There are toilets on site, picnic tables and a kiosk selling drinks and food, as well as a beach volleyball pitch and a diving tower. You have to pay to leave your car at the nearby car park in high season (30Kr) during the day (until 5pm), so make sure you’ve got some change with you. There are many hytter (summer houses) in the area, so the place can get a bit busy at times. Go for a walk and explore the surrounding area if you get tired on sunbathing after a while – going to the end of the peninsula only takes about half an hour, and from there you’ll have great views of the fjord and surrounding islets.

How to get there: From Fredrikstad follow Rv110 towards Ørebekk, then left at the roundabout towards Gressvik. Follow Rv117 (Vikaneveien) for a few kilometers towards Vikane until you see a Kiwi supermarket on your left. Take it left towards Øyenkilen and follow signs for Foten from here. If you’re using public transport bus no.302 runs between Øyenkilen and Vikane/Fredrikstad pretty much every hour daily (see http://www.ostfold-kollektiv.no/userfiles/302.pdf for timetable).

- The city was named after the Danish king Frederik II in 1569. Fredrikstad is also known locally as ‘Plankebyen’, because the town was once one of Norway’s main exporters of timber.

- Fredrikstad, with its 73,600 inhabitants, is the main town in Østfold, as well as Norway’s 6th largest.

- Fredrikstad Football Club, FFK, were Norwegian football champions nine times, although their last victory dates back to 1961. They play at the award-winning Nye Fredrikstad Stadion, which was built on the site of the old shipyard, Fredrikstad Mekaniske Verksted (FMV).

- In 2005, Fredrikstad was the final host port for the Tall Ships Race, attracting thousands of visitors to the town. The municipality has made another bid, currently under consideration, to host the races again in 2014.

- Roald Amundsen (1872-1928), one of Norway’s most famous polar explorers, was born just outside Fredrikstad in Borge. Amundsen famously beat Captain Scott in the race to the South Pole, reaching his target on 14 December 1911 – or 33 days before his English rival. Today you can visit his childhood home in Borge, where you can learn more about his life and achievements.

- Fredrikstad’s cinema, which opened in 2002, has been voted best cinema in Norway six times in a row.

In Norway he is more famous for directing Lange Flate Ballær, a film about football fans in his hometown of Fredrikstad, which was a big hit at the box office, and its sequel, Lange Flate Ballær 2, about a group of Norwegian misfits who undergo a week of National Guard training. Zwart’s latest film, The Karate Kid, a remake of the 1984 movie of the same name, tells the story of a young boy from Detroit who moves to China with his mum and starts learning kung fun after getting a thrashing by the local bullies. The movie, which stars Jackie Chan and Jaden Smith (the son of actor Will Smith), has been very well received in the US, and will premiere in Norway at Fredrikstad Cinema on 23 July.

Did you know? Harald Zwart always adds props that represent Fredrikstad and its football club, FFK, in his movies. And he also owns a cafe, Zwart Cafe, in Gamlebyen.

- Langvikkilen: A full-day tour in one of the prettiest coastal landscapes around. Path is not marked, but follow the coastline and you can’t really go wrong. Depart from Thorshøveien in Torsnes.

- Fredrikstadmarka: Recreation grounds used year-round by local dog owners, joggers, cross-country skiers, etc. Plenty of trails to choose from, right on the city’s doorstep. Start from behind Tara School, north of the centre.

- Elingård: Easy walk in pretty agricultural landscape around one of the county’s best known manors. Good picnic facilities by the river at the old mill ruins west of Elingård. There is a car park near the manor on Elingårdsveien, off Rv116.

- Sprinkelet: Great views over Fredrikstad and the surrounding area from the observation tower. The track starts from just behind Gressvik IF football pitch.

- Gamlebyen: Wandering around the Old Town’s atmospheric cobbled-stoned streets makes for a great walk, whatever the season, or the time of day.

- Blåsopp: A short, easy walk rewarded by fantastic views over the Oslofjord from the top of a rocky cliff. Follow the coastal path (kyststien) from either Oksrødkilen or Slevik.

Bastion 5 is open Mon-Fri 10am-4pm, Sat-Sun noon-4pm. Toldbodgaten, Gamlebyen. Tel: 98 63 91 49, www.bastion5.com