Norwegian Mountains

Ilefjellet, 453m
Singelstadfjellet, 511m

Fylke/Kommune : Hordaland/Tysnes
Maps : 1215-III Fusa (Statens Kartverk, Norge 1:50 000)
Maps : 1214-IV Husnes (Statens Kartverk, Norge 1:50 000)
Primary factor : Ilefjellet: 145m
Primary factor : Singelstadfjellet: 183m
Skied : Mar 2005
See also : Tysnessåta
See also : Etlådnefjellet
Ilefjellet seen from the ferry

Ilefjellet seen from the ferry

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Introduction

Singelstadfjellet and Ilefjellet are Tysnes' 3rd and 5th highest (independent) mountains, located centrally on the north side of Tysnesøya island, and west of the Tysnessåta massif. Due to the central location, it must be said that these two tops offer a fairly good view, although Tysnessåta and Etlådnefjellet blocks the eastern view towards the spectacular Folgefonnhalvøya mountains.

Although the mountains can be reached from several trailheads, you can reach both mountains fairly easy from the place Dalen. This trailhead is described on this web-page. While Ilefjellet is not exactly a skiing mountain from this side, the long ridge on Singelstadfjellet offer excellent skiing terrain and views. Based on the map, it seems that the northern part of this mountain is known as Kinningen.

Singelstadfjellet has its name from the place Singelstad, southeast of the mountain. There does not seem to be a place called Ile, as in Ilefjellet (fjellet means mountain in Norwegian) Ile is a Norwegian word, which means "to hurry", but this has most likely nothing to do with the mountain name. If someone on Tysnes knows the meaning of the mountain name, I would be interested to know.

Primary factor:

Ilefjellet (M711: 454m, Ø.K: 452,5 ~ 453m) has a primary factor of 145m towards the higher Tysnessåta (753m) The saddle is found on a meadow east of Guletoppen. Ref. Økonomisk Kartverk (5m contours), you cross the 310m contours on the high route, but not 305m. The saddle height has been interpolated to 308m. (My GPS indicated that the mountain height is 450m, measured over 1 minute)

Singelstadfjellet (M711: 509m, Ø.K: 511m) has a primary factor of 183m towards the higher Tysnessåta (753m) The saddle is found on a meadow near Støna. Ref. Økonomisk Kartverk (5m contours), you cross the 330m contours on the high route, but not 325m. The saddle height has been interpolated to 328m. (My GPS indicated that the mountain height is 512m, measured over 5 minutes)

Trail descriptions:

Notes: Class ratings are in reference to YDS. Click here for more information.

The trails described below are not necessarily the *easiest* trails to this mountain.

Dalen - Ilefjellet - Singelstadfjellet (all seasons)

Difficulty : Class 2
Exposure : None
Distance : 10Km round-trip
Time : Approx. 4 hours round-trip
Starting Elev.: 160m
Vertical Gain : Approx. 600m (total)

Map of the area
Map of the area
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Detailed map
Detailed map
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Access

There are two alternatives from Bergen:

a) The shortest:
Follow highway E39 southbound towards Halhjem (by Osøyro). Take the Halhjem - Våge ferry (fee for passenger cars per Feb 2005 is NOK 100,-) The ferry takes approx. 40 minutes. From Våge on Tysnes, drive 350m from the ferry to the E39 (Stord)/RV 49 junction. See below for further driving instructions.

b) A long drive:
From Bergen, follow highway E16 towards Oslo. At the E16/RV7 junction at Trengereid, turn right onto RV7. Drive approx. 13,9Km and turn right onto highway RV48 (Tysse/Mundheim) Follow this road for approx. 34,7Km to Kilen. Turn right onto highway 549 and follow this road all the way to the bridge across Lokksundet (follow signs towards Våge) Continue all the way to the E39 (Stord)/RV 49 junction in Våge

From the E39 (Stord)/RV 49 junction, continue on E39 for 3,7Km. Turn left towards Dalen. Follow the road towards Dalen for 2,2Km. The road has room for parking here, and trail information is posted here.

The route

Ilefjellet

From the parking, follow the road past the Dalen houses. Continue up the forest road, all the way to Buldo cabin (1,7Km from the parking). The forest road ends here. Stay left in a forest road fork at 220m elevation.

Seek towards a bush field in the western direction. A summer path cuts through the bush, and continues eastbound until you have Dalen houses below you. The path then turns northbound, and runs all the way up to the top of Ilefjellet.

No cairn is found on the top, which is a plateau. Seek to the various sides of the plateau for views. It is fully possible to ski up here, although the eastbound pitch from Buldo is a bit more cumbersome than the upper terrain.

Singelstadfjellet

Head back down to Buldo and consider a route along lakes Ljosavatnet and Gjerstadstølvatnet, or across point 335m. In winter, you really don't want to ski across point 335m. As my trip was done in winter, I chose the most direct route towards Singelstadfjellet;

Head down the forest road in the direction you came, down to 220m elevation. There is a forest road fork here (mentioned above) Turn left. Follow the new (not new as in age, but new to you) forest road up to 260m elevation. The forest road ends here. Continue up the small valley until you are at the foothills of the Singelstadfjellet north ridge. In winter, it's a bit cumbersome in the very beginning, but after a while, you'll find a good route upwards. It's easier to gain access to the north ridge on foot than on skis, but you'll manage. Alternatively, seek further along the ridge for a better place to ascend the ridge. I do however recommend getting on the ridge early on, for the views.

