Bekkjarvik is a small village in Austevoll municipality in Hordaland. It has 389 inhabitants and is situated beside Bekkjarviksundet sound. Today, Austevoll has a vibrant coastal culture, a modern fish processing industry and Norway’s biggest fishing and offshore fleets. The archipelago comprises 667 glittering island gems on Norway’s West Coast.
History
Bekkjarvik grew up around one of the oldest guest harbours on the west coast. A royal privilege granted in the seventeenth century made the sheltered sound a licensed stopping place for the coastal traffic between Bergen and Stavanger, and the old trading station — Bekkjarvik Gjestgiveri — has welcomed travellers ever since.
Sailing ships, later steamers and today fishing vessels and yachts have all used the same narrow, protected inlet, and the wooden quays and boathouses around it still give the village its shape.
Life today
Austevoll is one of Norway's wealthiest fishing communities, home to a large ocean-going fleet and to modern salmon farming. The quayside in Bekkjarvik is busy with working boats, and the local kitchen has a national reputation for seafood.
Points of interest
Bekkjarvik Gjestgiveri trading station
The guest harbour and boathouse quays
Coastal walks across the Austevoll islands
Local seafood restaurants and fish landings
