AT A GLANCE
Why go?
Blenut—more often written Blenuten, and known locally as Viermyrnuten or Sørkjenuten—is a 1,213-metre peak that marks the northern shoulder of the Store Ble ridge in the Blefjell highlands on the Buskerud–Telemark border. Set just inside the Rollag municipality, it is the quiet, windswept entry point to one of southern Norway's most accessible mountain areas, roughly ninety minutes' drive from Oslo. The summit itself is a rounded fell-top above the treeline, dotted with small tarns and crossed by the Norwegian Touring Association's marked T-route that runs the length of Storeble.↗↗↗↗
What gives the area its character is the open, gentle relief of the ridge—small lakes, boggy hollows and the occasional stand of old pine—combined with the presence of Blefjell's wild reindeer herd, which moves across Storeble year-round. From the Blenut end of the ridge, walkers looking south catch a long view over the spine that rises toward Åklinuten (1,246 m) and ultimately Bletoppen (1,342 m), the highest point on Blefjell.↗↗↗
The high northern edge of Storeble
Blefjell is a relatively small but distinctive mountain plateau split into two parts: Vesleble to the south and east, lower and more sheltered, and Storeble—the long north–south ridge where all the high summits gather. Blenuten sits at the very top of that ridge. The Norwegian Wikipedia entry on Blefjell describes Storeble as the elevated area that stretches from Blenuten (1213 moh) in the north down to Sigridsfjell (1194 moh) in the south, and notes that the terrain lies largely above the tree line and is home to the Blefjell reindeer herd.↗
Peak-listing sources record the summit at 1,213 m with a modest topographic prominence of around 105 m, and the gazetteer puts the next higher neighbours at Åklinuten (1,246 m) just 2.7 km to the south, with Flesebekkble and Nystölnuten a longer walk away. In other words, standing on Blenuten means standing at the start of a ridge, not at a lonely spike—you are looking down the spine that everyone else has come to climb.↗↗
Walking the ridge
The most natural way to visit is as part of a longer walk on the T-marked DNT trail that links Nordstul in the south to Numedalen Kro in the north, passing the unmanned DNT cabins Eriksbu and Sigridsbu along the way. The paastreif guide breaks the route into short, comfortable stages: Numedalen Kro to Eriksbu in about 3.5 hours, Eriksbu to Sigridsbu in 4 hours and Sigridsbu to Nordstul in 2 hours, with the option of starting from Butjønn in the north to skip some climbing. Side trips from the route take in peaks such as Åklinuten, Gråfjell, Brørsteinan, Bleporten and Bletoppen itself.↗↗
The landscape around Blenut is open and undulating, with countless small lakes, good fishing in many of them (a fishing licence is required), and easy tent pitches almost everywhere. Because Blefjell is a relatively snow-light area, hikers often get the first trips in by late May or June, but conditions vary year to year and checking the snow situation before heading out is part of the routine.↗
Reindeer, herders and an explorer's training ground
Blefjell's wild reindeer population grazes the Storeble ridge, so visitors crossing the high ground near Blenut should expect to share the plateau with the herd and respect reindeer protection zones during calving season. Cultural traces sit just as visibly in the landscape: summer-farm sites from old sæter herding are scattered across the area, old mining workings lie toward the south end of Blefjell, and in World War II several milorg huts in this region hid members of the Norwegian resistance.↗↗
The peak also carries a quieter association with Norwegian polar history. The local name Sørkjenuten recalls Fridtjof Nansen's hut at Sørkje on nordre Ble, where he trained for his polar expeditions; the paastreif writer notes that more adventurous skiers still follow his example by cutting trail across the plateau in rough weather between Bolkesjø and the Sørkje area.↗↗
Visiting Blenut
Blefjell sits on the border between Buskerud and Telemark, with Blenut in the Rollag side and a roughly ninety-minute drive from Oslo. Common starting points for a ridge walk that touches Blenut are Numedalen Kro or Butjønn in the north, or the road/stile up from Bolkesjøveien to Nordstul in the south. Two unmanned DNT cabins, Eriksbu and Sigridsbu, provide overnight bases along the T-route, and both allow dogs.↗↗
The terrain above the tree line is open and easy to follow but offers no landmarks to bail you out of bad weather: the area is exposed, snow can linger into June, and visibility on the plateau can drop quickly in fog. Carry a map, GPS or downloaded track, check the forecast and the current snow report, and bring layers for cold winds even on a summer morning. Treat the reindeer as the resident population of this mountain and you'll leave with one of southern Norway's quieter, more reflective summit experiences.↗↗
What makes it special
About 1.5 hours by car from Oslo and reached via the marked DNT trail between Nordstul and Numedalen Kro↗
Part of the Blefjell wild reindeer range, with small lakes, old sæter sites and WWII milorg hideouts across the high ground↗
Fridtjof Nansen trained here at his hut at Sørkje; the name Sørkjenuten remembers him
A little planning goes a long way
- Plan a multi-day ridge walk rather than an out-and-back day trip: Blenut sits at the end of a long Storeble traverse best enjoyed via overnight stops at the unmanned DNT cabins Eriksbu and Sigridsbu.↗
- Check the current snow conditions before going—Blefjell is snow-light, so early summer starts are possible, but the year varies.↗
- Carry a fishing licence if you plan to fish in the small lakes of the ridge; many are good but regulated.↗
- Bring navigation skills or a GPS track. The plateau is easy to walk across but has few clear trails and offers no obvious landmarks in fog.↗
- If travelling with a dog, both DNT cabins on the route allow them; arrange a car-swap with fellow hikers rather than relying on public buses between Numedalen and the southern starts.↗
About this guide
Compiled with AI assistance from the sources below; this is not a first-hand visit. Place details collected October 5, 2026. Hours, access and ratings can change; confirm with the venue before visiting.
