Raudasandur Beach

The sand at Raudasandur is red and orange, not black — unusual on a coast built of basalt. The beach sits under high cliffs, with grassland and birdlife behind it. At low tide the flats run out so far that the waves are hard to make out from the shore. The sand is long enough to walk for miles in either direction, and that is what most people come to do. Sun changes the place completely: the colour lifts out of the ground. Beyond an old church and a campground, nothing is built here.

• The descent: Route 614 crosses a mountain pass and zigzags down in hairpin turns. The surface is gravel and it is comfortable to drive in summer.
• No services: nothing at the beach sells anything — no shop, no café. Bring your own food and drink.
• Soft ground: the flats between the track and the sea are boggy. Wet sand gives way underfoot; follow footprints where you find them.
• Staying over: there is a campground at the beach.

Getting to Raudasandur means driving Route 614 over the mountain and down a run of hairpin turns to the coast. The last stretch is around 10 km of gravel. The road ends at car park areas above the beach, the busiest being the lay-by in front of the old church. From there a grassy track runs out to the sand, with a small channel to cross on the way. The alternative is to head straight out over the wet sand, which is bog in places.

Better: a sunny day at low tide.

Avoid: turning up hungry — nothing here sells food.

Colour is the point of this beach, and sun pulls the red and orange out of the sand. Low tide draws the water back and opens the flats to their full width, which is when the long walk along the shore is worth the drive.