Jaeren Coast

Jaeren breaks the Norwegian pattern completely: instead of fjords and cliffs, a flat open coastal plain runs for about seventy kilometres, with long sand beaches, dune belts, shallow lakes and some of the best farmland in the country, cleared over generations into fields divided by dry stone walls built from the boulders the ice left behind. The wind is constant and the light unusually wide. The beaches at Borestranda, Orre, Brusand and Ogna are the main surf breaks in Norway alongside Stad, and the whole stretch is a protected landscape and an important bird area, with restrictions on where you may walk in the nesting season. The railway line runs parallel with stations near several beaches.

What you actually see

• The long sand beaches - Borestranda, Orre, Brusand and Ogna in sequence.
• The dry stone walls - field boundaries built from cleared glacial boulders.
• The dune belts - protected sand systems behind the beaches.
• The bird life - migrating and nesting birds on the shallow lakes and shore.

When to go

May to September for walking and swimming, though the water stays cold; autumn and winter bring the best surf and dramatic storm light. Nesting restrictions apply on parts of the shore in spring and early summer.

Honest expectations

The wind is relentless and can make a beach day uncomfortable even in July. Water temperatures rarely exceed sixteen degrees. Sections are closed or restricted for bird protection, and signs must be followed. Facilities at most beaches are limited to a car park and toilets.

Nearby

Stavanger and the Lysefjord are north; the Magma Geopark and Egersund lie south.