Lægdafossen is the first major waterfall you see as you enter the Nærøyfjord from the Aurlandsfjord. It appears on the east side just before you pass the point of Krossnes. The waterfall drops a total of 575 metres in six to eight distinct steps, with the main visible plunge about 75 metres. From the boat, you see the lower section tumbling into the river Sagelvi before it reaches the fjord.
The name Sagelvi gives away the history: "saw river." There was a sawmill here, fed by the mountain farm of Lægdene above. In the mid-1800s, Lægdene had a fine pine forest that was cut down and processed at the sawmill below. The lumber went straight onto boats in the fjord. When the forest was gone, so was the sawmill. The waterfall remained.
On the opposite side of the fjord, the river Kappadalsgrovi tumbles down into Kappadalsviki bay. Between these two waterfalls, you are crossing into the Nærøyfjord proper. The fjord narrows from here. The mountains close in, the light changes, and the scale shifts. Lægdafossen is your signal that the wide, comfortable Aurlandsfjord is behind you.
The name Sagelvi gives away the history: "saw river." There was a sawmill here, fed by the mountain farm of Lægdene above. In the mid-1800s, Lægdene had a fine pine forest that was cut down and processed at the sawmill below. The lumber went straight onto boats in the fjord. When the forest was gone, so was the sawmill. The waterfall remained.
On the opposite side of the fjord, the river Kappadalsgrovi tumbles down into Kappadalsviki bay. Between these two waterfalls, you are crossing into the Nærøyfjord proper. The fjord narrows from here. The mountains close in, the light changes, and the scale shifts. Lægdafossen is your signal that the wide, comfortable Aurlandsfjord is behind you.