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.

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Skåe i Øyer to Hjerkinn

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3km Skåe i Øyer 510m (251/392)
    See page 82 for description.

Continue through the farmyard and out the other side along grassy lane (R) ahead and go downhill. Fork L before bend to cross bridge over river. Turn L on other side, veering R round side of hill (Lånkahaugen); this is Tjodvegen again. Waymark at crossing at top indicates ‘Gravfeld’ and ‘Lånkehauget’; this area is rich in Iron Age burial mounds and there are 15 between here and Skjønsberg. KSO to end of wood and go through gate.

Cross field ahead and continue along top side of several more until you reach Skjønsberg (490m, a farm 2km from Skåe). Pass to L of it and veer R onto farm road which leads to a local road 200m later.

800m later, at bend, KSO down grassy track ahead, leading to woods, returning to road shortly afterwards. Turn R downhill and shortly before junction at bottom fork R up clear track uphill into woods, following the line of the hillside. Cross track coming up from road (L) and continue on other side, through woods. Cross field above Kvam (358m; in the 16th century there was a two-storey building straddling the route, believed to have provided shelter for pilgrims), veering R in direction of the two prominent hills ahead of you.

Ford stream and continue alongside LH side of fence. Cross stile and KSO on grassy track coming from back L. Continue uphill alongside river and 400m after changing sides turn hard L up FP, veering R, then 200m later fork L uphill up another FP (you are still on the Tjodveg).

Pass to L of farm (Rindal, 430m) at top, after which you descend. Turn R on track coming from L. Fork L onto small FP veering R through trees then turn L to pass to LH side (i.e. below) farm (Kløv). Cross road and fork R over FB back into woods again, alongside old wall, till you reach a farm road (just below Kølsvea – farm). Turn L.

Tretten visible to L below. The river Lågen has now emptied into a lake, the Losna, before becoming a river again after Fåvang.

KSO(R) along another road coming from back L and reach a local road. Turn R uphill for 1.5km to

9km Kjørkehaugen 505m (260/383)
Large mound to RH side of road, surrounded by trees, with prominent base of ruined church. A listed site, protected by a wall, with bell tower over gate, altar. There was a church here till it was moved to Tretten in 1720; the original one was wooden, while the medieval stone church was superseded by another wooden one in 1580s. Monument put up in 1954. Prestegård is on LH side of road.

Continue on road for 500m then fork R down FP, just after farm road on L. Turn R 300m later to farm (Tårstad), turn R up farm road to local road, cross over and continue up gravelled road to Tande. Turn L just below it, to pass to L of it onto cart track. KSO(R) at fork then continue ahead up through open woodland and fields for 1km to Klaer. Pass through farmyard, to L of barn ahead, and KSO to road junction (400m).

Turn R (signposted ‘Østfjellsvegen’ – the second time you have seen this) and 100m later, by cattlegrid, turn L onto FP into the woods. This goes in roughly a straight line (not too badly waymarked), then downhill, before veering R and then L to cross Glommabekken.

Veer L up bank on other side, continue on FP to RH side of fence, cross stile, turn L onto grassy track and then R up towards fence below very large rocks. Path takes you up over rocks and ahead onto gradually clearer track (// to lake to R below). Go through stile, continue along flank of hill, then veer L via another stile into woods, veering then forking L, leaving woods at end via stile.

Accommodation is available here at Glomstad, a farm 200m below the route to the L, and a small sign board points you to a second stile to L, which you cross and turn R down side of field and through trees. [Glomstad Gård og Penjonsat, 2635 Tretten, tel: 61.27.62.57; meals available if reserved ahead.] Otherwise, to continue, KSO ahead, veering R past stone sheep pen to cross another stile into the woods. KSO ahead, ignoring turns, cross stile at end, continue ahead to cross forest track, cross another stile and veer L and then R downhill alongside trees and reach gravelled road via cart track. This is Enge.

Turn R and cross old bridge over river (impressive waterfalls in spring) and fork L (RH option marked ‘Veslesete-vegen’). Continue through farm and 100m later, at Vedem (491m), turn L over stile by concrete silo and veer R down hill on farm road. This is the Kongveien. Mageli Camping visible to L below. [Mageli Camping, 2635 Tretten, tel: 61.27.63.22.]

KSO, zigzagging L and then R downhill. Near end, level with campsite below, veer L downhill towards road by second farm (Nord-Mågåli), cross it and continue through field to another stile. Continue steeply downhill in second field, veering R towards two very large rocks in a depression. (Campsite office is directly below you now), veering L through stile and R to cross the bridge over the river Rolla.

4km Rollabru 225m (264/379)
Listed stone bridge, built 1829 to replace former wooden one.

