The ringing stone at Halsnøy
Type: Ringing stone
Local name: Klokkesteinen
Locatity
County: Vestland
Municipality: Kvinnherad
Location: Landamarka, Landa, Halsnøy
The ringing stone is located centrally on Halsnøy, a few of kilometers southeast of Sæbøvik. If you arrive to Ranavik ferry quay from Stord, follow County Road 544 to the roundabout some 1 km east of Sæbøvik city center. Take the first exit at the roundabout, towards Sydnes. After 600 meters, turn slightly right towards Sydnes. After 300 meters turn right, at the sign ‘Bjoanes næringspark’ and ‘Klokkesteinen’. At this junction there is parking. 60 meters from the junction there is a signposted path to the right (west) to the stone, which is situated about 20 meters from the road.
Description
This is a solid boulder, a glacial erratic from the ice age. The boulder is square, about 4–5 meters in width / length, and a few meters high. It is not completely massive but has several cracks, and smaller stones have become stuck. The best sound is found a few meters up from the ground on one side. There, a part of the boulder hangs freely like a kind of tongue, with air behind. The sound is very good and clear, resembling a church bell ringing. Large, powerful cup marks show that people have struck at this spot. The good sound in the rock, especially at this spot, is presumably due to the tongue with air underneath – rather than the geological structure.
Cultural history and tradition
The ringing stone is known in the local community, especially after signsposts were placed. It was Kurt Henriksen, who worked in Kvinnherad reiselivslag, who took the initiative to put up the signs, after he had come in touch with an older man who had grown up nearby. This guy said they used to play on the rock when they were boys. He told that when they passed the stone—for example after they had played and skated on the boggy lands below the stone—always stopped and made sound on the stone. The man said that the ringing stone was about to be forgotten, and that very few people knew about it. After the signposts came up, the ringing stone soon became a tourist attraction. It has happened that busloads of tourists have stopped to see —and hear—this natural phenomenon. There are no signs of cup marks or other ancient monuments on or around the boulder. A few years ago, there were plans to blow up the boulder in connection with a planned housing estate, but fortunately, the authorities changed their plans.
Bilder
