Hjølmo

In the steep hillside in Hjølmodalen, a small side valley from Øvre Eidfjord (Upper Eidfjord), which has been a key entrance to the Hardanger Plateau, the hamlet of old farmhouses still lie clustered together. The yard is empty today, some of the houses are used in the summer, but the grass grows round all the corners.

The holdings at Hjølmo still has its arable land lying unchanged, divided into long strips across the valley, from one side to the other – an interesting parallel to the Scottish “strip farming”. The clustered community at Hjølmo makes out a valuable cultural monument. From the top of the hillside the old transport road continues in towards Viveli and Veigdalen.