Medium The rocky outcrop you can see sticking out like a thumb high above the Jøsenfjord is Skomakarnibbå, the Shoemaker's Crag. It hangs 741 metres above the water and is the third great cliff viewpoint in Ryfylke after Kjerag and Preikestolen.
The name comes from an old legend. A travelling shoemaker had been condemned to death, but some good people got him pardoned on one condition: he had to sit on the outermost tip of this cliff and finish sewing a pair of shoes. He crawled out along the narrow edge and began his work. But just as he was about to hammer in the last nail, he spotted a wedding procession rowing across the fjord below. He became dizzy, lost his balance, and fell into the abyss. According to the legend, the rock itself will fall into the fjord when seven sisters who marry on the same day row beneath it.
In the 2000s, lightning struck the outcrop and a piece broke off. If you compare old postcards with how it looks today, you can see it is visibly shorter.
This hike was popular long before Preikestolen became famous. Old photographs from over a hundred years ago show well-dressed society people from Stavanger posing at Hagalid before making the climb. The reason is simple: you can easily see Skomakarnibbå from the fjord. Preikestolen is nearly invisible from the water.
The hike starts at Hagalid farm and takes around six hours return. It is demanding, with boggy sections and steep climbs. Do not go out onto the rock formation itself. It is unstable and dangerous.