Solastranden

Solastranden runs about two kilometres of firm pale sand backed by low dunes on the Jaeren coast just south of Stavanger, close enough to the city and the airport that planes pass low overhead on approach. It is the best-used beach in the region: families in July, kite and windsurfers whenever the wind is up, and surfers through the colder months when the Atlantic swell arrives. A surf school and rental operate near the main car park, and a beach hotel sits behind the dunes. The dune system is protected, with marked crossings to keep people off the marram grass. Sunsets over the North Sea are the local ritual, and in June the light lasts most of the night.

What you actually see

• The two-kilometre beach - firm pale sand backed by dunes.
• The surf scene - schools, rentals and year-round wave riders.
• The protected dunes - marram systems with marked crossing paths.
• The sunsets - long northern evenings over the North Sea.

When to go

June to August for the warmest water, which still means around sixteen degrees; September to April for the most reliable surf, with a thick wetsuit essential. Wind is common in every season.

Honest expectations

The water is cold and there are no lifeguards, with rip currents when the swell is up. Aircraft noise from the adjacent airport is constant. Parking fills on hot weekends, and the dunes must not be walked on outside the marked paths.

Nearby

Stavanger old town is fifteen minutes away; the Jaeren beaches continue south along the coast.