With over over 500 lakes, Fyresdal in West-Telemark is an eldorado for anglers, and the unique terrain offers endless opportunities for a variety of outdoor activities. Here you will find the idealic Virtedalen, a mountain village at 600m over sea level. You will find small and large lakes both right along the road and far into the mountains up to 900m over sea level. And here you will find plenty of opportunity to hook into some nice mountain trout.

Accomodations
If you prefer a roof over your head then Birtedalen has several alternatives to choose from. No matter where you choose to stay, it won’t be far from nice lakes, biking opportunities, a selection of peaks to hike to, and beaches to bath at with beautiful surroundings. Birtedalen is also one of the entrances to the DNT trail network in Austheiene, and you will find many coze DNT cabins in the area. In Birtedalen there are not many permanant residents, but those who do live there are friendly and several of them offer accomodations in the middle of a fishing eldorado.

Stein Helge and Grethe Lassemo rent out Birtehytta and Ufsbu. Birtehytta is a small cabin with room for four, located at the south end of Birtevatn. Here you are only steps away from a large lake with fat healthy trout, sandy beaches, and sun long into the evening. Ufsbu is located on Ufstjønn, roughly a 45 minute hike from the nearest road, with room for 6 guests. There are also availabilities at Tovslid in Birtedalen.

Leiv Birger and Aase Tovslid rent out Gamlehuset and Stabburet, with room for up to 11 guests. med rom til totalt elleve personer. When you stay here you can also loan the key to the gate to Griddalen and rent a rowboat at Øyarvatn.

Olav Kvipt runs Kvipt Gjestegard, a farm rich in tradition with four very nice cabins built in an old fashioned style. Here you can also order a 3 course dinner made of local ingredients. Guests of Kvipt may loan nets, canoes, and a boat for free on Kviptetjønna, which lies just next to the farm.

Fishing, paddling, and biking
Stein Helge, who lives in Birtedalen, gives tips on lakes where you can often find nice fish: Begstadtjønn, Berghyl, Langevatn, Brutjønn, and Sandvatn. If you want to get into close range, we strongly recommend a paddling tour on Birtedalen! Øyarvatn, Sandvatn, Grodvatn, Brutjønn, Ufstjønn, Gjevarvatn, and Langevatn are also good alternatives. The stretch of river between Tovsliøytjønn and Nesvatn is worth checking out for those who can handle hiking around in challenging terrain.

In Birtedalen there is a network of gravel roads which are ideal for biking. Some of the roads are gated, and this makes biking the perfect form of transport. Some lakes which are nice to bike to include Sandvatn, Hengeltjønn and Øyarvatn. You can rent the key to the gate if you wish to drive in to Øyarvatn to fish, the road leads all the way to the lake.

The area is perfect for a variety of outdoor activities, and during the fall the lush plateus offer ripe blueberries, cloudberries and lingonberries. Get in touch with the locals for more good tips on what to do in Birtedalen!