On the hilltop of Skårabrekka south of Egersund, 16 standing stones form a circle roughly 21 metres across, the tallest rising about 1.2 metres above the ground. The name Stoplesteinane comes from Old Norse stopull, related to staff or stave. Oral tradition calls this a Viking Age Thing site, a governing assembly place, but comparative studies suggest such stone circles are typically graves from the Late Bronze Age through the Early Iron Age, roughly 500 BC to 600 AD. A fire layer discovered in the centre in the early 1930s could indicate a cremation burial, but was never properly documented. The two interpretations may not be mutually exclusive: a grave monument from the older Iron Age could have been reused as a Thing site centuries later.
An old travel route called Den indre ridevei, the Inner Riding Path, or St. Olav's Way, passes directly by the stone circle, still visible as a green strip in the vegetation. According to legend, Olav the Holy sailed his ship over land to escape enemies at Egersund. The tale says his ship rose into the air at Kompaasen on Eigerøy, flew across the strait, climbed Skårabrekka, and continued on to Skåra. The route is part of the broader Kystpilegrimsleia, the Coastal Pilgrim Route.
The site is part of Magma UNESCO Global Geopark. From Rv 44 towards Hauge i Dalane, take the left exit past Bohus shopping centre, follow the gravel road up the hill through the gate, and walk about 20 minutes to the stones.
An old travel route called Den indre ridevei, the Inner Riding Path, or St. Olav's Way, passes directly by the stone circle, still visible as a green strip in the vegetation. According to legend, Olav the Holy sailed his ship over land to escape enemies at Egersund. The tale says his ship rose into the air at Kompaasen on Eigerøy, flew across the strait, climbed Skårabrekka, and continued on to Skåra. The route is part of the broader Kystpilegrimsleia, the Coastal Pilgrim Route.
The site is part of Magma UNESCO Global Geopark. From Rv 44 towards Hauge i Dalane, take the left exit past Bohus shopping centre, follow the gravel road up the hill through the gate, and walk about 20 minutes to the stones.
