Staying at a traditional Norwegian farm where you can take part of the daily farm life while enjoying the breathtaking views, the fresh homemade breakfast and all the winter activities like sledge and cross-country.
At the end of January we visited for the first time Gausdal, which is a 3 hour drive from Oslo and has the most amazing winter landscape. While we were driving, the car thermometer marked -21C outside and everything was completely covered with snow. Even the road was carved between two tall snow walls!
It wasn't until we reached Paulsrud Farm, which lies on a mountain side, that we realised how amazing the view was, full of white mountains and little cabins, just pure nature all around us.
PAULSRUD FARM
Paulsrud Gård is a Norwegian authentic working dairy farm, built in 1800 and it has been in the same family for more than 100 years.
The farm has an extensive land that covers great part of the hill side. At the top there is a beautiful forest with the most amazing view of the valley where you have a glimpse of the river that runs between the two mountains.
As you arrive at the entrance you are greeted by the farm best friends, the cows! Or in this particular case the sound and smell of the cows, since it is way too cold for them to be outside.
They are kept in a gigantic traditional timber barn with huge hay rolls at the entrance, wrapped in white plastic.
Besides the barn you also have the main house, where the owners live, a small chicken coop with warm red lights inside and some cabins for their guests to stay at.
There are 3 rustic cabins in the farm that you can rent. They have been built by the current owners that tried to keep them as close to traditional as possible. We stayed at the cabin called Gamlestue, which is the biggest and more comfortable one.
GAMLESTUE
The cabin where we stayed at is by far the biggest of them all. Unlike the others, Gamlestue has internet, controlled heating and a modern toilet. Although it is constructed so you have the absolute best comfort while staying there, it is also traditionally decorated with great detail and nostalgia.
The owners explained that this cabin was once completely destroyed. The roof had fallen down and everything that was inside was ruined by the elements.
They took the time, money and effort to rebuild it back to its original glory, constructing a new addition to accommodate the entrance, a bathroom and a secondary bedroom.
It was also interesting to learn that this is a "dismountable" cabin! In the old times, in Norway, it was common to build timber log houses that could be dismountable in case they needed to be moved someplace else. They would mark the logs with numbers or some kind of mark to know what pieces would fit together. So Gamlestue has actually been located in different spots in the farm over the years.
One of the things that surprised me was how comfortable the cabin was.
When we go on cabin trips that look traditional, like this one, we expect them to have the smallest comforts.
I would expect to find a small and old type of kitchen, an outside toilet, no hot water, sometimes not even water or electricity. But Gamlestue has everything you need to have a relaxing and warm stay.
The kitchen is big and well equipped. It even has a dish washer! The bathroom is modern with a nice shower. And the bed, oh the bed... is very comfortable!
The size of the cabin is perfect for a family or a small group of friends. There are two bedrooms and more than enough space at the table and in the sofa area.
Something that I really appreciate in Gamlestue is that although it is modern and comfortable at the same time it is rustic and traditional. It doesn't let you forget that you are in Norway, on a farm, in a traditional old timber house. Well, you wouldn't forget anyway since every single view out of the windows is of the breathtaking mountains and valley.
The decoration is clearly handpicked with love and patience. The furniture feels very Norwegian like in a family hytte, but then you also see inspiration from other countries like Italy and the USA. Just overall very charming!
BREAKFAST
One of the most unique things about staying in Paulsrud Gård is that they try to include you as much as possible in their daily farm life, this means bringing directly to your door fresh produce.
In our case we were entitled to a delicious breakfast that included eggs from their chicken, home-baked bread, and my favourite, fresh milk taken from their cows.
I am not a milk type of person and believe when I say that I drank the whole bottle!
It made me wonder if this is what they can deliver during winter then what amazing things they can produce during spring and summer. I guess I'll have to come back and see.
I also have to say that, eating breakfast while looking out of the window seeing the amazing view and everything covered in white, really made me feel deeply relaxed.
WINTER ACTIVITIES AT THE FARM
A big plus about Paulsrud Gård is that it is not just a "hotel" in a beautiful landscape. They also have plenty of activities happening the whole year.
During winter, at the farm, you can for example go on a walk with snow shoes, that look and feel like you have massive tennis raquetts tied to your feet.
You need to wear these shoes when there is a lot of snow or else your feet just go into a deep hole and you can’t walk.
Another activity you can do at the farm is Sledge! They have a road, that is more than 1 km long, starting at the top of the mountain, passing thought the middle of the forest, and ending at the farm.
They pulled us with a snow scooter until the top and then it is was just a matter of going down with the sledges. It was a lot of fun!
Something else that is definitely a plus is the amount of cross-country possibilities in the area! It was one of our best cross-country experiences! So many different choices of well kept tracks in stunning nature.
I have always wondered how it must be to have a farm in Norway during winter. It was nice to learn a bit more about the farm daily life and get a much needed rest in the middle of such beautiful landscape.
I think people might think that there is not much to do during winter in these type of accommodation but that is definitely not true. There is so much to do! And the winter landscape in these places is so special.
Paulsrud Farm is definitely a place we recommend and would happily come back to.
PAULSRUD GÅRD website:
https://www.gaardsferie.com/
DISCLAIMER: Thank you Paulsrud Gård for having us. All accommodation /experiences were gifted. I did not receive payment in exchange for this video. All opinions expressed are my own and not edited by any companies mentioned.
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