The hike up 1,230ft (375m) Randasen was among the easiest we did on our return trip to Norway. The tender ride to shore was only a few hundred yards, the trailhead was an easy half-hour walk away and the roundtrip hike from there was only three hours. But the view was as good as any of the other hikes we’ve done.

After our hike, we toured the area by tender and stopped by the private island of Lauvholmen to say hello to Kaare Svaboe, who had come to visit us at Hattavagen. Kaare and his father Sjur insisted we stay for dinner and we had a wonderful evening with excellent conversation. This was our first dinner off Dirona since Antwerp in March. We capped off the day with a 17th birthday celebration for Spitfire.

Below are highlights from August 1st, 2020. Click any image for a larger view, or click the position to view the location on a map. And a live map of our current route and most recent log entries always is available at mvdirona.com/maps.

Kotavagen Position: 59°11.82’N, 6°0.85’E Morning calm from our anchorage at Kotavagen.

Kotaberg Position: 59°11.83’N, 6°0.85’E The village of Kotaberg on the island of Randoy.

Tender Position: 59°12.02’N, 6°0.36’E Our tender tied off at the Furutangen Misjonssenter marina for a hike up 1,230ft (375m) Randasen.

Trailhead Position: 59°12.60’N, 6°0.78’E At the trailhead for the hike up Randasen. The hill is on a rich layer of slate deposits, visible in the background, that has been quarried in the past.

View Position: 59°12.66’N, 6°1.20’E Fantastic view west partway up the trail to Randasen at 920 ft (280 m) (click image for larger view).

Stavanger Position: 59°12.66’N, 6°1.20’E View from the Randasen trail to Stavanger, 15 miles to the southwest. We haven’t made much progress distance-wise since arriving in Norway :).

Rope Position: 59°12.61’N, 6°1.53’E The trail is mostly easy going, with a rope in a couple of places to help with the steeper parts.

Randasen Position: 59°12.50’N, 6°1.71’E The summit of 1,230ft (375m) Randasen was an easy one-hour hike from the marina.

Lunch Position: 59°12.49’N, 6°1.70’E Lunch on the top of Randasen with a view to the anchorage. Dirona is the larger of the white specks below, in roughly the center of the bay (click image for a larger view).

Lauvholmen from Randasen Position: 59°12.49’N, 6°1.70’E View to the island Lauvholmen from the summit of Randasen. This is the island that blog reader Kaare Svaboe invited us to come visit when he stopped by our anchorage at Hattavagen.

Austrevik Position: 59°11.29’N, 6°1.68’E Steep-roofed boat house on the bay Austrevik on the island of Randoy, viewed on a tender tour of the area. It looks designed for quite a large vessel.

Eikerjellet Position: 59°10.98’N, 5°57.18’E 700-ft (213m) Eikerjellet on the island of Halsnoy.

Lauvholmen Position: 59°11.32’N, 5°59.53’E After our hike and tender tour, we visited Kaare Svaboe on their family’s private island Lauvholmen. This is one of three beautiful modern summer “cabins” on the island.

Dirona Position: 59°11.33’N, 5°59.53’E Dirona at anchor in Kotavagen, viewed from Lauvholmen.

Sjur and Kaare Position: 59°11.31’N, 5°59.51’E With Kaare Svaboe (right) and his father Sjur Svaboe at Lauvholmen. Sjur is a serial entrepreneur and the founder of the biotechnology company Biolink Group AS. He bought Lauvholmen 40 years ago and lives there much of the year. We loved how the back deck was tucked away from the wind and weather and packed with heaters, but still had a fabulous view through the house to the sea. It is an absolutely spectacular setup. We’d only stopped by to say hello, but Sjur and Kaare insisted we stay for dinner and we had a wonderful evening with excellent conversation. This was our first dinner off Dirona since Antwerp in March.

Happy 17th Spitfire! Position: 59°11.32’N, 5°59.51’E Celebrating Spitfire’s 17th birthday with a can of Applaws Tuna Fillet and a safe-for-whiskers, flameless candle. Normally we feed him Hill’s Kidney Care, which he will eat, but only if we mix in a bit of tastier Gourmet Gold Mousse. He’ll eat Applaws Tuna Fillet anytime though, in any amount and for as long as we let him.

Click the travel log icon on the left to see these locations on a map, with the complete log of our cruise. On the map page, clicking on a camera or text icon will display a picture and/or log entry for that location, and clicking on the smaller icons along the route will display latitude, longitude and other navigation data for that location. And a live map of our current route and most recent log entries always is available at mvdirona.com/maps.