Port
Leirvik, Norway
Activity Level
Easy
Excursion Type
All
Wheelchair Accessible
No
Starting At
$109.95
Minimum Age
Information Not Currently Available
Duration
2 Hours
Meals Included
Meals not included
Leirvik is a small oil and gas community at the crossroads between Stavanger, Haugesund and Bergen. The town is relatively modern with a lively port and a university.
The name Leirvik (Leirvík) translates into "clay bay". The word "leire" meaning "clay" and "vik" meaning "bay". The name comes from the high concentration of clay in the ground. The locals often colloquially refer to Leirvik by the name "Vikjo", meaning "the bay" in local dialect, rather than "Leirvik".
The town lies along the European route E39 highway, just east of the Stord Bridge which is part of the Triangle Link which connects a number of islands to the mainland via road bridges and an undersea tunnel. There is a ferry quay at Skjersholmane in the western part of the town which has regular ferry connections to the nearby islands of Halsnøya, Fjelbergøya, and Borgundøya which lie to the east in the Hardangerfjorden.
According to literature, Moster was the first place Olav Tryggvason went ashore when he came from England in AD 995 to demand his royal heritage and Christian land. Follow in the footsteps of the Vikings and explore the village of Mosterhamn, here you can get a photo of the Old Moster Church.