GJÆLENTUNET

cabins near the village of Valnes.
50 km south of Bodø, following the main coastal road (Kystriksveien, RV 17).
Easy access: 700 m path from parking lot.

3 buildings, with a total of 30 beds.
Main house has 5 bedrooms and 18 beds, and is locked with a special BOT-key. Private rooms may be rented.
Running water, electricity.
There are also a one bedroom, 4 bed, cabin attached to the boathouse. and an 8 bed cottage which both are locked with a DNT-standard key.
Good fishing from the shore, rowboats are available.

A beautiful location, well suited for children, families and group outings.
Distance to the nearest cottage, Lurfjellhytta, 20 km.

More about Gjælentunet

Gjælentunet is an old farm that has been converted into modest self-service accommodation by the BOT, for the use of local hikers and visitors. Particularly well suited for groups and families, Gjælentunet is composed of a main house, as well as a smaller cabin, called Egnarbua, which is attached to a boathouse. In the summer of 1994 a new cabin called Kårstua (8 beds) was finished just beside the main house.

Located about an hour's drive from the town of Bodø, in the vicinity of the powerful tidal current, Saltstraumen, Gjælentunet is easily accessed, but far enough away from the nearest main road to make you feel like you are really "getting away from it all".

There is a spacious yard, or tun, for children to play in, located at a safe distance from the sea, and the whole area provides ample opportunity for outdoor activities for young and old alike (Et tun, is a traditional Norwegian courtyard, enclosed by farm buildings.). There are two rowboats in the boathouse that are there for anyone to use, and there's great fishing, either from a boat or from the shore. It's easy to catch cod the year round, while pollack and seatrout are abundant both spring and fall. A sheltered sand beach and grass covered sand dunes come right up to the boathouse /cabin, and for those interested in botany, there is rich plant life to be studied, particularly the various orchids which grow in nearby chalky soils.
From Gjælentunet you can also go hiking on either short day trips, or for longer treks, off into the mountains.

THE MAIN HOUSE has a big common room with sofa and woodstove, as well as room for 16 people to sit down and eat together. The fully equipped kitchen sits eight people. It has a refrigerator and stove, plus a small woodstove, and hot and cold running water. A roomy entrance way provides additional space for all your extra baggage and equipment. There is also a drying rack for wet footwear and a pay telephone +47 75 58 73 22. The toilet is in the "outhouse", out in the yard. The house has five bedrooms, for a total of 18 beds. Although there are some blankets, it is essential that you have your own sheets or sleeping bag, and that you bring your own food. There is also a large cellar where wood for the stoves can be found. There is electricity in all of the rooms. If you want to visit the main house, be shure to bring the particular key for this house (obtained by Berg Sport in Bodø or by neighbour Svein Skjelstad.)

Egnarbua cabin is actually an extension of the old boathouse. Much smaller and simpler than the main house, the cabin has one bedroom with four beds. However, there is a fully equipped kitchen, with gas for cooking. There is also a common room with wood stove. Lighting is either candles or the midnight sun. Water can be obtained from a hose outside the cabin, but only in the summer. The cabin has its' own "outhouse".

Kårstua cabin is a small cabin situated beside the main house. It is, like the Egnarbua cabin locked with a DNT-key. Kårstua has 8 beds in two sleeping rooms. Electricity.

Directions
Take the main road heading east out of Bodø, and at Løding, 19 km from Bodø, turn right for Saltstraumen. Drive about 13 km and after crossing the Saltstraumenbrua bridge, continue to drive another 11 km south, along the Kystriksveien, or the coastal main road, until you come to the sign for Valnes. Turn right and follow this road for approximately 5 km until you come to BOT's Gjælentunet sign. Here you'll find a parking lot. Please do not use the numbered parking places, as these are reserved for private cottage owners. From the parking lot a marked and easily accessible 700 m path leads to Gjælentunet.

If you are going to Egnarbua you must cross the yard and then walk an extra 200 m along another path towards the sea.