Follow the ridge in the direction of 504m, and just before this point, turn southwest towards the main summit. You'll have to pass lake Langedalsvatnet on your way to the high point. As this lake drains south, pass on the north side. On the summit, you'll find a broken trig. point.

Descend your ascent route. Alternatively, continue towards Uggdalsvarden further east. Consider finding a route from Uggdalsvarden directly towards Dalen.

Trip report Mar 05 2005

Week-end was here, and it was time to set foot on a few more Hordaland tops. Due to the recent snowfall, this would have to be a ski-trip. I did not feel for carrying the dog around. The snow would be a struggle in itself. My choice fell on Tysnes. I aimed to go for both Ilefjellet and Singelstadfjellet, and let Troll wait in the car. I brought an old sleeping bag, in which he could kill time.

I had chosen Dalen as the starting point. I had mixed feelings about the route up the forest, but this starting point was located between the two mountains. I had a round-trip in mind when I decided to start from Dalen. After arriving Dalen, I went to the nearest house, and got some very useful information about the local terrain. The man suggested that I should ski to Tysnessåta. He didn't quite understand why I had to go to Ilefjellet.

The first good news of the day was that was a forest road up to 320m elevation. The second good news was that a tractor traffic had made the forest road very convenient to follow. I left the car 10:25AM, after making sure the dog was comfortable and had water. I reached the end of the forest road, and remembered that the man I talked to suggested I'd hike on foot from here. But I discovered the summer path, and could ski all the way up to the top.

11:15AM, I was on the Ilefjellet plateau. I visited two different spots on the plateau, both offering good views towards the north and the south. The weather was quite OK. Even if the weather in general was cloudy, the sun was shining through now and then. A good day, it was. I let the GPS have 5 minutes to settle on a height, but it never exceeded 450m. A bit strange, since two different maps stated the height was 404m and 406m elevation.

The man had suggested that I'd ski around the lakes in order to get to Singelstadfjellet. This route seemed to be a detour compared to skiing back down towards Dalen, and follow a forest road heading towards Singelstadfjellet's north ridge. I chose to ski down to 220m elevation, and follow the other forest road. This road didn't run as far as I had hoped, and suddenly I had a non-trivial forest ahead of me. But after a few minutes, I was able to find a good route up the forest, and soon I was on the ridge.

Skiing up the ridge was a delight. Good views all around, and the weather was great. The ridge was quite long; 2Km from the place I entered up to the summit. I reached the top of Singelstadfjellet 12:55PM. I turned around after a few pictures. Skiing down was a delight, and I was back at the car 13:30PM. Troll was (needless to say) very happy to get company. On the way down, I stopped by the house I visited earlier, to let them know I was back down. I have the impression that this gesture often is appreciated. Some may "worry" about these strangers that come by and do strange things. But the man wasn't home. His wife told me he had gone skiing. I guessed that either I had inspired him, or worried him. She was a bit surprised when she learned that I hadn't run into him.

This was a very good day; 2 new tops in good weather, a short drive (Bergen - Os), a nice ferry trip, 3 hours on ski while the dog had been sleeping. And the day was still young.

Pictures from the Mar 05 2005 hike

Move cursor to read notes, and click on the images to see full version.
Some of the thumbnails may have been cropped to fit the format.

ERRATA:Picture 3 shows Hovlandsnuten and Etlådnefjellet, not Tysnessåta.

1. Fusafjellet seen from the Tysnes ferry (261KB) 2. Vaaganipen seen from the Tysnes ferry (271KB) 3. Tysnessaata seen from the Tysnes ferry (246KB) 4. Ilefjellet seen from the Tysnes ferry (348KB) 5. Ilefjellet seen as we approach Vaage (221KB) 6. On the forest road to Buldo (241KB) 7. Singelstadfjellet seen on the way to Ilefjellet (255KB) 8. At Buldo (271KB) 9. Ilefjellet just ahead (425KB) 10. Ilefjellet summit view (403KB) 11. Ilefjellet summit view (305KB) 12. Tysnessaata seen from Ilefjellet (245KB) 13. Ilefjellet high point (214KB) 14. Ilefjellet summit view (446KB) 15. Ilefjellet summit view (1003kB) 16. Englafjell seen from Ilefjellet (448KB) 17. On the way to Singelstadfjellet (232KB) 18. Entering forest (208KB) 19. On Singelstadfjellet north ridge (171KB) 20. View down to Dalen (254KB) 21. Tysnessaata seen from Singelstadfjellet (359KB) 22. Singelstadfjellet summit ahead (323KB) 23. Singelstadfjellet summit view (347KB) 24. Tysnessaata seen from Singelstadfjellet (459KB) 25. Singelstadfjellet summit view (635KB) 26. Englafjell seen from Singelstadfjellet (203KB) 27. Singelstadfjellet summit (135KB) 28. Singelstadfjellet summit view (318KB) 29. Leaving Dalen behind (105KB) 30. Waiting for the ferry (182KB) 31. Troll happy to have a break from the car (159KB)

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Pictures from other hikes:

1. East view from Vestrefjellet (379KB) 2. Summit view from Tornessaata (390KB) 3. Liafjellet summit view (253KB) 4. South view from Ulriken (229KB) 5. Dalstuva summit views (788KB) 6. The high tops on Tysnes (282KB) 7. The high tops on Tysnes (172KB)

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