Norway is known for the northern lights, short nights in summer, numerous fjords in dreamlike landscapes - and every now and then you hear about good surfing conditions along the coastline. That's where I want to go ... After researching on the internet and taking a closer look at the map, I quickly found a few spots. As I wanted to go on this trip with my girlfriend, I was looking for a suitable supporting programme. However, the focus was on good windsurfing spots, as there were some reports about Norwai'i and the anticipation was growing. Without further ado, I packed the van, booked a ferry from Hirtshals to Larvik and looked forward to an exciting time with my girlfriend and a solid forecast.
Travelling to Norway
To travel directly to Norway, you can take the ferry. There are various ferry routes that run regularly from German and Danish harbours to Norwegian cities. Popular departure harbours include Kiel or Hirtshals in Denmark, from where you can travel to Oslo, Kristiansand, Stavanger, Larvik or Bergen. We travelled from Hirtshals, to pick up a few more sessions in Hanstholm, with the Color Line for just under four hours to Larvik. Another option is to travel to Norway by car via Sweden. There are still some good windsurfing spots on this route, especially near Varberg.
Prices in Norway
In Norway, payment is made in kroner (NOK). We didn't need cash once during our entire stay, as the development in Norway is much more advanced and really everything can be paid for by credit card. However, the cost of living is significantly higher. In Oslo, for example, you pay on average three to four times more for food than what we are used to in Germany. We took some food with us before our trip and were therefore able to save a lot of money. To return to the topic of development - in Norway you have to pay tolls for motorways, bridges and tunnels. The so-called Autopass scans the licence plate and you can then pay via an app or wait at home for the bill. However, you can often avoid the Autopass by taking the longer but usually more beautiful tourist routes.
Windsurfing spots in the south of Norway
1. salt stone
When I arrived in Norway, I was immediately surprised with a good session near Larvik. Saltstein is a well-known spot among locals and was very busy that day. At the time, I hadn't realised that a spot with ten windsurfers was already considered crowded ... The spot takes waves extremely well, as the water is very deep off the coast and only becomes shallow shortly before land. To get to the spot, you follow a private road, which is freely accessible and, according to the locals, can be driven on. The car park is just under 300 metres from the beach and the entrance over the rocks looks worse than it actually is. The wave builds up fastest in S-SSW-SSO and at 20 knots the locals from Oslo often come to the Saltstein. There are some nice pitches and campsites in the area, which are right on the water.
After a quiet night, the journey continued the next morning towards Kristiansand. After a little exploration of the city and a detailed analysis on park4night, we found a cosy place to spend the night.
2. varen
The spot is close to a motorway bridge, but with the right wind direction you won't hear anything from the cars. The wind picks up from southerly directions due to the bridge, and the deep water also makes the spot ideal for waving and foiling. To get to the spot, you drive a few metres parallel to the motorway on a side road and are right by the water. The entrance is very gentle due to the stone slab and there is also a small sandy beach a few metres to the west where you can go swimming and fishing.
The forecast got better and better and we continued towards Lista, probably the most famous windsurfing area in southern Norway. On the way, we found a nice campsite to charge the batteries.
3. lomsesanden
Unfortunately, the wind was very weak when we got there. However, the nice lady at reception showed us pictures of windsurfers having lots of fun. I pumped up the SUP and had a look at the dreamlike and idyllic landscape from the water. The bay has a large standing area and the wind from the north is ideal for windsurfing. Then the water is very shallow with a bit of chop. On the journey northwards, I had enough time as a passenger to find more spots. After a phone call with Inge Kvivik, the surf school owner of Lista Surfing, I got a lot more information.
4th Havika Bay
Inge told me that his surf school is in Havika and that you can drop by for a coffee at any time. The surf school is equipped with surfboards and the spot also offers very good freestyle and wave conditions for windsurfing. With westerly and easterly wind directions, there are often a few windsurfers here, and the waves break quite nicely at half a metre and can sometimes be two metres high. After a short wave riding session, we continued on to Osthassel for a spot check.
