Verås

On the heath, in the open landscape west of the main highway towards Mongstad, are the farms Verås, Syslak and Risa. Verås has been divided into two units. On the largest farm we enter into a hamlet that gives us a fascinating close-up of a small farm in the heath. The old farming methods of peat cutting and earth gathering have been kept alive up to the present time, and in the well-kept yard you get a feeling of peace. The farmyard tree, the potato cellar, the spring and the small cowshed built into the stone fence form part of a harmonious entity. But life has been very hard here – it is a household marked by thrift – a careful exploitation of all resource. The outer fields to Verås and Syslak lie as a continuous heath and bog area towards the north and east.