Storetjonn beach - the best spot to swim in Agder region

"The spring is coming!" – Those words, although always sounding enthusiastic, mean different things in different parts of the world. Here, "spring" implies the layer of snow dropping to a few centimeters, and in some spots, you can already see the grass, burnt from months spent under cold, frozen water.
Actually, I'm not even sure if the weather I'm describing and showing in the pictures would be a good example of spring in Bykle. All my coworkers and neighbors are complaining that it's too hot, implying that those temperatures and that amount of snow are more accurate for late April or early May, rather than the second half of March. Even though the temperature oscillates between -5 to 5 degrees Celsius, people at the local store are already wearing shorts and flip-flops, as if it were a Bora Bora night in Hawaii or something...

The enthusiasm is contagious, though, so even if I'm biologically unable to switch trousers for shorts yet (at least not without ending up in the hospital with pulmonary problems the next day), I’ve already swapped my winter jacket for an autumn coat. Then, while talking about the weather with my boss (and dear friend), Hanna, I discovered that we do have a beach in Bykle (!). It's very popular, with people from all over the region coming to swim in the lake because it has the highest temperatures of all the water reservoirs in the area, she said. When I heard that, I knew I had to see the spot.

_{A few views on the way to the lake, with me and @diegocelma in the last picture}

When my day off started, I checked the map and discovered that the spot is nearly in front of us, just a short 20-minute walk away from our home in the middle of nowhere. We packed water, wore light coats, and with @diegocelma, went for a trip, naively expecting palms, drinks, and naked torsos (okay, okay, we didn’t expect it, although I said I wouldn’t be surprised to see some naked torsos already. Norwegians and their temperature sensors are unpredictable).

The route was simple – 20% via the main road, without a pedestrian path, and then 80% on a less-traveled street that ends after a few kilometers at a big hydroelectric power plant. As it was quite busy that day, during the three hours of our trip, we saw maybe 6-9 cars (mostly on the main road).

From the very first step out of the house, the views were wonderful, but at the beginning, at least, not that surprising. There’s a canyon with the Otra River. On the other side, you’ll find sort of cliffs made of various colorful rocks, covered in temporary waterfalls created by melted snow and water from the soil heated by the sun for the first time since last year.

Then you turn right, taking a smaller street that goes through a forest covered in birches and pines. Here, there is still much more snow, which is melting much slower, protected by the shadow of majestic, tall trees. Only a rock or two, which can heat faster than the soil and retain warmth for much longer, are showing their shapes from the infinite white carpet.
After a few minutes of walking – nearly enough time to, inspired by the surroundings, think about pre-selecting a Christmas tree – we arrived at the spot.

_{Left: route via the forest to the final destination, Right: Lake covered by ice with some rocks showing up here and there}

A big lake, covered in ice (no surprise), without anyone swimming (more of a surprise). The entrance, free for everyone, simply says to watch out, as there is no lifeguard here, and warns that fishing in that spot is prohibited. About fishing, I’ll write an article another day. I wanted to start doing it to save some money and become more eco-friendly, but it seems in my region it’s easier to build a small nuclear power plant than to get all the permissions to fish.

Back to the beach, though – the landscape is spectacular. Here and there, big rocks emerge from the water, giving an interesting vibe to the landscape. Then, on the horizon, you can see the forest and big mountains covering half of the sky. Those, I imagine, as they are high enough, may be covered by snow even in the summer season. So you could be sitting on the sand, enjoying the sun, perhaps swimming or relaxing with a drink on your floatable mattress, and yet looking directly at a big pile of snow on the horizon.

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The beach has bathrooms, benches, a small covered hut with seats around it, and a spot to make a grill. We saw some coconut shells there, so it seems someone before us was in a Maldives mood here. I assume, if you don’t like crowds, you can walk a bit further to one of the two other nearby lakes. They don’t have any infrastructure, but as they are slightly smaller, the chance is that the water in the summer season is even warmer there. The first one has a beach and is close enough to run to the bathroom located at the entrance of the main lake when needed. The second, quite a bit further, doesn’t have a spot to leave your beach towel, unless you don’t mind lying down in the forest or just sitting on the rocks. Whatever you need, whatever you choose, there are options for everyone, but only the first, Storetjonn Lake, has full infrastructure.

_{Smaller lakes in around are a good alternative if you want to stay away from other people}

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No USD/STEEM is needed for the entrance, and no USD/STEEM is needed to get here from Bykle. But if you want to enjoy the beach for longer, you may want to stay overnight somewhere, and in that case, I recommend Bykle Hotel. The cost of accommodation per night is approximately 1650 NOK, which is 160 USD (1175 STEEM per night, at the current rate). If you’re a Steemit blogger, you can alternatively write to me, and I may be able to help with accommodation, hosting you for free or for a small fee.

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