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Storetua and Røddalshorn are located on Gurskøya island, and are the 2th and 3rd highest tops in Sande kommune. The highest mountain is Sollia, shared by Sande and Herøy kommuner. Storetua is also the 3rd highest independent top on Gurskøya, after Sollia (661m) and Rjåhornet (600m).
Storetua and Sollia are only 2Km apart, with Lake Raudsandvatnet in-between. The Gurskøya mountain plateau is formed as a horseshoe around lakes Raudsandvatnet and Storevatnet, with Veten, Sollia and Rjåhornet on the north side, and Røddalshorn, Storetua and Saursegga on the south side. In addition, you have a few higher tops located south of highway RV61 - Laupsnipa and Veten - and this is in essence the dominating tops on Gurskøya island.
The route from Leikong (via Simavatnet) is popular, but this web page will describe access from Holte, from where you can choose between Storetua and Røddalshorn, or visit them both on the same hike.
At the time this was written, there was an environmental debate going on about windmills on the Storetua - Saursegga ridge. Time will show how this ended.
Storetua (Norge 1:50,000: 592m, Økonomisk Kartverk: Highest contour is 590m, UTM 32 V 326420 6905461) has a primary factor of 249m, towards the higher parent mountain Sollia (661m). The saddle (approx. UTM 32 V 329975 6905271) is found at the eastern end of Lake Simavatnet. Ref. Norge 1:50,000 (20m contours), the saddle height is within the range 340-345m, interpolated to 343m.
Røddalshorn (Norge 1:50,000: -, Økonomisk Kartverk: Highest contour is 563m, UTM 32 V 329276 6904867) has a primary factor of 100m, towards the higher parent mountain Storetua (592m). The saddle (approx. UTM 32 V 327896 6905057) is found at the north end of Lake Svinevatnet, between the two mountains. Ref. Norge 1:50,000 (20m contours), the saddle height is within the range 460-465m, interpolated to 463m.
Personal GPS measurements read 593m on Storetua and 568m on Røddalhorn's western top (562m on ØK). The GPS accuracy was roughly similar (+/- 2m). Another visit will be made to Røddalshorn where both tops (562m and 563m) are measured on the same day. At least there are grounds to claim that the western top MAY be the highest.
Google's interactive map. You can zoom, pan and click on the markers.
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.
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Holte - Storetua - Røddalshorn (summer/autumn)
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Access
(all distances are approx. distances)
The nearest larger city is Ålesund. From Ålesund, follow highway E39 towards Bergen, and then RV61 towards Hareid. Take the Sulesund - Hareid ferry, and from the roundabout in Hareid, follow RV61 19,8Km to the RV61/RV654 junction 1Km after the Dragsundet bridge. You pass Ulsteinvik and make a sharp right turn (Måløy) along the way.
From the RV61/RV654 junction, drive 9,8Km and and turn right when you see a white sign pointing to Gursken (The main Gursken exit is 2,8Km down the road). Drive 600m, then turn right onto a smaller road. After 400m, you reach a Y-fork. Turn left onto a gravel road. Drive 500m to a waterwork building and park there. There is an information board on the building.
The route
Storetua:
Follow the path northbound along the river, then northwest towards Sæsvatnet. 400m before the lake, turn right onto a path that leads to Storetua. The path hits the ridge on the eastern side, and as you head westbound to the summit, you pass 10 (or so) large cairns.
Røddalshorn
Descend the ridge from Storetua, towards Lake Svinevatnet. A vague (but visible enough) paths runs on the north side of the lake and up to the Røddalshorn plateau. On the plateau, you really don't need any paths. The 562m point is the nearest. If you want to reach the high point (563m), then you must cross the entire plateau. If you do, then consider descending the east ridge, and join the trail to Simavatnet. Then follow the roads back to the trailhead.
If you settle for point 562m, then descend your ascent route (or make an off-trail short-cut down the southwest ridge).
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