The Coastal Trail Søndre Sandøy
Bring your bike! Here, on the car-free island there are so many wide and narrow paths that it would take days to get to know them all, so here the bike comes in handy. The coastal trail om Søndre Sandøy is just a tiny part of the large network of paths on Norway's most forested island. The coastal trail starts at the island's ferry landing in the south, Nedgården. From here the trail makes a swing of the southern part of the island (approximately 3.5 km). It then winds through woods, agricultural landscapes and then down to beautiful sandy beaches.
Although the island is Norway's most forested, the landscape changes frequently, and sometimes instantly, when you're biking on the island. Green meadows and farmland, stately wooden villas from the 1800's and red boathouses, forest with a delicious scent of pine needles, sandy beaches and an open archipelago landscape with bare polished rocks and islets - makes your bicycle ride an idyllic experience.
Gjølertangen Nature Reserve, Søndre Sandøy
Fredrikstad
There are many highlights during the last leg of the Fredrikstad coastal trail. Here you can experience the swimming spots Foten, Helleskilen, Dypeklo and Solvika at Engelsviken. Torgauten fortress, dramatic viewpoints, such as Helleskilfjellet, Dypeklo, Mærrapanna, Vikane, Bråtaberget and Smaustangen, Blåsopp picnic area with a direction disk, Engelsviken and magnificent Elingaard mansion.
Kirkøy
Kirkøy has a rich history with memorials from changing eras, Bronze Age mounds, house foundations from the Middle Ages, a medieval church, nature reserve and remains of masonry.
Vesterøy
To walk the coastail trail on Vesterøy is a trip that offers most of what a true hiking heart may desire. Here you can see Hvaler in a "nutshell", and the best of what Norway has to offer in terms of archipelago nature.
Asmaløy
The coastal path on Asmaløy starts at Åsebu by Hvaler's main road. From here the trail continues along the idyllic Asmal sound and down to Brattestø where we find the first attraction on the trip, the Pikesten Lighthouse. The trail continues past Pikesten and further soutwards. Here is a wonderful public area with lush meadows, coastal heathlands, pebble rocks and one of Hvaler's longest continuous polished rock areas.
About the coastal trail in Hvaler
The official Coastal Trail presently only exists on the Hvaler islands Søndre Sandøy, Kirkøy, Asmaløy and Vesterøy. The official coastal trail network doesn't consist of as many kilometers as one would expect in such a large open air paradise. There are footpaths on the Hvaler islands which have been there for several hundred years. It's probably of minor importance for your open air experience whether the path is marked with a blue sign or not. Please, help yourself to the most marvellous hiking landscape you can imagine.
