ACTIVITY ON THE EDGE

High, low, steep, or diagonal. Swimming, surfing, diving or a trip by boat in rough seas. Snow splashes and adrenaline on an extreme downhill or a serene ski trip? Mountain climbing or a bike ride, leisurely or intense – you decide! On the edge of Norway, you can feel the pulse.

With immediate proximity to the sea, beaches, fjords and islands, numerous lakes and rivers, our region is an Eldorado for water sports. Whether you are a beginner looking to try something new, an experienced paddler or a pro surfer - there is something for everyone. Water sports are activities you can do all year round in all kinds of weather. Best of all – if it’s raining, you’ll get wet anyway!

In many places in the region, you can go for guided tours, take courses, and rent equipment for kayaking, canoeing and SUP: the Lysefjord, Hafrsfjord, Klosterøy, Lutsivatnet, and in Sirdal. Look for these providers: Fjord Expedition, Nordic Paddling, Coastal Adventures, Klostergarden, Sirdal Skisenter & Sommerpark and Frilager.

For beginners, the conditions are good in the summer and early autumn, with warm water and relatively small waves. The beaches at Sola, Hellestø, Brusand, and Bore are well-suited for wave surfing. Both Bore Surf Senter and Boretunet offer surfing courses. At Bore Surf Senter, you can also try kiting.

Do you hunger for more excitement? Try coasteering with Coastal Adventures, where you discover the shore by swimming, climbing, and jumping in the tide. Sirdal Skisenter & Sommerpark offer guided tours with canyoning in the waterfall, Dorgefoss, which involves rappelling, jumping, and sliding over natural water slides.

Are you brave enough for ice bathing, or would you prefer to wait for more comfortable summer temperatures? Choose from all the beautiful sandy beaches along Jæren and numerous bathing places at lakes and rivers. Orrestranden is a Blue Flag beach, Ogna and Brusand beaches are easily accessible by train, and the beach Skadbergsanden is just a short bike ride from Egersund. Godalen, Vaulen, and Møllebukta are all popular swimming spots in Stavanger, in Egersund the locals go to Vannbassengene, residents in Sandnes go to Bråsteinsvatnet, and at Ålgård, Perlå in Edlandshagen is a favourite. Feel free to ask the locals about their best swimming tips.

A visit to the sauna followed by a dip in the sea or lake has become very popular lately. Damp AS offers several saunas in the Stavanger area that you can book for a few hours. At Preikestolen Basecamp, relax in the steam after the hike to Preikestolen, and in Egersund, the “Hot Mama” sauna from Coastal Adventures awaits. There are also saunas at Utstein Kloster Hotel, Hummeren Hotel, and Sola Strand Hotel.

For those who enjoy pushing their limits, there are several great climbing opportunities both indoors and outdoors. Anorthosite and gneiss are both sustainable and solid igneous rocks well suited for climbing and bouldering. Try the many marked climbing routes in the Magma UNESCO Global Geopark, especially in Eigersund and Sokndal. Sandnes is also known for good climbing areas, i.e. Bersagel, Dale, and Gramstad. The climbing club Bratte Rogalands Venner has published a guide to climbing in Rogaland, see brv.no.

For those without climbing experience and equipment, there are several climbing parks in the region. In Sandnes, discover the climbing and net park Skogsprett Klatrepark at Melsheia, also suitable for younger children. With older children, you can go to Høyt & Lavt at Sirdal Skisenter & Sommerpark. Both parks offer courses of different difficulty levels. Prefer to climb indoors? We recommend the climbing halls AIR Forus, Vår Energi Arena Sørmarka, and Eigersundshallen.

Another way to test your climbing skills is Via Ferrata. There is a route in the Jøssingfjord, called “Migaren”. To hike this, book equipment and a guide at the Magma Geopark office in Egersund or the Jøssingfjord Science Museum. At the Via Ferrata Månafossen, you can register and rent equipment at Eikeskog. New this year is a route through the Gloppedalsura stone scree, where you rent equipment through Byrkjedalstunet.

Guided kayak tours at Jørpeland and in the Lysefjord with departures from the Stavanger tourist information office.

Kayak rental for shorter and longer tours.

