Distance: 32.3km (111.5km).
Today the compass arrow is pointing in the direction of Nidaros through Jevnaker, Haugsbygda and beyond, but unlike yesterday, the current destination is unclear. After Sløvika, there is a certain uncertainty in where to either find a place to stay or a place to camp. There is a pilgrim hostel in Sognsbygda, but it is apparently closed after 1 September, as well as some uncertainty about whether it would have been open anyway due to the corona pandemic. The pilgrim route then moves up into a cultural landscape with fields and cultivated land, not always as easy to find an undisturbed place to camp there.
Burial mounds at Stavhella.
Another thought began to manifest itself. How about visiting the Kistefos museum on the way and then end the day at the campsite in Sløvika. Staying at campsites is not something I am overwhelmingly excited about, but sometimes you just have to bite the bullet.
View from Stavhella, here there is also a picnic bench. At the back to the left is Krokskogen, below you can see the spire of Norderhov church with Røyselandet behind and at the very back Finnemarka.
After breakfast, my cousin drives me back to Norderhov, with a replacement for the broken tent plug in my backpack. Although the last days have been dry and the sun has shone undisturbed by rain in the sky above me, I get wet on my feet. High grass and morning dew makes sure of that on the path I walk on after having left the Hadelandsveien road. Nearby at Stavhella are 25 burial mounds from the Late Iron Age.
Deep path through grass.
In Haugsbygda you will find Haug church from the Middle Ages. In addition, I find the name of an acquaintance in the guestbook for pilgrims who have passed by and got their stamp in their passport. I take a short break on the bench in the churchyard and since it is only me, I am as quiet as the statue next to me. The primary school on the other side of the road, however, is not quiet at all.
Cultural landscape on the way to Haugsbygda.
From Haugsbygda, they have managed to find an interesting route for those who are more interested in walking in nature than on roads. After a short climb through the village, the route disappears down into a messy forest. The two roe deer that hear me coming disappears just as quickly. A fairly large and fenced in shelter is located right by the trail. When you have finished this section of the route, you will find yourself back on the Hadelandsveien road again.
Haug church and my quiet companion by the bench.
Kistefos had been on my mind all day, but where I had to take off from the trail to get there eluded me. Maybe the alarm bells should have rung when I crossed a wide construction area for the development of the new E16 road, my cousin had talked something about a parking lot. According to the same construction, the pilgrim route has been rerouted, at least according to a notice I find. Regardless, I follow the detour into the woods, where I scout for the hollow roads that I have read should be here, as well as a path that can take me to Kistefos.
Quiet countryside walk at Haugsbygda.
Of course, I cannot find that path, but after a while help arrives. In the form of two local hikers who can tell me that if I had intended to go to Kistefos, I should have left the road much earlier and that it is now around 3.5km there. Should I go or should I not?
Then through an overgrown path.
Kistefos was once a wood grinding mill but is now a museum with an extensive sculpture park, art galleries and industrial museum. Kistefos Træsliperi AS produced wood pulp from 1889 until the mid-1950s. It was founded by Anders Sveaas and it is his grandson, Christen Sveaas, who has established Kistefos as you find it now. From where the pilgrim path crosses Hadelandsveien, it is a 1.8km walk to the entrance.
Nice farm with loft along Hadelandsveien.
It is said that a pilgrimage also offers cultural experiences and I get that in abundance from now on. There is so much to look at here that I do not expect to see everything in the time I put aside here, but that just means I will have something good waiting for me on later visits.
The pilgrim path through the woods at Mosmoen.
The main attraction is without doubt The Twist. Sculpture? Bridge? Gallery? Cornucopia? No matter how you look at it, the building that winds over the Randselva river is a true eye-catcher. Seen with my eyes it is a really stylish feature. Due to the corona pandemic, there is one-way walking (or hiking) through The Twist. Inside, the building twists as much as outside and offers a fine art exhibition.
The Twist.
Inside The Twist.
Rumour has it that many a parent has returned from Kistefos with a wet child. It is popular to challenge the fate in Jeppe Hein's 'Veien til Stillhet' artwork. This is a labyrinth of pillars of mirrors with fountains in the most important junctions, where the water columns operate at irregular intervals. Walking among the mirrors you get to see several versions of yourself, which can give you something extra to think about when you go on a pilgrimage. Jeppe Hein himself went on the pilgrimage to Nidaros while the project was in the making.
Veien til Stillhet (the Road to Silence) by Jeppe Hein.
Time can pass quickly here, and one can quickly forget oneself among all the sculptures. ‘Teddy - Beast of the Hedonic Treadmill’ by Fredrik Raddum makes me smile at his slightly morbid humour of the teddy bear that has sat down on a person. ‘Viewing Machine’ by Olafur Eliasson brings me into the kaleidoscopic senses. ‘Shine of Life’ by Yayoi Kusama gives me associations to mythical beings like the Kraken, but with a humorous undertone. To name a few. I have a great time, have lunch in the café and then tackle the 3.5km back again, with a larger cultural ballast in the backpack.
Shine of Life, Yayoi Kusama.
A sign should definitely be put up by the pilgrim path that shows the way to Kistefos.
Caleidoshope in Viewing Machine by Olafur Eliasson.
After crossing the construction area and going through the woods again, which by the way is a pleasant walk, I follow the road again. Where the detour really went was difficult for me to see, I found the typical wooden poles with waymarks on inside the forest.
Octopus, Bjarne Melgaard.
Teddy - Beast of the Hedonic Treadmill by Fredrik Raddum.
A short distance away is another burial ground. This on Bjørkelunden, is about 2000 years old. Here there is also a ritual stone ring, where only eight of the stones are visible today. Not far away, on Mo, you will find the other two ritual stone rings in Jevnaker, with 11 and 13 stones respectively.
Hiking alongside fields near Jevnaker with Randsfjorden behind.
Jevnaker church is octagonal, is from 1834 and is at the same time marking that there are 547km left to walk. With my curiosity, probably longer. From the church, the trail continues through a cultural landscape with Randsfjorden below me.
The ritual stone rings at Bjørkelunden.
At Vangseter, the pilgrims have an opportunity to take an alternative pilgrim path to Granavollen instead of the official route. That trail goes on the old church road to Lunner church, originally a long church from the 12th century, from around 1789 a cruciform church.
Jevnaker church.
The afternoon kicks in. The route goes on a pleasant path and I fall into the somewhat relaxed presence you sometimes get when you are out on a long hike and do not feel any stressful elements from the surroundings around you. It is a feeling I could still continue walking in, but since the hours have passed, it is reasonably clear where I will be ending this day. In a nice light I arrive at Sløvika and the campsite which is packed down in the bay there.
Randsfjorden below the pilgrim path.
Sløvika is like all other campsites, but it is late in the season and it is calm there. Something that suits me well. There is also an outdoor kitchen area here with tables and benches where you can find light, which is nice when the darkness has finally arrived.
Before Sløvika you pass this picnic area where an old homestead was located, Steinbråtan.
The sunset is beautiful over Randsfjorden. I did not cover the greatest distance on the pilgrimage today and although the walk was mostly pleasant, it was not particularly exciting. On the other hand, the visit to Kistefos ensured that I had another great day on a pilgrimage. Maybe the pilgrim route should be changed to walk down to the museum?
Sunset at Sløvika.
<< Norderhov // day 2Høgkorsplassen // day 4 >>
No comments:
Post a Comment