Hillforts

How to get there

Borgaråsen: Follow E39 towards Mysing.

Accessibility: moderate hike

Duration: 0,5 hours

Special conditions:

• Park at the parking place and show respect for private land.
• Show respect to animals along the trail.
• Don’t forget to close gates behind you so that animals would not get away.
• Dogs have to be on leash.
• Leave nothing but footprints!

Culture and history

There are almost 400 hillforts in Norway and you find the largest concentration of these forts in Rogaland County. It is believed that hillforts are natural defenses, where people took advantage of inaccessible heights in the landscape to defend themselves against attackers and intruders. The hillforts in Magma Geopark are dating back to the migration period and the Old Iron Age (0 – 600 years a.c.). There are few findings in these forts, but pieces of ceramics and animal bones are quite common. In several of the hillforts you will also find remains of stone walls and peoples attempts to secure the fortification.

One of the hillforts in Magma Geoparks is called Borgaråsen. At this old fortification there are remains of stone walls that may be up to 2000 years old. Forts like these were used as protection for the local community and peaceful travellers. The fort at Borgaråsen was probably used until the Viking era. This is one of many in Magma Geopark; in Eigersund municipality there are at least 10. The forts were constructed at places that were easy to defend, such as local crags, summits and islands, and they were close to roads and/or habitation.