Guided blueberry and mushroom tours during the season.

fjordexpedition.com folkehallene.no

Five halls with a wide range of activities for the whole family – all year round!

How about skating or climbing? Ball games, athletics, track cycling or skating?

Activity centre with 46 different cells with diverse tasks. Can accommodate groups from 3 to 100 persons. The tasks are suitable for everyone – regardless of physical fitness and age.

You will find us at Lågardsveien 61 in Stavanger.

fangenepafortet.no

The meeting place at Tvedtsenter with climbing and bouldering walls, a trampoline park, Via-Ferrata 20m above the ground and a zip-line.

Perfect for active families. Café and free parking.

airbybolder.no

SkogSprett klatrepark

A modern activity park for the entire family at Melshei.

5 trails of different degrees of difficulty. Trampolines, slides and gym balls. Kiosk and free parking. Avoid waiting upon arrival, order online at: skogsprett.no | +47 909 76 009

Sauna for the whole family and group of friends – or just by yourself!

Activities for the whole family – all year round! Climbing, mountain carts, canyoning, frisbee golf, water park and more. Fun activities in beautiful surroundings. Skiing in the winter. We also have accommodation and a restaurant.

dampsauna.no sirdalsommerpark.no︱+47 51 20 81 80

Let the wheels take the lead, find the rhythm, on asphalt and gravel roads. With a bike, you go further than with your feet, yet your closeness to nature remains unchanged. Several places in our region are well suited for a bike ride:

The route goes all over Jæren, and you can choose between different starting and stopping points, with a train station always being nearby. Experience charming farm sales, cosy eateries and hotels, and Jæren’s unique culture up close. Part of the route goes along the Vestlandske Hovedvei, the former main road between Christiania (Oslo) and Stavanger. Further south, between Hellvik and Egersund, the route goes on the ancient railway line. These stretches are suitable for families.

The new bicycle route is 250 km long, has 3,200 meters of total ascent, and connects all the attractions around Lysefjorden. The big mountain passes are best suited for road/mountain or e-bikes, but there are also several familyfriendly stretches. Parts of the route follow the same roads as the Tour of Norway bicycle race, such as the hairpin turns from Lysebotn up to Øygardstølen.

Fancy a slightly different cycling experience?

Try draisine biking! Along the old Ålgård railway, you can cycle with a draisin on a 6 km round trip along the salmon river Figgjo.

There is little car traffic on the roads on the islands, and it is relatively flat. Ideal for families with children! Bring a packed lunch and treat yourself to a good swim at a small beach or on the rocks. Buy fresh tomatoes directly from a greenhouse at Finnøy, stop by the summer cafe at Handelsstedet Ramsvig on the island of Sjernarøyene, and visit the lobster museum and restaurant Grøningen on Kvitsøy island. This adventure starts with a boat trip; to visit Kvitsøy island, travel with the ferry from Mekjarvik. To go to Finnøy and Sjernarøyene islands, take the express boat from Stavanger (timetables and reservations at kolumbus.no).

At Jæren, you can rent e-bikes from Jærruta AS and cycle along the North Sea Route. Explore Lysefjorden offers bicycles for rent at Gøysa Gard near Lysefjorden. Both Jærruta and Explore Lysefjorden offer guided tours.

Kolumbus has electric city bikes at several locations around the region that can be rented cheaply or even for free in connection with a valid bus ticket. Both Egersund and Sandnes tourist offices offer bike rentals in the summer and are happy to recommend nice local bike tours.

Otherwise, frilager.no has bikes, bike trailers, and bike transport trailers for rent, and there is also bike rental at the bike workshop Paa Hjul, located right next to the train station in Stavanger, Hinna Park or Sandnes in Langgata. For long-distance bike rentals, you can contact Norway Bike Rental. It is possible to bring a bike on both local trains and express boats, but it’s best to reserve a spot in advance.

The North Sea Cycle Route along the North Sea passes through six countries and is considered the world’s longest bicycle route with almost 6,000 km. In our region, it comes via FV44 from the south to Egersund and goes on hiking trails and lightly trafficked roads over Jæren. From Stavanger, you must take the express boat to Nedstrand and cycle from there to Haugesund.