Flekkefjord, Stavanger

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Flekkefjord is another one of those cute little towns along the south coast of Norway. I would say it is the most westernly one, as I concider the next town towards Stavanger, Egersund, to be the most southern town on the west coast ;-)

Flekkefjord is appr. 2 hours away from Stavanger by car, train or bus. If you are in a hurry, take road E39, do you have plenty of time and want to stop at scenic viewpoints, take the outer road: no 509 from Stavanger around the Hafrsfjord to Sola, then 510 and 507 until you get to 44, follow 44 all the way to Flekkefjord (or you could go by road 44 all the way from Stavanger). I have done both, and I absolutely prefer the outer way!

This time i took the train. On my way to Brøsjø or Oslo I have travelled this distance numerous times, and I travel the part Stavanger - Sandnes / Bryne frequently. But when the goal was Flekkefjord something strange happened: It was like seeing everything the first time! The first part of the journey goes through the flat areas of Jæren, with the old stone walls separating acre lots and the ocean at a distance, then it gets closer to the ocean and goes through the rocky parts of southern Jæren. Until Egersund the line runs quite close to road 44. After Egersund the line turns inland, follows road 42 to Helleland and runs in parallell with E39, through the steep valley Drangsdalen; a breathtaking view! The closest station to Flekkefjord is Sira, from where there is a bus connection, appr. 25 minutes, down to Flekkefjord.

The best part for me though, was that they still (until 1 january) use the old trainsets on this service: Locomotive El 18, passanger cars type B5 and restaurant car BC3 :-)