Distance: 28.9km (312.7km).
Slept well in the little hut. The morning hours reveal that the rain has subsided, in the valley below the shadows are retreating.
View from Stalsbergsvea in the morning.
Yesterday I decided to go to Nordrum farm in Fåvang. One of the reasons for that is that I want to check out some of the different pilgrim hostels along the route. How are you greeted, what do they look like and what do they offer? It will be interesting to see how the hostels here look compared to the hostels in Spain along the Camino.
A soft start of the day, on the path from Stalsbergsvea.
Kyrkjehaugen.
What is it like for a foreign pilgrim to come here? Now, I know that the number of pilgrims who go down there and here is very different, the same applies to the price, but it is still exciting to see what awaits one in the Norwegian pilgrim hostels.
Gate with church bell, Kyrkjehaugen.
First, though, I still have to get there. And the road there continues through Gudbrandsdalen. It is a two-part route today. First up in the hillside on a mixture of path and pleasant roads, then after moving down towards Lågen, the route goes more on a hard surface further towards Fåvang.
Borkerud pilegrimsloft.
Svarthølen.
There is a soft start to the trip on a path before a gravel road takes over. Beyond is the valley, green and lush. I come to Kyrkjehaugen, where there must have been two churches, but it is discussed whether there may have been three. The uncertain third church could have been a stave church. What is known is that there was a stone church here, probably built around 1300. If you want to see some of that church now, you have to look in the building mass for a stone barn at Prestegården, where much of the church's masonry was used. A younger timbered long church was built here in 1586-88 and was one of the first half-timbered churches built in Norway.
Walking through pleasant cultural scenery.
View over Gudbrandsdalen.
Borkerud Pilegrimsloft is one of the first hostels you come to after entering Gudbrandsdalen. Now it is closed, but curious as I am I took the trip up (it is about 700m to walk from the trail). It is then nice to be greeted by a smile and be allowed to take a look at both the small chapel they have in a small log cabin from the 17th century and the facility for the pilgrims, it looks very cosy here.
Passing through a farm with an old loft.
Flowers at farm and pilgrim path.
Right next door is also a hidden little gem, Svarthølen. A little walk brings me down to a nice pool where you can go swimming, with a small waterfall at the end.
The pilgrim path going past an abandoned farm building.
Not quite urban exploration, but had to take a peek through the window of the abandonded house the pilgrim path passes by on its way down to Rolla bridge.
The road ahead is on a good mix of pleasant gravel roads and paths, with a nice view of the valley, in line with the good experience from yesterday's hike.
At one of the bridges over the Vedemselva river.
The pilgrim route disappears into the forest down towards the Rolla nature reserve and bridge, past an abandoned farm building. In a clearing on the way down there is another abandoned house. If there are any urban explorers among the pilgrims passing by, it will be tempting to see if there is a way into the house. I look in through the window, things are in dedicated places, but the house all bears the mark of being abandoned. One wonders who once lived here.
Det kommer til å gå bra (It's going to go well)!
The old stone arch bridge over Rolla is no longer available to cross over the river, but a new (and considerably less charming) bridge is in place. Before that, I go down to Magali camping to get something to drink, where I find out that I managed to miss where the pilgrim path goes past Glomstad (where you can find accommodation) and took the road instead.
View north from Kartberget.
Yet again is my curiosity leading me away from the given path. I do not know how many additional altitude meters I have to pay for it, but a signpost marked with Kartberget gives me no choice but to follow its direction in search of a view. From the crossroads it is 1.7km up to the viewpoint. The path up becomes relatively steep, but there is nothing to complain about the reward you receive for the effort. You get a very good overview of Nord-Tretten and the surrounding area. One signpost informs me that I am at 680m.
View from Kartberget.
Despite the highlight on Kartberget (which is not on the pilgrimage route itself), it becomes a bit more boring on the second part of the walk today. Lots of hiking on the way and not as much interesting to see, although there are some nice moments along the way.
Looking back on the walk after Magali.
One of the nice sections on the last part of the walk of today.
As I tidy up and clear an old waymark on a rock for vegetation, a lady stops by and tells me that she ran a pilgrim hostel here but had to stop when her husband died. It says Nordrum on the mailbox, at first glance I wondered if I was there, but it is too early for that.
Old waymark on a rock.
My legs gets a little bit tired towards the end of the 7 long kilometers on the way to Fåvang, but the last bit is nice when I see the farm further ahead in the nice light.
Approaching Nordrum farm with its pilgrimsloft.
In Fåvang you find Nordrum farm which has built a hostel in one of the old lofts on the farm. There is little to say about the facilities, a large and nice kitchen with everything needed. Outside my room I have a balcony with a nice view. Friendly hosts. Nice and clean.
A not so soft teddy bear in Fåvang.
On the other hand, I have to have dinner, and I have to get it in Fåvang. So, it will be a little extra walking for me, but after the trip down to the quiet village I can relax on the balcony while the sun spends its last moment in the sky for the day. In the evening I go inside and prepare my dinner. Pepperoni pizza may not be said to be the most creative of choices, but I am happy.
Evening light at Nordrum farm.
A slight letdown compared to yesterday, given the little bit boring walk on the road at the end. Nevertheless, the day contained enough nice moments for me to be satisfied, although there were the two excursions outside the pilgrim path that stood for the highlights of the day, Svarthølen and Kartberget. In the guestbook I read about the pilgrims who have been here at Nordrum farm before, but where are the pilgrims that are on the trail now?
From the kitchen of Nordrum pilegrimsloft.
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