Skageflå

Skageflå – Norway’s Most Dramatic Farm, Where the View Milks You Back

 

There are farms... and then there is Skageflå.

Perched like a stubborn dream 250 meters above the Geirangerfjord, this ancient mountain farm is not for the faint of heart — or calf muscle. But those who dare the steep hike are rewarded with something more than just a view.

They find a story carved into the cliffside, told in turf, stone, and generations of goat logic.

As Madam Budeie — passionate about butter, fjord views, and places you can’t reach without earning it — allow me to introduce one of Norway’s most breathtaking, backbreaking, and beautiful places: Skageflå.

 

A farm you have to hike for

You don’t drive to Skageflå.
You climb to it.

Most visitors begin with a boat ride from Geiranger across the fjord, then scale a zig-zagging mountain trail that makes you question both your choices and your training habits.

And just when you think your legs might file a formal complaint, you reach it — this quiet patch of green, set against a cliff like a page torn from a fairy tale.

 

Life on the ledge

Skageflå dates back to the Middle Ages, and for centuries, it was home to people who:

• Milked cows on a slope

• Cut hay by hand while tied to ropes (yes, really)

• Sent children to school down steep mountain paths

• Probably had the strongest ankles in Scandinavia

In the 1800s, Skageflå was one of the richest farms in Geiranger — not because of size, but because of quality butter and hardworking hearts.

 

A Royal Visit

In 1993, King Harald and Queen Sonja hiked to Skageflå for their silver wedding anniversary.

Imagine it: royalty in hiking boots, wind in their hair, surrounded by goats (probably), and waterfalls singing from across the fjord.

If that’s not peak Norwegian romance, I don’t know what is.

 

What remains today

The farm buildings have been carefully preserved — turf roofs, dry stone walls, and the kind of quiet that only exists where no cars can reach.

You can:

• Sit on a bench where a farmer once watched for storms

• Feel the breeze from The Seven Sisters waterfall across the fjord

• Drink coffee from a thermos like you built the place yourself

• Whisper thank you to the people who called this cliff home

 

Madam’s hiking advice

Pack:
✔ Good shoes
✔ Lefse or Kvikk-Lunsj for morale
✔ A head full of wonder
✔ A camera that won’t fall off the ledge

Climb with reverence. This isn’t just a hike — it’s a pilgrimage to resilience.

 

Final Thoughts from the Fjord-Facing Farm

Skageflå is more than a place — it’s a reminder.
That people once chose difficulty over ease, beauty over convenience, and butter over boredom.
And somehow, they made a life where most wouldn’t dare plant a daisy.

 

With sore legs, full heart, and a suspicious goat watching from above,

Madam Budeie
From Fjord to Fork