Degernes offers several distinct themes: church history, the technological history of Sandbekk Mill, and trails leading to archaeological traces and a lookout tower. There is also a swimming spot and a range of activities. This makes it easy to choose according to your interests in culture, hiking and active recreation.
Church and Mill History
The pulpit dating from 1554 comes from Degernes Church and is Norway’s oldest surviving pulpit. It is now housed at the Norwegian Museum of Cultural History. Degernes Church itself is a brick church built in 1862, after the original medieval church at this site was demolished. The church’s altarpiece dates from around 1700. The sequence of a medieval predecessor, a 19th-century church and an older pulpit gives the local history several distinct points of reference.
Sandbekk Mill can also be placed in chronological context: the first mill on the site was a watermill in 1650; the present mill was built in 1904 and restored. It is the last of its kind in the county and the only one with an overshot waterwheel. Its outer diameter is 430 cm. Its year of construction, restoration and wheel dimensions make the mill a particularly vivid example of the area’s technical heritage.
Activities, Swimming Spot and Archaeological Traces
Helsetrimløypa has exercise and strength-training stations, with signs explaining how to use them. Another activity option is the pump track behind Degerneshallen at Idrettsveien 8. Its curves are considered challenging. A bench provides a place to rest and have a snack between laps. The stations along Helsetrimløypa and the pump track therefore offer different ways to enjoy active recreation in Degernes.
Holtetjern is a swimming spot in southern Degernes. The turnoff from FV 220 is signposted; after following a gravel road, you’ll find a large car park. Høgnipen, meanwhile, is a hiking area located mostly in southern Degernes. A marked trail leads to a Stone Age settlement and a lookout tower. A 5.5-metre-high tower stands on Høgnipa. The sites Rørmyr I and II and Mellommyr near Høgnipen are considered among the oldest of their kind in Norway.
Lilleheier Gård adds another cultural dimension. In an old barn, the farm offers an old-fashioned rural atmosphere, with a focus on nostalgia, tradition and woodwork.
Directions and Further Context
The directions given for Høgnipen lead from Rakkestad via FV 111 towards Sarpsborg; then follow the Historica signs to Bredholt. Check the signs on site before following this route description. Specific directions are also available for Sandbekk Mill: its car park is about 200 metres along Hivannveien from the junction with FV 665.
In the wider destination of Rakkestad, Rakkestadfjella offers an additional focus on the natural landscape. It is Rakkestad’s largest continuous hiking area and has more than 80 km of marked summer trails. There are also around 70 km of ski trails. The summer trails and ski trails cater to different seasons and complement Degernes’s cultural and technological history with another aspect of the Rakkestad destination.
For the wider travel overview: Rakkestad.
