who have been running the campsite for nearly 70 years. Nils and Borghild ran the campsite for nearly 30 years, then it was taken over and run by Halvor and Kari for the next 30. Today you will meet Annette and Christiane, the third generation of owners. The large pine tree you can see in front of you now, is the same little tree that you see on many of the pictures, it could certainly tell us lots of stories about the campsite! We hope that you too will create some wonderful memories here at Sandviken to take home with you. We would like to make a collection of stories about the campsite in a book, so maybe you would like to share your experiences with us?
Dear Pilgrim! What’s that you say? You are not a pilgrim? Are you sure about that? A «Peregrino» is a stranger, and that is exactly why we would like to invite you to get a taste of the pilgrim life. There is a 90km long pilgrim’s path that runs around Lake Tinnsjøen, it starts at Gransherad in Notodden and ends at Dal Church in Tinn. In the summer, you can also make the tour around by boat, the MS “Storegut” departs from Mæl to Tinnoset in Gransherad. On the way, you will pass 6 white churches. One of them, Dal Church was a place of pilgrimage as far back as the Middle Ages. Pilgrims travelled from afar, hoping to be healed by the Madonna in the Church. Today the Madonna can be found in the art museum in Oslo. The pilgrims’ path will also lead you past many charming old paths, that in the olden days transported the people of the village to their local church. The trail gives you fantastic views over Lake Tinnsjøen and the surrounding villages. But in Austbygde you can find perhaps the most beautiful part of the path, an 11km long round tour through woods and over hillsides with spectacular views. Take in the history of the villages, the untouched nature, the old roads built of stone and let yourself be overwhelmed. If you are completely captivated by one or two of the stages, then you can simply come back and experience the whole tour again. More information about accommodation possibilities and of course the pilgrims’ path can be found at www.kvitekyrkjer.no.