A week on Furiholmen
As told by one of our guests
We booked Furiholmen as a family of four: myself (F24), my brother (M26) and my parents (M63 and F56). We weren’t entirely sure what our time would look like or what we would be doing, so hopefully this will help give an idea of what a stay at Furiholmen can involve.
Everything was entirely flexible and prepared for us to be unprepared. From the spare waterproofs to the portable speaker, everything we could need was either already considered and in place or easy to sort. The communication with Marte before the trip helped answer most of our questions, and Odd was always on hand if we needed or wanted anything, while allowing us the privacy to enjoy time as a family.
An early start to the day took us to the nearest Godt Brød for a quick breakfast before driving to Furiholmen. We texted Odd in advance to give him our expected arrival time and then dropped him a line when we were nearby.
We had a little difficulty knowing exactly where to be, but we rang Odd and sent him our location on WhatsApp and he came and found us. He explained where we could park our car, took us over to Furiholmen and helped us get settled.
We took a look at the “house rules/guidance” and noticed that the main theme was definitely “Odd can fix it”, which we found to be very much the case!
Once settled, he drove us to Bakstehuset for the most wonderful lunch. We picked up some bread and granola too while we were there for our breakfasts during the week. After the most delicious toasties, we went to the supermarket to grab some groceries for the next few days.
We then spent the afternoon decompressing with some fishing from the banks, reading and enjoying the views.
Later in the afternoon, the boys and Odd prepared an abundance of crab for dinner while we enjoyed gin and tonics on the deck. The crab was served traditionally with the fresh bread from the bakery that day.
Our first dinner at Furiholmen in the “winter garden” was unbelievably special, under the heat from the lamps with the reflection of the moon over the fjord.
Day 1
Arriving, settling in and a first taste of island life
A later start to the day was very welcomed by all, before a breakfast of our bread, granola and other bits we’d picked up the previous day.
We then tested out the “Odd can fix it” motto when we found the water pressure was a little low and, within 15 minutes, Odd was sorting it out.
In the meantime, we explored the north island a little and the various viewpoints from it.
A light lunch and then it was time to learn the boat, which was surprisingly straightforward — possibly due to the skills of our instructor rather than us — and bring in the nets to check for fish.
We put these boat lessons to good use and took the boat across the fjord to Knappen Handleri, a beautiful little shop with various décor pieces and the most delicious waffles.
A few candles, coat hooks and coffees later, we wandered up the road to the supermarket, partly because we needed a few bits and partly because the idea of taking the boat across the fjord to the supermarket was too fun to pass up on.
Day 2
Boats, fishing and waffles across the fjord
Upon return, it was time for some fishing from the boat and hanging out, with both activities bringing great joy and the former bringing some success.
We finished off the day with gin and tonics (a rather recurring theme) in the hot tub, followed by another dinner in the winter garden. This time it was Odd’s homemade fish burgers, which quickly became a firm favourite.
Plenty of stories and songs were swapped over digestifs before eventually calling it a night.
Another lie-in (another recurring theme) and a slow brunch to start the day, then it was time to bring in the nets with Odd.
After eyeing up the jetski for a couple of days, we decided it was time to give it a go. Once again, the jury is still out on whether it was relatively straightforward or we were well taught, but either way we all found we could zoom around and not even get too wet.
Full waterproofs were definitely a good idea for peace of mind and fortunately this had already been considered by Odd, so there was a supply of them on hand.
Then it was back to fishing, putting out the nets and making the most of the laundry supplies.
We’d seen the house next door — well, as next door as possible across a fjord! — celebrating their daughter’s confirmation that weekend and we were very kindly invited over to meet them and enjoy some of the beautiful cakes they had for the celebration.
We got to hear all about life on Askøy and the local traditions, which was an incredible way to gain insight into the culture and lifestyle of where we were.
It was then only right to wash down the cakes with gin and tonics in the hot tub while Odd kindly prepared dinner.
We had the most incredible “tasting menu” of coley, pollock, flounder and wrasse. We felt truly spoiled to try so many different fish and really appreciate the different tastes and textures in our four-course meal.
Day 3
Jetskiing, local life and a four-course fish dinner
We wanted to see a little more of the various scenery that Norway had to offer and make use of the car we had rented, so we dedicated a day to exploring.
An early breakfast and then it was time to head off.
