© Stad kommune

Kjøde

Kjøde lies at the southern end of the north shore of the Stad peninsula and is an idyllic little village with a long history.

From time immemorial, people have used the path across Mannseidet between Moldefjorden and Kjøde instead of taking their chances by boat on the dangerous waters around the Stad peninsula. Today, a journey across Mannseidet is a journey through the history of Norwegian road construction. The road is one of the oldest developed roads in Western Norway and is mentioned in both the Snorre sagas and Egil’s saga.

The road over the isthmus is approx. 3 km long with a surface covered by vegetation. It is mostly free of trees and shrubs, and in many places the road is crossed by new roads. Pilgrims have historically used Mannseidet on their way to the holy island of Selja.

When you drive into Stad municipality from the north, Skorge is the first of eight farms you see. Several of the farms in Kjøde are mentioned as far back as 1563, and the same farm names are still in use today.

Steep mountains and narrow fjords mean that Kjøde does not get that much sun, but the farm Lille-Kjøde, which is located on the west side of inner Kjødepollen in steep terrain, has historically been considered a farm with good light conditions. The farm is also sheltered from the worst sea wind.

Kjødepollen post office was established on 1 October 1949. Mail to and from the area was sent by the secondary mail route 4915 Måløy – Stadlandet. The post office was an institution in the village until it was closed down on 1 November 1983.

At the far end of Kjødepollen there is a power station and a pipeline. Alongside the pipeline, a wooden staircase called Tusentrinnstrappa (‘the Thousand Steps’) has been built. There are wonderful views down to the fjord from the top. A steep path continues up from the top of the stairs. When you get to the top, great hiking terrain opens up with several trails and many fishing lakes from which to choose. You can find details on this and more trips at UT.no

It is in Kjødepollen that the Stad ship tunnel will have its entrance. Ever since the mid-1980s, a major effort has been underway to start blasting out a 1,800-metre-long ship tunnel from Eide in Moldefjorden, under Mannseidet, to Kjødepollen on the other side of the Stad peninsula.