ØYANGEN AT AGDENES

Text: Vibeke C Strømmen

Photo: Vibeke C Strømmen & Martin Fossen

   "I know where to paddle this weekend!" I called to Martin. "Fine," he replied. I had once again scouted "Norgeskart" and "Norge i bilder" and zoomed in to get a better look at possible locations. Were there any lakes not to far away that looked exciting, that contained some islands, maybe some narrow passages? Yes, there was. Øyangen at Agdenes, a relatively large lake. The trip out takes approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes from Trondheim by car. You follow the E6 down to Klettkrysset, from  where you tak the E39 out to Orkanger. From there, follow county road (Riksvei) 710 until you reach Hamnabukta / Hamnaneset or Lensvik. Turn left onto Route 6376/6378. From there, the road takes you all the way up to Øyangen.

It is possible to rent canoes from Orkland kommune.

Blue dot: Trondheim.

Yellow dot: Klett intersection.

Red dot: Orkanger.

Orange dot: Lensvik.

Purple dot: Øyangen Friområde.

Blue dot: Lensvik.

Blue ring: Road 6376.

Red dot: Øyangen Friområde/Recreation area.

We arrived Øyangen Friområdet and were hayppy for the nice weather and the lake which was so inviting. It was May 30, 2020. Someone that came paddling ashore in a canoe told us that the ice had melted away only 1 week earlier. Lucky for us!

Today`s route:

Blue dot: Launching kayak.

Red dot: Lunch.

Yellow dot: Fishingplace.

Orange dot: Cooling off site.

Finally on the water we slid calmly towards the first small islands, Stabben and Småholman. Furthermore, the paddle ore strokes took us towards Fuggeløya where we heard music. We found this small island to be a popular place to paddle to and maybe spend the night. The music came from the speakers a couple of young girls had taken with them. It looked like they had spent the night there and were going for a morning bath. Later we also noticed that on the headland of Fuggeløya there were a number of people and several canoes pulled up on the beach and we saw some tents and hammocks.

Stabben and Småholman.

Småskjera.

We then crossed over to Småskjera, some tiny reefs that we paddled between before we turned left towards Storøya. Here it was a tiny headland on which we went ashore at and sat down for some lunch.  It was good for both the two-legged and four-legged with a good rest and a stretch. The weather just got better and better, and it turned out thatthis weather system was going to settle and give us a heat wave throughout the entire month of June.

Headland at Fuggeløya.

After the break, we had a plan to paddle further between the "mainland" and Hoøya. There, Øyangen is quite wide and a strong wind came down straigh at us from the mountain area opposite us, called Solheimsheian. We therefore decided to turn around, simply because it was not worth fighting the waves and wind over long distances when you are not so crazy about it. Thus, we directed the kayaks towards Maliholneset and went ashore on the headland there. This led to yet another long break where Martin tried the fishing rod without getting a single fish. The sun really started to take hold during the day now and nothing is better than to be close to some cool water which you can soak in if you like.

Furthermore, we paddled past Maliholbukta before crossing over to Storøya again. Now the back of the island was to be explored and after a while we got a cabin on our left side and a little beyond there was a small bay. At shore there was a nice a bench that we took the liberty of using. The view was great, and all was calm except the sounds of nature. Martin wanted (of course) to check the bathing temperature and concluded that it was noticeable that the ice had been there only a week ago. It was not the longest time somebody have spent swimming, if you know what I mean.

From the picnic area we continued around Storøya and through Sunda. From here and back to land where the car was parked, we did not go ashore anymore, but rather just enjoyed being out there on the water. After passing between Storøya and Langneset we got some wind against us as we paddled towards the boathouses on the Øyangen Friområdet. We used a launch pad for boats and canoes which we came to use again when we returned a few weeks later.

The boathouses.

As this was such a nice area, we invited my parents up here a few weeks later. Canoe rental is done through Orkland kommune The canoes are located here by the water, but the oars you have to pick up in Lensvika, probably. Use the link above for more details.

My parents also had a great time here and got great memories similar to the the experience we had a few weeks earlier. We paddled the same route with them as the first time and went ashore in the same places including a stop on Fuggeløya and a stop at a small island where Martin, again, had to take a dip.

Øyangen is a popular area, but did not feel crowded. We were by ourselves most of the time and only observed others on the same errand as us from far away. If you want to paddle here the possibilities are many as you can rent canoes for as long as you want and just explore the place. The location is well worth the the traveling distance and the costs for renting the canoes. So, get out there and explore Øyangen!

Have a nice trip!