We headed down to Rosendal via the Årsnes–Gjermundshamn ferry, which was a super cool experience. Coffee and a bite to eat took us to the marina, where we saw the most beautiful old sailboat being restored.
Next, it was up to Bondhusvatnet to walk to the lake. The first part of the walk was incredibly easy and straightforward, so once we got there we decided we wanted to explore a little more and wandered around to the far side of it.
A little bit of scrambling over the rocks and crossing over some bridges and we found ourselves on the most stunning beach, looking back across the lake with the mountains in the distance.
Once back to the car, it was time to head to Steinsdalsfossen waterfall via the Jondal–Tørvikbygd ferry. We found even the ferries themselves were cool activities, as they presented the opportunity to look down the fjords and get an idea of the vast sizes of them.
Day 4
Exploring beyond the island
The waterfall was absolutely magical and walking up behind it gave a beautiful view along the valley. Whilst it was still relatively cold, the strength of the sun really gave us no option other than to enjoy an ice cream while we sat watching the waterfall.
We had a lovely dinner at Sann Mat in Norheimsund, then headed back to Furiholmen, where Odd greeted us with some local gin to try in our gin and tonics that night.
It was rather a long day of driving — around six hours including ferries — however, splitting it between the four of us made it a fun adventure rather than a tiring or tedious task for anyone.
We were rather shattered from our big day, so we went back to our slow morning routine with a lie-in and a leisurely breakfast.
The morning was then spent on a combination of fishing, jetskiing and chilling.
It turned out to be the most successful fishing outing so far, with five fish caught — later to be put to good use.
After lunch, it was time to learn to make Odd’s fish burgers with some of the fish caught that morning.
A little bit of admin and hanging out, then we headed back over to Holme in the boat to visit the gallery to see an exhibition we’d heard about when we were at Knappen Handleri, and to pick up some more groceries.
Then it was time to test the fish burgers and give huge kudos to Odd, as the student he’d taken on was the furthest from a chef you could imagine.
By this point, we’d developed a huge soft spot for the “pommes frites” seasoning Odd had, so over digestifs and more story swapping, we asked if he could pick some up for us the following day.
Day 5
Catch of the day and learning to make fish burgers
Day 6
A day exploring the fjords
We decided we wanted to do some more exploring of Norway, so we decided we would do the “Norway in a Nutshell” tour from Bergen to Bergen.
Odd picked us up in the morning and took us to the passenger ferry from Kleppestø.
I won’t go into too much detail about it, however, Odd’s advice of going to Voss first — it can be done either way round — was greatly appreciated, as it meant we had a one-hour wait for the ferry in Gudvangen rather than a three-hour wait in Flåm.
After we got back to Kleppestø, Odd picked us up and drove us to Biologen Herdla, where we had the most delicious dinner.
The food was well worth the price and Odd was on hand, ready for the call when we were finished to take us back to Furiholmen.
The weather wasn’t the kindest to us for our last day, but it gave us the opportunity to see the fjord in different conditions.
Instead of our typical activities, we hung out, read books, packed and just made the most of the views from the various seating areas in the cabins.
Odd had clearly decided his cooking student was more capable than we’d thought, as he took the opportunity to cook the most delicious crab spaghetti for lunch — a recipe which we’re all hoping has come home with us.
By the afternoon, the weather had cleared up, so we seized the opportunity to do some fishing and jetskiing.
I even managed to catch a fish, having not fished since I was about 10, so hopefully that gives an idea of quite how manageable it is!
The bumpier waves definitely made the jetski slightly more exciting than it had been on the calmer water, and luckily everyone came back with only their waterproofs slightly soggy.
The weather seemed to get the memo that it was our final day, so we were able to enjoy gin and tonics in the hot tub one last time before moules frites for dinner.
Plenty of chips with pommes frites seasoning and plenty of drinks led to an evening of playing cards and making plans for drinks in the UK.
We were finally graced with Odd’s best fishing story, which we had been teased with all week, and it was definitely worth the wait.
Somehow we all made it to bed still friends despite the competitive nature of the cards and trash talk.
Day 7
A slower day, one last swim and a final dinner
Out of fear of diverting from the status quo, we of course started the day with a lie-in before doing our final packing and a little more jetskiing.
Then a light lunch of various leftovers and some smoked trout Odd had brought for us, and it was unfortunately time to leave and head to Bergen for a few days.
Day 8
Time to leave
- Catherine Swanston