Unstad beach, Lofoten

Unstad beach is reputed to be one of Norway's top surfing beaches, attracting surfers from all over the world for decades. The sandy beach is at the bottom of a vast green valley that quickly climbs up on both sides of the beach as imposing mountains. While bobbing around on a surfboard, it's a wonderful setting to look back at. In fact, it's beautiful from every perspective, and it only grows more so as the mountains are blanketed in snow.

During the autumn and winter, the tallest and most stable waves roll in, making it the best time of year for advanced surfers, while the waves at Unstad beach are a little gentler during the summer, allowing beginners and youngsters to try their hand at surfing.

You can take lessons at Unstad Arctic Surf, the world’s most northerly surfing school. Thor Frantzen, a Norwegian who considers himself to be one of Norway's first surfers, started the school. Frantzen began manufacturing his own boards in the 1960s after learning the sport while working on a cargo ship off the coast of Australia's Bondi Beach.

Location: Unstad beach, Bøstad, Norway