The Bird Cliffs at Runde
Runde is the largest bird island to the south of the Arctic Circle.
The bird cliffs are on the west side of The Runde Mountain and is home for about 100-150,000 seabirds. The bird life has been protected since 1957, but in 1981 new Protection Regulations were decided, that also include both geology and botany at Runde. This should provide better protection against a greater pressure from the increasing tourism. The Goksøyrmyrane Nature Reserve was established in 1996.
Lundeura
The trip from the parking lot to Lundeura takes 40-50 min with normal walking speed. The trail is slightly steep in the beginning, but flattens out and is easy to walk. There are very good hiking trails («klopper» and flagstones), to prevent hikers from getting wet on their feet.
It is very nice to have a snack in Lundura while enjoying the great view of the ocean and the neighbouring islands. If you go further up towards Rundebranden, you will find a number of great picnic areas.
– The kittiwakes, who build their nests in the bird cliff, is used to people, and is happy to share your lunch if you have any leftovers.
The puffins
If you want to see the peculiar and charming Puffins, the best time of day is approx. at 8 pm – 9 pm. From February /March several thousand nesting puffins have their homes in Lundeura (The Puffin Cliff). In the latter half of August, the puffins leave their nests and head towards the open sea in the North Atlantic, where they spend the autumn and winter months. To make sure that the birds are not disturbed in the breeding season, it is forbidden to walk outside the marked paths at Runde.
In Lundeura (The Puffin Cliff), the puffins build their nests in small protected tunnels that they dig out themselves, earth holes or small cavities, in stone walls and in rock cracks.
The female puffin lays only one egg in May-June, which is breeded by both parents. The baby puffins hatches after 40–45 days and remains in the nest until it is fully capable of flying, and independent of its parents, usually after 5-7 weeks (depending on the food supply). Paradoxically, the puffin kid cannot swim in the beginning, so if it falls off the cliff into the sea before it is capable of flying, it will drown.
The hiking trails
The County Governor (Fylkesmannen) of Møre og Romsdal has spent approx. 900,000 environmental NOK on trenching, stone laying and wooden trails («klopper») on the path to Kaldeklova. – Building the new pats is for the good of both hikers, birds and the nature at Runde.
Along the path one can often see the Skua Bird, which nests in Goksøyrmyrane. It can be detrimental to the baby birds if the adult birds are disturbed, and it is therefore recommended to follow the path. – At Runde there is also great pasture for sheep.
At Runde there are several Bird Protection Areas with restrictions on where to walk/ hike in the breeding season. Here is also a marsh nature reserve.
Visitors are therefore requested to stick to marked paths, not to disturb the bird life.
The County Governor (Fylkesmannen) of Møre og Romsdal has spent approx. 900,000 environmental NOK on trenching, stone laying and wooden trails («klopper») on the path to Kaldeklova.
– Building the new pats is for the good of both hikers, birds and the protected nature at Runde.
With an ever increasing number of visitors, the paths at Runde have been subject to heavy wear. When wet and muddy, hikers often choose to bypass marked paths, which has led to an ever-widening damaged area.
– For the sake of considerations of the nature, it is therefore desirable to route the hikers in order to minimize the disturbance of bird life, and also to prevent hikers from making paths in areas reserved for breeding.
Several tonnes of stone slabs have been transported by helicopter and laid nicely to adapt to the terrain. There are also ditches and there are built boulders for the walkers to arrive to their destination without getting wet on their feet.
Rundebranden
Rundebranden is the third largest bird mountain in Norway, and has a bustling bird life as well as a large species selection of plants. The trip from Goksøyr to the top goes smoothly upwards on the well-marked paths.
At the top you get a unique view of the great ocean, the island kingdom, and the mainland mountains from Stadt to Nordmøre. We recommend that you read the safety regulations before entering the area.
The top of Rundebranden is 294 metres above the sea surface. The trip is simple and the season lasts all the year. If you go directly from Goksøyra, the tour takes approx. 1 hour.
It’s great to stand or (preferably) lie down on the edge of Rundebranden and look down on the steep cliff that rise from the sea far down. There is also a ladder for those who want to climb down to a great area where the birds can be watched more closely.