Distance: 37.1km (251.3km).
It is chilly in the morning, and quiet. With tired eyes I walk through the campsite to the kitchen. Breakfast is prepared together with a lady from Austria who has traveled around Norway with a caravan, but is now on her way back, in other words not an unexpected meeting in a way. After having my cup of coffee, my eyes are waking up a little bit more.
Wonderful red sky over Mjøsa just before sunrise.
Also waking up, is the sky and Mjøsa. It is an intoxicating red sky and eventually sunrise that reveals itself. Flaming red and dramatic. As an omen about soul-stirring experiences on the pilgrimage. Perhaps there is a certain symbolism in the sunset in Sløvika and the sunrise in Sveastranda, from a pilgrim's point of view. A walk from sunset to sunrise, an awakening of a kind.
On the way over the hill towards Biri, with a view of Mjøsa and the Mjøsbrua bridge.
Many people carry out meticulous planning of the hikes they are going to do. I like to do some planning myself, but I do not like to make an absolute plan, a plan that must be followed to the letter. If I have a plan, it is usually mostly to keep an eye on my progress on the way, a kind of measure if I am on course with the time I have at hand. Seen with my plan, Vingrom church is the goal for the day. Seen from the map in my guidebook, there is little hope of finding a tent site nearby there.
A nice and winding path between verdant vegetation.
From Sveastranda to Vingrom church, the pilgrims will have to cross over a couple of hills, and the first of them comes after a few drowsy kilometres on an asphalt and gravel road from Sveastranda. The trip over to Biri takes me partly steep uphill with a nice view down towards the Mjøsbrua bridge, through a lush and green forest landscape, on what looks like an old cart road, but also along a field with tall and wet grass.
The Dårdisteinene rocks, are they moving I wonder?
On the way over to Biri I can hear church bells ringing in the distance, and with that the stones next to me start to move. They turn angrily towards the other side of Mjøsa, as the legend says that the Dårdisteinene rocks moves when the church bells in Ringsaker church are ringing. At least, I pretend that I can hear the church bells.
View over Mjøsa from a viewpoint.
Here the trail goes up alongside an acre on a path with wet and tall grass, past a worn little house.
To get the best view from the route, you have to take off from the trail at a sign indicating 'Utsikt'. The path there is slightly steep, but if you make the choice, you get the pleasure of looking out over Mjøsa from a higher point of view. From where I stand, I can see a nice light over the water with clouds rolling over the ridges on the other side.
The stone circle at Biri with Husmannsstuggua behind.
An older building in Biri that apparently has been a store once upon a time, I like those old advertising signs that is still hanging.
As expected, there is not much life in Biri on a Sunday. Here you can spend the night at Husmannstuggua, which is located right next to Domsteinsletta. Eight stones, out of nine, which are about two thousand years old, stand in a circle here. Once upon a time, this could also have been a place where people were judged.
From inside Biri church.
The pilegrim path leaving Biri church.
It is also being prepared for confirmation in Biri church. In my hiking clothes, I stand out from the more properly dressed guests, but I get my stamp in the pilgrim pass. From the wooden church dating from 1777 there are 424 kilometres left to go and the pilgrim route takes me on a nice route that abruptly goes over to another path defined by tall and wet grass. The route further feels a little strange, but I still would agree to take this route instead of walking along a busy road.
And here it was reasonably overgrown...
A walk with a view down towards Mjøsa.
It has been a bit off and on for me today, although the walk can be classified as comfortable. A good number of pleasant sections, but also longer stretches on asphalt, as well as overgrown paths. Squeezed in between walks between farms, and sometimes through the yard on them, on a mixture of gravel roads and farm roads, the route has room for small breaks on paths over rivers and past small waterfalls.
Nice little model of a tractor, on one of the farms passed by.
Are the pilgrims in danger of being called in for class if they pass Vingrom school during a school day?
The route passing by a small waterfall in the Bjørnstadelva river.
The more I have seen on the map in the guidebook, the more I have become certain that I will not be finding places to camp near Vingrom church. As time has passed, I have decided to go all the way to Lillehammer. When I go down to Vingrom church, the horizon has become dark and forms a great contrast to the white walls of the church. Rain fills the mountains behind Lillehammer and wind fills my hair with air.
A loft underneath some clouds with interesting patterns.
On the way to the Olympic city, I actually see some opportunities to find a tent site down by Mjøsa, but the proximity to the busy road makes those places unattractive. I feel tired the last few kilometres towards Lillehammer and the benches that belong to the Tankeplassen project over the bridge are a welcome sight. I stamp the pilgrim pass in Lillehammer church and find the way to my pleasant accommodation, Øvergaard. There are clear signs of heavy rain in the city, but I escaped completely.
Vingrom church with dark rain clouds over Lillehammer in the background.
In Lillehammer you will find Maihaugen, one of the most famous village museums in Norway, and I wanted to visit it during my pilgrimage, but I am not sure if it is still open, given that I arrived so late. The joy is therefore great when the host at Øvergaard tells me that there is a gate that is open and that I can get to visit it before I go to for dinner.
Tankeplass, Inverted Bridge by the artist duo´ Lutz-Rainer Müller + Stian Ådlandsvik, at the Vingnesbroen bridge in Lillehammer.
Lillehammer church.
It is a bit like walking into the past here, walking among the old buildings at Maihaugen. At the same time, it is also a bit like walking in times that does not quite fit together, because the buildings here are not from the same time, they extend from the 1200s and until today. The Garmo stave church, old lofts and farmhouses are reflected in the water. The evening sun shines between the houses in an ancient yard. Walking here can you give some peace of mind. Is there an old pilgrim to be found in here, I wonder?
Garmo stave church from the 13th century. Originally from Lom, but is now located at Maihaugen.
In the centre of Lillehammer, I come home, or rather I find Heim (which translates to home). Here I have dinner, bangers ‘n’ mash, and relax with a couple of beers. And reflects on the fact that I have now finished the Vestleden route. Tomorrow I start on the Gudbrandsdalsleden route proper, where both the two routes from Oslo go together. I am excited about the continuation and now hope to meet several other pilgrims as well.
Evening sun at the backyard of the old farm of Bjørnstad at Maihaugen.
Isum chapel, Maihaugen.
Overall, I am very happy with the Vestleden route. I must say that I was surprised by the route out of Oslo, it was more comfortable than I had expected. You cannot avoid a lot of walking along the road, but here it was less than what I imagined I was going to do. There was a lot of cultural landscape, for better or worse, it was a period when I personally got a little tired of it, but mostly it was nice.
Maihaugen, old Øygarden.
The darkness has descended, I walk in quiet streets back to the stately farm building from 1850 where I spend the night, Øvergaard. A week on the road and Vestleden completed, Gudbrandsdalen is waiting after a night's sleep.
Evening at Heim in Lillehamer, I felt I earned a cold and good beer after having finished the Vestleden route.
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