The small village Bjoneroa is located where the lake Randsfjorden makes a curve, creating a bay where the river Bjoneelva outflows. The area of the municipality Gran west of the lake Randsfjorden, is all part of the Bjoneroa district – a small society with approximately 500 inhabitants scattered on approximately 200 households.
Traditional industry in Bjoneroa has been agricultural activities. The number of persons related to these industries has decreased over the years. Today most people have their work outside the village. Many inhabitants travel to the opposite side of the lake Randsfjorden, to the districts near by and other places in the east area of Norway. A small part of the population in Bjoneroa has their daily work at local public services or different kinds of local businesses.
The obvious centre of the region is the area where the school, the church and other important institutions are located. The two local convenience stores and the ferry are also important locations. The local community are characterized by the solidarity and the joint understanding of what needs to be present for a small society to work. The voluntary spirit has always been strong in Bjoneroa. Local patriotism and involvement is the driving force for a lot of hard-working people in Bjoneroa. Perhaps that’s why there are more facilities than the population signifies.
The local nursery, primary and lower secondary school are very important for the community. All these parts are joined in one organization, since they separately are quite small units. Children aged 1-16 years old get their first education locally. For further basic and higher education, young people need to commute or move to a larger place.
Outstanding nature and closeness to water are important words when describing Bjoneroas surroundings. Consequently, quite a lot of tourists are attracted to Bjoneroa because they want variable and high quality wildlife experiences.
The landscape is characterized by steep hills with conifer forest, climbing from the lake Randsfjorden, 134 meters above sea level, up to a plateau approximately 400 meters above sea level. On this plateau, you will find a lot of small lakes. You will also find the beautiful area, Fjorda on this plateau. Skykuåsen (Varden) is the highest point on the hill, 653 meters (2143) above sea level.
The lake Randsfjorden is the fourth biggest lake in Norway with its 138 square kilometres. It's 75 kilometres (46,6 miles) long, up to 121 meters (397 ft.) deep and stretches from the river Etna, close to Dokka in the north, to the river Randselva, close to Jevnaker, in the south.
Historically, the lake Randsfjorden represent an important traffic artery, as well as an immense utilized source of food. In times past, steamboats used to traffic the lake criss-cross. Today however, the lake Randsfjorden is, at the contrary, considered more of a communication obstacle. Crossing it is dependant on the local car ferry, Randsfjordferga. Circumventing the lake entail a considerable detour. The lake Randsfjorden is today mostly used for outdoor life and recreation.
Fjorda is a nature-paradise covering a great part of the hill between Bjoneroa and Ådal. Numerous lakes, of which Haukfjorden and Velmunden are the two largest, are connected together through a vast number of straits, alongside narrow manmade canals. The water-area covers almost 10 square kilometres (almost 4 square miles), and has a shoreline of 170 kilometres (106 miles). You will find a lot of small islands and islets here. Many canoeists find their way to Fjorda. In fact there is roughly 15000 overnight stays in tent per year in this area. Fjorda is indeed a popular area for angling. Strains of perch, powan, trout and Arctic char engender Fjorda splendid fishing lakes.
Many years ago, a lot of cabins were built to house the inhabitants and land owners when they were working in the woods, hunting, fishing and collecting berries. Today these cabins are unique leisure properties, used in the winter as well as in the summer. In the later years, some parts of the north-west area have been released for building of more cabins. Cabins and houses are adapted to fit in the surroundings, and most of Fjorda does still emerge as untouched nature.
1. Solvik Kanoutleie (Canoes for hire)
2. Storgrunnvika, Parking/starting point for canoes
3. Vestland Kanoutleie (Canoes for hire)
4. Hovsætervika, Parking/starting point for canoes
5. Haukrævsundet, place for tents w/toilet
6. Overdragsla, place for tents w/toilet
7. Storholmen, place for tents w/toilet
8. Askimtangen, place for tents w/toilet
9. Ålbågan, place for tents w/toilet
In the wintertime, you can find nice ski tracks on Fjorda.