5. Osthassel
Unfortunately, we didn't have enough wind. However, Inge gave me some information about the spot. Osthassel is an alternative spot if the waves at the other spots get too big. Here, the wave only starts to break when the swell is over three metres. To get into the wave, you have to cross a jetty at the longhouse. However, the spot is more suitable for experienced windsurfers, as the wash can often be very long and very high waves break further out in a south swell. The wind arrived in the evening and I went out on the water at Lista's main spot for a short evening session.
6. pisserenna
Pisserenna, located in the village of Borhaug, is Lista's most famous windsurfing spot. There are stickers with the name Norwai'i on some of the signs and the set waves looked promising. Although the swell wasn't big on the days, the wave was extremely clean at around two metres and allowed four to five turns in a westerly to north-westerly wind. To get on the water, you can go directly over the rocks at the harbour pier and get on the board without waves. However, I can only recommend going a little slower, as there are still some rocks just under the water in the first 15 metres. The first few rides were very unfamiliar for me, as the waves break very close to the rocks. After a few small washes, however, I realised that the wave quickly loses power in front of the rocks and you just have to try not to let go of the material. For me, this spot was one of the best of the trip, and with the locals and a few other German windsurfers, the session ended successfully in the evening with nice chats and tasty drinks.
The constant change of scenery and the many fjords made even hour-long car journeys feel much shorter. Shortly before Stavanger, we stopped in Boresanden.
7. boresands/selestranden
The wind was relatively onshore from the west, but there was a big wave with a lot of power. The best directions are north-west and south-west. We parked in the north of the bay at Selestranden car park. There is also a small reef break here, which breaks very cleanly with a north-west swell. About 50 metres to the south, the wave breaks gently onto the beach. The bay runs for almost two kilometres with a beach break and offers ideal conditions for jumping and riding the waves. There are also various surf shops here, some of which even stock windsurfing equipment.
As my girlfriend wanted to see something other than water and waves, we visited Stavanger on one day, a small town with nice streets and cosy cafés. On another day, we hiked up the famous Preikestolen, from where you have a marvellous view over the Lysefjord and the surrounding mountains. From our experience, it is a good idea to start very early in the morning before the hike turns into an ant trail full of people. Nevertheless, the four-hour hike is highly recommended for the whole family and should be on your to-do list.
Back from hiking and a fantastic place to sleep in the mountains with a view of the Bjorheimsvatnet fjord, we decided to spend a day at the beach in Sola.
8th Sola Beach
The Sola spot is located near Stavanger Airport. Situated in a bay, the spot reminded us directly of Denmark. High dunes, few people and lots of peace and quiet. We met lots of water sports enthusiasts in Sola and luckily there was still a bit of wind for windfoiling in the afternoon. If the wind comes from the north or south-west, a decent wave quickly forms in side-onshore conditions. The spot is also very good for surfing, and local surf schools hire out various boards from their lorries at the southern end of the bay.
The next day we reached Bergen, the city with the most rainfall in Norway. We were lucky and were able to enjoy the day with sunshine. Here, a visit to the city mountain Fløyen is a must. You can either hike up the mountain or take a cable car up and enjoy the beautiful view over Bergen.
In the afternoon, I always planned the upcoming stages with potential windsurfing spots in mind. Even though the forecast looked rather poor, we decided to drive to the next spot with a lot of optimism. Our road trip slowly moved inland in the hope of getting some good sessions on mountain lakes with thermal winds. The next spot was in the middle of nature in Haukeland.
9. osavatnet
Osavatnet is a small mountain lake surrounded by free-roaming sheep and plenty of peace and quiet. You have to pay NOK 100 to get to the spot, although you can spend the night right by the water. The wind usually picks up in the morning and evening when the land warms up or cools down. The wind then often comes from a southerly direction. It is very easy to get into the water and you can also have a lot of fun on the beautiful lake with a foil.