KSO on other side, ignoring turnings to L and R, climbing steadily. This is the old Kongvei to Trondheim. After 1km (not marked) you leave Øyer and enter Ringebu kommune at a height of 300m. At first the track is quite wide but it becomes increasingly narrow, reduced to a very small FP as you continue downhill. Very few waymarks.

300–400m after crossing stile turn R onto much clearer and wider track alongside fence (road nearby below L), crossing a forest road coming from back R and fork R ahead uphill again.

When you get near a farm (below L, Bjørje – 2km from Rollabru) pass above it, forking R uphill up FP and then forking L. From here for the next 2km you skirt several farms, passing above (to the R) of them on a combination of (well-waymarked) FPs, grassy tracks and farm roads, crossing the FBs over the Stulsåa and three stiles along the way. When you reach a local road at Borgen turn hard R then then up FP (the Sminhaugen) and then L again at clear forest track // to river. Take the middle of three tracks/options at junction, R at next and continue to climb in step-like sections a sort of wide, rocky ‘staircase’. Cross tall ladder-stile (1km) later at farm and turn L up along fence. (N.B. similar but not identical waymarks are for another local walk that does not coincide with pilegrimsleden all the time.)

200m later reach farm road, turn L and 200m later fork R between farm buildings uphill, veering L round side of hill and onto FP through woods. Cross stile at end, pick up track (R), pass below farm buildings and continue ahead (R) up grassy lane leading to farm road. KSO ahead downhill for 100m then fork L over stile onto banked-up lane leading down to a local road by a farm (Amrud). Cross road and go down FP, cross stream and turn L along it. Continue on old walled lane leading to woods and then open woodland, reaching farm road from back L 1km later. Continue ahead to local road and turn R (the Fv 375) for 2.5km, a quiet rural road with little traffic. Pass Bråstad and several other farms along the way.

When you reach a double road junction (both with signposts) continue ahead (marked ‘Fåvang 5’). Its heavily restored stave church, brown with a white spire, is visible below L.

From here decide what you want to do next as the waymarked route takes you off the road, for the sake of it, it would seem, passing to the R above three farms (Hemran, Lunde and Nordrom) to approach the bridge over the river Tromsa from above. The first detour off the road is steep but easy enough to follow while the second is extremely fiddly, with constant changes of direction and is not well waymarked either.

For the first detour turn R off the road 100m after the junctions with the signposts, steeply uphill and then turn L along a grassy lane coming from field on R. Cross stile with field at end, continue along its RH edge to cross another and turn L to cross bridge over a small river (R turn is to Røvlingen). Continue ahead (R) for 200m back towards the road to Fåvang but then turn R uphill up a ladder into the forest and then R through trees on a very small FP at first which becomes wider and clearer as you go. Cross stile at clearing and veer L downhill to return to the road (only some 800m after you first left it!).

Continue a short distance and after a bend by a 60kph sign you will see a waymark telling you to turn R up a very small FP uphill. As indicated, this is so complicated as to not be worth the trouble, so it is suggested that you continue on the road here (very little traffic), downhill all the way into the centre of

15km Fåvang (279/364)
Population 696. Two supermarkets, PO, bank (with cash dispenser), café and other shops, railway station (Oslo–Trondheim line). [Accommodation available at Tromsnes Gård, a historic farm to north of town centre, 300m off route: Tromsnes Gård, 2634 Fåvang, tel: 61.28.22.76.]

The road you came in on (Fåvangvegen) brings you into the town’s square, with the shops. To return to the waymarked route turn R up Fossvegen (signposted ‘Tromsbrua 0.3’). Veer L uphill and 300m later cross the new wooden bridge (built in 1997) high above the river Tromsa, with a dramatic waterfall to your R. This bridge replaces a much older one, in the same position, built as early as 1799, and main road traffic used it until as late as 1860.

Continue ahead to the road on the other side, KSO ahead and continue up Kongsvegen, which you stay on for the next 7km, all the way to Ringebu stave church. Pass waymark indicating burial mounds 20m to L and KSO to top of hill. Then, when the road bends round to the R (to become the Furubakken) KSO ahead down a forest road; this is Gamle Kongsvegen, 7km of easy walking to Ringebu stave church.

Pass a shooting range (R) and a waymark ‘Kollgrup’ (indicating a place where charcoal used to be prepared) and KSO. After 3km you will pass close to Trøstaker gård, where accommodation is available: turn L at U-bend, though if you miss it it doesn’t matter as there is a sign some 200m later. [Trøstaker Gård, 2634 Fåvang, tel: 61.28.26.72, EE, CF.] After crossing the stream by Brandstadmoen (R) fork L. Veer R to cross bridge over the Brandstadelva.