Package 2 - In the footsteps of St. Olav - Part 2-4
♥ With a 10% discount on the entire package (normal price: € 82,35)
Follow in the footsteps of St. Olav. A series of varied cycling routes through the ever-changing scenery of the Scandinavian landscape. Order the four guides together, plus a pilgrim's passport, for a tour of Oslo-Selånger-Trondheim-Oslo.
Total length: appr. 2,000 kilometres.
Time required: appr. 5 weeks.
The package includes:
On the Way to St. Olav (guide is in Dutch: Onderweg naar St. Olav)
A route from Oslo to Selånger that connects both Olavspaden trails. You will cycle mostly through the timeless and lovely landscape of Sweden. In the first part through Norway, you will cycle through beautiful forests, past lakes and arrive at idyllic spots. Read more about On the way to St. Olav...
S:t Olavsleden (guide is in Dutch: St. Olavspad)
Cycle over five hundred kilometres from the Baltic Sea coast to the Atlantic Ocean along the world's northernmost pilgrimage route, the S:t Olavsleden Read more about the S:t Olavsleden
Gudbrandsdalsleden (guide is in English)
A beautiful pilgrim cycle route from Oslo along Mjøsa, Norway's largest lake, through the stunning Gudbrandsdal valley, across the enchanting Dovrefjell plateau to Trondheim. Read more about the Gudbrandsdalsleden...
Pilgrim passport
On a pilgrimage to Trondheim and Nidaros, it is tradition to use a pilgrim passport to document the pilgrimage and to verify that you are a true pilgrim. Note that the passport is personal, so if you are travelling with several people, everyone will need their own passport. You may also need more than one passport if you are cycling the entire route, as you can obtain a certificate at two locations: the Olavsbrev in Trondheim and the Hallvardsbrev in Oslo. You can add more passports to your order, but you can also buy a passport at the pilgrim centres along the way. More info or order: Pilgrim passport.
Description of the route
In the Middle Ages, Trondheim in Norway was just as important a pilgrimage destination as Santiago, Rome and Jerusalem. Pilgrims walked to the tomb of St. Olav in Nidaros, the old name for Trondheim. In recent years, various routes have been reopened for modern (walking) pilgrims.
Two of these pilgrimage routes, the S:t Olavsleden from Selånger (Sweden) to Trondheim (Norway) and the Gudbrandsdalsleden from Oslo to Trondheim (Norway), have been adapted for cyclists. Together with a connecting route, On the Way to St. Olav, these Olavs Ways form one large circular cycle route through Norway and Sweden, covering almost two thousand kilometres.
If you want to cycle the entire route, you start in Oslo. You cycle eastwards to Selånger. Then westwards to Trondheim and then southwards back to Oslo. You cycle the loop anti-clockwise because the route is easier that way: the climbs are less steep. The S:t Olavsleden from Selånger to Trondheim is also signposted in one direction for cyclists in Sweden (in Norway, it is signposted in both directions).
Of course, you can choose to cycle the route in the opposite direction.
