The Pilgrim Road to Nidaros - A Trekker's Guidebook
St Olav was the Norwegian king responsible for the conversion of the country to Christianity around 1000AD, and his grave at Nidaros near Trondheim has been a site for pilgrimage ever since. This pilgrim road from Oslo to Nidaros follows a magnificent 643km, one-month trek along the west coast of Norway.
The Pilgrim Road to Nidaros
St. Olav's Way: Oslo to Trondheim
Author
Cover
Paperback - Laminated
Edition
First
ISBN_13
9781852843144
Availability
Reprinted
Price
£12.00
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Seasons
Mid-May to mid-September. There may be snow left on the higher sections even in July and August, but the route should be fine.
Centres
Starts Oslo, ends Nidaros (Trondheim). Route runs through Hamar, Lillehammer, Hundorp, Sel, Oppdal.
Difficulty
A long trek, needing most of a month. Includes high plateaux, but well waymarked. You need to take care of your body over several weeks. Main difficulty may be Norweigan prices.
Must See
From the bright lights of Oslo, through wild landscape and small towns and villages to the magnificent Nidaros Cathedral commemorating one of Norway’s fathers.
'This is a walker’s guide of the 643km medieval pilgrim route from Oslo
to Nidaros Cathedral, Trondheim, where Saint Olav was buried. Saint
Olav, king of Norway, was responsible for much of the conversion of the
country to Christianity. Visits to his shrine, the focus of many
miracles, culminated in the route becoming the fourth most important
pilgrim route in Europe, after Rome, Jerusalem and Santiago de
Compostela.
Following the arrival of the Reformation in Norway and the prohibition of pilgrims, the route fell into disuse some time after 1537. Between 1994 and 1996, however, many of the old tracks were cleared and re-opened and the western (cultural) route, via Gjovik, was waymarked in its entirety in 1997. This coincided with the millennium of the founding of Nidaros Cathedral. The eastern route goes via Hamar and waymarking was completed in 2000. The two branches join up about 20km north of Lillehammer. Directions for both branches are covered in the guidebook.
The introduction contains a brief history about Saint Olav and the pilgrimage routes that developed following his death in 1030. It is estimated that pilgrims took 25 days to cover the route from Oslo to Nidaros, many aiming to arrive on the saint’s day (July 29th). The author informs us that, unlike his historical counterpart, the modern pilgrim no longer returns home by foot; thus the route is waymarked only in one direction. Along the way one can visit many of the medieval churches and wells that still exist.
On the language front, the author includes a short glossary of geographical and other useful items in an appendix at the rear of the book. Although English is regarded as the second language of Norway it is always worth taking along a small dictionary. It is the ‘sing-song’ intonation of the spoken word that causes most difficulty (this sounds a bit like the Welsh language).
Information about accommodation, returning from Trondheim and other relevant facts are included in the preamble. The route description is well laid out and easy to follow. Points of interest along the route have been printed in light blue and consequently stand out against the black print of the route directions.'
Following the arrival of the Reformation in Norway and the prohibition of pilgrims, the route fell into disuse some time after 1537. Between 1994 and 1996, however, many of the old tracks were cleared and re-opened and the western (cultural) route, via Gjovik, was waymarked in its entirety in 1997. This coincided with the millennium of the founding of Nidaros Cathedral. The eastern route goes via Hamar and waymarking was completed in 2000. The two branches join up about 20km north of Lillehammer. Directions for both branches are covered in the guidebook.
The introduction contains a brief history about Saint Olav and the pilgrimage routes that developed following his death in 1030. It is estimated that pilgrims took 25 days to cover the route from Oslo to Nidaros, many aiming to arrive on the saint’s day (July 29th). The author informs us that, unlike his historical counterpart, the modern pilgrim no longer returns home by foot; thus the route is waymarked only in one direction. Along the way one can visit many of the medieval churches and wells that still exist.
On the language front, the author includes a short glossary of geographical and other useful items in an appendix at the rear of the book. Although English is regarded as the second language of Norway it is always worth taking along a small dictionary. It is the ‘sing-song’ intonation of the spoken word that causes most difficulty (this sounds a bit like the Welsh language).
Information about accommodation, returning from Trondheim and other relevant facts are included in the preamble. The route description is well laid out and easy to follow. Points of interest along the route have been printed in light blue and consequently stand out against the black print of the route directions.'
(Les Maple, Strider)
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