On the rest of the trip, hunger drove us to a pizzeria. After a nice chat with the pizza chef and his information that he often sees windsurfers on the Hardanger Fjord, we finished the pizza in no time at all and made our way to the spot.
10th Tyrvefjora
When the current is from the west or east, the wind often picks up here and it is not uncommon for water sports enthusiasts from Bergen to come to the Hardanger Fjord to spend time on the water when there is no wind on their doorstep. The water temperature in the fjord is very cold as a lot of thaw water from the Folgefonna glacier flows into it, but this often creates good thermals on warm days.
After a somewhat rainy night, we drove along the Rv7 scenic route towards Geilo. After a short time, we were already over 1200 metres above sea level. Snow fields kept appearing and the car thermometer showed just five degrees. So we arrived in Hardangervidda, the largest plateau in Europe, which stretches over 8,000 square kilometres. We found dozens of mountain lakes and several signs advertising snowkiting in winter.
11th Maka Paka's Field
Right next to the Rv7, we found a nice spot in front of a small dam wall decorated with lots of cairns. The wind was sufficient for foiling and thanks to a thick neo I had a good session there. There is very frequent wind on the Hardangervidda plateau as there is hardly any cover from forests or mountains. There are also good places to sleep in the area and many other windsurfing spots that you can see as you pass by.
12th Valdres Nature Park
Here, too, you are surrounded by a dreamlike landscape. Valdres is located in the south-central inland and offers excellent windsurfing conditions thanks to its many lakes and fjords. Even though the forecast indicated only four knots from all directions for the day, I had a very good session with my 5.3 sail on the Strondafjord with 18 knots in the gusts. You can park in a car park right next to the Shell petrol station in Fagernes if the wind is coming from the south to south-east. If it's blowing from the north to north-west, it's a good idea to stop at the Søndre Svennes campsite and have a good session there with direct access to the water. In Valdres, there is a good chance that you will also see a few moose.
Time flew by and we only had two days left before we had to return to our everyday lives. To spend another day in Oslo, we looked for a place to sleep a little further away on the Oslo Fjord. Searched and found - or maybe not ... On the other side of the fjord, I saw colourful sails from a distance and convinced my girlfriend to stop by again.
13th Drobak
At Torkil Beach you often meet lots of locals from Oslo and the surrounding area. I personally really liked the spot. On some days, the current flows in the opposite direction to the wind, which is why you can glide along with less wind and don't have to worry about losing height. After many nice conversations with the locals, I was given the tip that the spot can work well in both southerly and northerly winds and that high swells can sometimes form. However, as the Oslofjord is also used by large ships and ferries, you should be careful and keep a safe distance to avoid accidents.
Conclusion
Now I'm sitting on the ferry and looking back on the two-week road trip with happiness, but also a little sadness. At just 20 years old, I have already travelled to many countries, have been windsurfing on almost every continent and have seen a lot.
However, Norway was one of the most beautiful trips I have ever made. The constant change of marvellous landscapes, the variety of spots and the tranquillity of nature impressed me. Spending the night in a VW bus measuring just five square metres at waterfalls, lakes and on mountains also left its mark on us and it was definitely not the last time in Norway for my girlfriend and me. I wasn't disappointed by this country in terms of windsurfing either.
The best time to visit is in spring and autumn, as the storms are more frequent along the coast. However, the summer months are also recommended for a road trip with friends, family or on your own. With so many things to do, it won't be boring, and we definitely recommend taking hiking boots with you so that you can see the landscapes from a completely different perspective. In terms of equipment, I found space in the van for a 93-litre freestyle board with foil function and an 83-litre and 75-litre wave board as well as a SUP. I had everything from 3.2 to 5.3 sails with me, and I can recommend everyone to take a freeride set-up with them to get out on the water more often.
Thank you Norwai'i - we really enjoyed you!
