Valldal – the strawberry village

Every summer around 900 guest workers -mostly from Poland - come to Valldal to harvest fruit and berries.(Photo: Audun Skjervøy)

Valldal is the municipal centre in Norddal municipality. Agriculture is the main industry and the village is particularly well-known for producing approximately 800 tons of strawberries annually.

The village of Linge, located in a sunny spot by the fjord, is Europe’s most northerly commercial fruit and soft fruit area. The war hero Martin Linge came from Negarden farm at Linge. A memorial stone to him has been placed on the farm.

Sylte church was completed in 1863. Sylte is the name of the town centre with its municipality administrative offices, health centre, pre-school, school, hotels, shops and other service industries.

The natural environment offers many experiences from simply walking to fishing, hunting, rock climbing or glacier walking.

The rehabilitation centre Muritunet is a very popular training centre and an important employer in the municipality. Muritunet has a public swimming pool and a fitness studio.

Snorre wrote that Saint Olav and his men travelled through the valley while fleeing to Sweden in 1028. The Saint Olav traditions are highly regarded in the district and Olsok is celebrated with events at both Sylte and at the Alstad farm, 15 kilometres into the 30-km-long valley, where one can see the Olavsvegen, Olavskjelda and Olavshellaren.

During the summer, the declining population is more than doubled by visitors in parked caravans and holiday cottages. There are also around 900 guest workers – mostly from Poland –who help pick berries and fruit.

The natural surroundings offer many thrills whether you just want to go for a walk or would like to go hunting, fishing, rock climbing or glacier walking. The salmon river Valldøla which winds its way through the valley is also used for rafting.