Two ferries connect Volda with the small villages of Folkestad and Lauvstad across the fjord. The large ferry quay in the west of Volda is hard to miss when strolling through the area around Volda's harbor. With its huge gray parking lot and a dozen or so waiting lanes, some might argue that it does not fit in with the small town of Volda, but the ferry connections are of great importance to the people who live or work on the other side of the Voldsfjord: Without the ferry, the only way to get from Volda to Lauvstad by car would be a drive more than 8 times as long and the journey would take you a whole hour more than the ferry ride. You can check the departure times on the website of FRAM, the public transportation service in the Møre og Romsdal region.

The ferries are free for passengers traveling on foot, so a nice way to get an overview as well as a new perspective on Volda and its surrounding hills can be the ferry to either Folkestad or Lauvstad. In winter it is even more popular to take the ferry at night when there is a high chance of seeing the Northern Lights, as there is less light pollution on the fjord.

Another interesting feature of the ferry between Volda and Folkestad is that it has been retrofitted with electric motors and is now a hybrid. According to the manufacturer, this reduces its CO2 emissions by approximately 1323 tons per year, which, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency, is the equivalent of around 280 gasoline-powered passenger cars on the road for an entire year. The ferry is recharged when it docks at the ferry quays in Volda and Folkestad. This is a fascinating thing to see in person: the moment the ferry docks in Volda, a gigantic charging cable is lowered down a large gray mechanical arm towards the ship's charging port, which then connects magnetically to the charger. The cable can be seen in the picture above. In the event of a shortage of shore power, there are two small backup generators on board that can power the ferry for a short period of time.

Go and enjoy the other side of the beautiful Voldsfjord by taking the ferry!