A few hundred meters south-west of the densely populated Tofte town center there is a coastal path that leads to beautiful beach areas where there is plenty of space even in the middle of summer.
The coastal path starts at the end of Marmorveien a little south-west of the center of Tofte. The first couple of hundred meters of the beach consists of stone and boulders.
After this you enter Preisserstranda, which is flatter and has a mixture of sand, gravel and pebbles.
In several places there are idyllic little beaches where small children can play and swim in shallow water.
At the end of Presserstranda is the Ostnestangen. The path then enters forest terrain.
To get to the top of the Ostnestangen, you have to pass a short section where you often use your hands in addition to your legs to get up. It is steep, but never dangerous.
From the top you have a nice view of the Oslofjord. The picture below shows the center of Tofte.
From the top of Ostnestangen, there are two trails to Sandbukta. The shortest goes directly over Ostnestangen and directly to Sandbukta. The other goes via the lighthouse at the end of Ostnestangen and from there to Sandbukta. The path to the lighthouse runs along the coast of Ostnestangen right up to the tip. On the other side, it continues along the coast, but eventually goes slightly inland in forested terrain. After approx. a kilometer away there is a fork in the road where there is a sign. The path to the left leads to Sandbukta, where there is an idyllic and fine sandy beach. The path to the right returns to Tofte through the forest. By choosing the path to Tofte, you get a nice round trip. You then return to the car park from the path on the upper side. If you want a longer trip, you can follow the coastal path from Sandbukta to Rødtangen camping or Holmsbu. It will be such a long trip that it may make sense to travel with several people so that you can have a car at Tofte and one at Rødtangen so that you don't have to walk both there and back.
More excursions: www.turideer.com
This week's excursion: The coastal path at Tofte
Length: The route to Sandbukta via the lighthouse at Ostnestangen is approx. 3.5 km. The trip back to Tofte through the forest is approx. 2.5 km. This gives a round trip of approx. 6 km. The shortest route between Tofte and Sandbukta is approx. 2 km each way - a total of 4 km.
Suitable for: Anyone in normally good physical shape. Also suitable for children.
Get there: Using Google: Search for Marmorveien, Tofte. The tour starts there.
Route description: Drive E18 from Oslo towards Kristiansand. Take the exit at Asker and follow road 167 towards Heggedal. Follow road 167 until it meets E-134. Turn left and follow the E134 towards Drøbak (opposite Drammen). Follow E-134 until there is a sign to the right towards Tofte on road 281 (do not take the first exit option at Sætre on road 289). Follow road 281 along the coast past Filtvedt lighthouse to Tofte. Drive through the center of Tofte. Just after the center of Tofte, the road (then called Vestre Strandvei) goes abruptly inland. Drive on for 200 - 300 meters to the first possible exit on the left. Turn left there and park the car in the small area set aside for parking. Go on foot on the gravel road (Marmorveien) which runs parallel to Vestre Strandvei down towards the sea again.
Follow the Marmorveien as far as it goes. Where it ends, the Coast Path continues. The coastal path is marked on the terrain and runs along the beach. You can either walk the Coastal Path up to Sandbukta and the same way back again, or make a round trip by following the signs from Sandbukta towards Tofte. You will then return to the car park from the upper side. The coastal path goes over Ostnestangen on the way to Sandbukta.