Sand is the centre of the municipality of Suldal. “Sand” doesn’t mean sand, but comes from the old norse word “sandr” which means crossroad or traffic hub.
Most of the shops, cafes and restaurants are located along the street called “Gata” which literally means “street”. Above the centre you will find Sand church. The church was built in 1852 and replaced an older church from the 17th century which most probably replaced a stave church from the 13th century.
Until 2015 there was a ferry between Sand and Ropeid on the other side of the fjord. It was retired when the new Sandsfjord Bridge opened. The bridge is located in a totally different place, the cross road is located at end of the famous Lovrafjord. This is the fjord with the island with the single cabin which is seen on my promotional and Instagram pictures.
There is still the Ryfylke express boat from Stavanger to Sauda stopping in Sand a couple of times a day.
Next to the harbour you will find the main building of the Ryfylkemuseum. There you will find a permanent exhibition about the history of the Ryfylke as well as temporary exhibitions. The museum has several other locations all around the Ryfylke, like the Røynevarden which we showed in a previous video.
Another attraction in Sand is the Laksestudio, the salmon studio. It is located just outside the centre next to the waterfall Sandsfossen . There are parking places right in front of it. There you can go down some stairs to an aquarium. Salmons and trouts swimming up the river will be catched here and counted.
Next to the Laksestudio you will find Høse bridge. It is 29m wide and made out of steel. It was constructed in 2012. At the same time hiking paths south of Sand were established. The bridge was nominated “Bridge of the Year” by the American magazine “Travel and Leisure” in 2014.