Rolleivstad is an old mountain farm in Fyresdal, Norway, located about fifty meters (164 US feet) from the renting cabin, Villaen.

The first registered settler on Rolleivstad appeared already in 1602, but we know that people have been living on the farmland for over a 1000 years! There are five houses on the farm, where one is from the 1600 and therefore automatically a protected building according to Norwegian law. The other houses of the farm are from the 1700-1800. The last permanent settlers moved from the farm in 1896 and ever since the farm has been used as a “støyl”; a place where the farmers could stay in summer when they looked after their livestock that grazed in the mountains.

Villaen is the cabin that is available for renting; it lies alone on a hill and it can be rented from June to August. It was built in 1910 and has room for about ten people. There are seven single beds and three double beds spread over three bedrooms. In Villaen there are two living rooms, a fully supplied kitchen and a biological toilet in the woodshed. Cooking is done with propane gas, light is supplied from a solar cell panel and firewood is used for heating. You will have to bring your own bed sheets, duvet covers and pillowcases as they are not included.

When you rent Villaen two boats with oars are included in the rent, which gives you an opportunity to discover the beauty of Rolleivstad lake which lies a short walk from Villaen. Please note that if you want a motor for your boat you’ll have to bring one yourself and it needs to be properly cleaned before use. Remember that the municipal fishing license that you can buy for Fyresdal does not include Rolleivstad lake.

You can drive all the way to Villaen. It lies far into the Norwegian mountains, located in the wild beauty of the Norwegian wilderness. It is quiet and many great opportunities for hiking in the area; the tallest mountains are up to a 1000 meters (3281 US feet). In Norway you have “the right to roam” which means you can freely move around the mountains and pick whatever berries or mushrooms that you might find. There are heaps of blueberries, lingonberries and cloudberries in the summer and autumn. Cloudberries (Rubus chamaemorus) or low-bush salmonberry is an amber berry that grows in bogs, marshes and wetlands in the alpine and arctic tundra and boreal forest. It is extremely different to cultivate and is therefore mainly a wild berry and it is often referred as “the gold of the forest” as it is quite expensive to buy in stores. In Rolleivstad you can find them for free in the forest but it can be quite difficult to track them down and most people in Fyresdal have their secret harvest sites that are only shared with close family and friends.

There are also possibilities for fishing, see more information under “Fishing”