Nova Beaches

The coast around Nova and Peraküla in northwestern Estonia carries beaches of unusually pure white quartz sand, and the grains are uniform and clean enough that walking on the dry sand produces an audible squeak, which is why they are known locally as singing sands. The beaches run for several kilometres backed by dunes and pine forest, with shallow water a long way out and very few people even in high summer. Peraküla, Nova and Dirhami are the access points, with campsites, an RMK forest hut and marked trails through the pine. The Nova landscape reserve protects the dune and forest system behind the shore.

Highlights

• The white sand - the quartz beaches that squeak underfoot.
• Dunes and pine - the forest system behind the shore.
• Shallow water - the long gently shelving approach to depth.
• Forest trails - the marked routes through the pine behind.

When to go

June to August for swimming, though the Baltic here stays cool. The beaches are quiet even in high season. Spring and autumn are good for walking the forest trails. Winter is bleak and windy.

Good to know

The water is cold, shallow a long way out, and often windy. Facilities are campsites and forest huts, not resorts. There are no lifeguards. Mosquitoes in the pine forest are persistent in summer.

Nearby

Dirhami harbour lies north; Haapsalu is southwest.