Katavågen

In the Middle Ages you could sail into Katavågen, both from Nørvasundet in the North and from Klokkarsundet in the South. Katavågen was a safe harbour in all types of weather. Today it is shallow here, but in the Middle Ages the water was a good deal higher. Most of the bottom is covered in a thick layer of mud. Very little of the bottom has been examined by archeologists. Regardless there have been many finds here, amongst other things a number of boat nails, which can indicate that larger boats were built here in Katavågen. The inlet into Klokkarsundet was not especially deep, and in the later Middle Ages trading ships become bigger and ran deeper. In addition, an uplift in the land made it more shallow. When yachts and broad rowing boats took over from the trading ships then Katavågen and Borgund were no longer suitable harbours for larger boats