Bærum municipality has a long-term goal of making the municipality's entire coastline accessible to the public. There is a long way to go before this goal is achieved, but there is a marked coastal path of a total of 7 km from Bjørnsvika in the west to Sarbuvollen in the east, which is almost complete. This post discusses the first and last part of this route.
The coastal path starts at the Thon hotel in Bjørnsvika, which is located close to the western end of Sandvika Storsenter. It is the large turquoise building you see right at the E18.
Follow the narrow path that leads down towards the water under the highway.
Continue along the shoreline past a marina and a small beach.
When the path splits, choose the narrow path along the water's edge. In an area of 100 meters from here you are allowed to walk, but do not settle down for a long time to swim or sunbathe.
After this you come to a stone beach where you can stay and swim if you want. The route ahead is marked blue.
After a few hundred meters you reach Kjørboparken and old Kjørbo farm. It is a beautiful park with paths criss-crossing. After the park, you continue along the beach towards the center of Sandvika.
The main building for Kjørbo gård was listed in 2013. It is located close to the water's edge with a view towards the outlet of Sandvikselva and the archipelago in the inner Oslofjord. Most of the interior and furniture in the building has been preserved from the time it was built.
When you get to restaurant Egon in the center of Sandvika, the marked route continues on the bridge over the river. On the other side, it continues out towards Kalvøya and Kadettangen. From here it runs along the beach until Lakseberget. This area is described in another post which you will find at the bottom of the article.
Unfortunately, Bærum municipality and Lakseberget marina have not agreed on who is responsible for maintaining the coastal path past Lakseberget marina. Therefore, it is closed in this area and you are led up to a busy road for a short distance before you re-enter the hiking trail at Solvik marina. It leads to Hennie-Onstad's art centre, where the coastal path continues along the beaches at Veritaspaken all the way to Høvik Verk.
Along this coastline, a number of benches have been set up where you can take a break and look out over the archipelago towards Fornebu. There are a number of beaches and small coves where you can relax, and there are plenty of swimming opportunities.
The path either goes all the way down by the beach or on a path in the forest directly above in areas where cliffs and rocks make it too difficult to move at the water's edge.
At Høvik Verk, there is a pleasant old garden with small protected wooden houses that have been preserved from the time when this was an industrial area.
After Høvik Verk, the coastal path continues to the Sarbuvollen boat harbor where it ends. There are also good swimming opportunities along this stretch.
As can be seen from the map below, the Bærum coastal path consists of five parts.
Part 1 from Bjørnsvika (the red line at the bottom left) to the center of Sandvika is 1.2 km.
Part 2 from the center of Sandvika along the pier towards Kadettangen up to the bridge over to Kalvøya is 0.7 km.
Part 3 from Kadettangen to Hennie-Onstad's art center is 3.2 km.
Part 4 from Hennie-Onstads art center to Høvik Verk is 0.9 km, and
Part 5 from Høvik Verk to Sarbuvollen is 1.4 km.
Part 3 is the least interesting part of the coastal path, not least because it is blocked by Lakseberget and you are led onto a busy road. Part 2 is described in a separate post about the Kadettangen (see below). The two stretches (part 1 and part 4+5) can be walked with advantage from different starting points.
Part 1 can either be walked from restaurant Egon at Sandvika Storsenter along the Sandvikselva towards Kjørbo park, or in the opposite direction from Thon hotel in Bjørnsvika at the other end of Sandvika Storsenter. Park either in Sandvika Storsenter or in a car park near Thon hotel.
Parts 4 and 5 can be hiked consecutively. It is most convenient to start from the car park at the Hennie-Onstad art centre. From there, just follow the blue signs all the way to Sarbuvollen.
More excursions: www.turideer.com
Excursion of the week: Hiking along the coast on the Coastal Path in Bærum
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