Stories

Salmon fishing

The Tovdal river runs through the Boen property. You can take a morning dip in it if you like, as people at Boen have done for at least 500 years.

Back in the 1500s, when King Christian II of Denmark and Norway held the rights to fish in it, the river below the waterfall was full of salmon heading upriver to spawn. We know of the river’s riches in part due to the amount of fish Christian II expected from the prominent officials to whom he conferred the rights to fish in it – 10 tons of salmon and 100 cured salmons annually.

In the 1800s English tourists and anglers discovered the Tovdal river and the comfortable hospitality of Boen farm. Several of the fishing spots along the beat bear the names of the English lords that would come there to fish.

Reclaimed from the ravages of acid rain, the river was restored in the 1990s and once again holds a vibrant, sustainable strain of salmon.

Boen farm is a boutique hotel set on a grand estate with a river running through it. Discover the hotel

Along the part of the river that runs through the Boen estate, you will find rapids as well as pools, both equally accessible from fishing spots on both sides of the river. Humans work diligently together with grazing sheep to keep the riverbeds clear of vegetation.

The river is unregulated, so its water level varies in accordance with nature. Boen is at the mouth of the river, so regardless of whether the river runs high or low, there is fish in it.

Whether the fish bites or not is another matter, as all anglers will be well aware. But never mind, in the beautifully restored buildings along the river you can fall asleep to the river’s whisper (or roar, depending on the season) of new opportunities. In the morning, you can wake up, raise your head from the pillow and rest your eyes on the river floating by.