Distance: 5.1km (5.1km).
‘De Kvite Kyrkjene’ is a pilgrim path that goes around the Tinnsjø lake in Norway. The main pilgrim objective is to visit the six white churches that are situated around the lake. These are Atrå, Dal, Gransherad, Austbygde, Hovin and Mæl. The entire route is about 90km long. More info about the pilgrim path can be found here.
Gransherad church.
Originally, I was not entirely convinced that this route would provide enough attraction to me to want to do it, but then I decided to give it a try. My biggest concern regarding this pilgrim path was the almost necessarily need to make use of boats to be able to do it in a convenient matter.
Tinnåe.
The recommended place to start the pilgrimage from is Mæl church, where you are to take a ferry (Storegut) to Tinnoset. From Tinnoset, the first walking stage will take you to Gransherad church. It is here that I get one of the misgivings of this pilgrimage, since you are to walk back again to Tinnoset from the church. And then having to rely on a local boatman to take you to Sandviken as there are no walking paths between there and Tinnoset.
Standing on the disused Tinnosbanen railway, the pilgrim path does not go on the actual railway though.
It is possible to get a key to the churches, but if I was to do this pilgrimage, I decided that I did not want to deal with the additional necessary appointments to retrieve and return the key.
Knitted waymarker of De Kvite Kyrkjene pilgrim path.
Dealing with not wanting to use a boat to get to Sandviken, I had studied the map and located some paths that I could make use of. The problem was that I had to walk a section without a path for this work, in a terrain that on the map appeared to be very cumbersome. Thankfully a solution arrived in the form of my parents who could drive me to another entry point to Sandviken from Tinnoset. They would anyway drive me to my selected starting point at Gransherad church.
Nattejuv.
After dropping me off at Gransherad church, my parents will drive to Tinnoset to wait for me there. It is about five kilometres for me to walk and since I walk light-weight, I believe I can make it there in about one hour.
Peculiar section of the pilgrim path going through a tunnel underneath the disused railway line, under some sort of maintenance.
The waymark sign of this pilgrim path is a white church. These are found on the trail either on wooden signposts, painted on the trees or rocks or as knitted patches.
Marshland below Nattejuv.
Gransherad church dates back to the Middle Ages, but the present church was consecrated in 1849. For those in need of a last-minute re-supply, there is also a shop here (however, there are more shops later on the pilgrim path). From the church to Tinnoset the pilgrim path follows a locally waymarked route mostly going on good paths, both narrow and broad.
Walking through grass on a field before Nisi.
When arriving at Tinnoset, I have passed underneath the hauntingly named Nattejuv (‘Gorge of the Night’) hill, walking close to a small section of marshland, after a short climb going past a loft getting some views of the other side of the valley due to timber work and passing by the farm of Nisi.
After Nisi farm.
A pleasant walk, but most excitement was found when the path went near the disused railway line of Tinnosbanen. This was once a line used to transport fertilizer to Skien from the fabric Norsk Hydro had at Rjukan, but it was also used for personal transport. It went operational in 1909 but was disused in 1991.
The old Tinnoset railway station.
Tinnoset is where the Storegut ferry is having its terminal. As expected, I only used about an hour, meaning that my parents did not have to wait too long for me. They had spent the time by having lunch and taking a look at the old railway station and ferry terminal. Good thing the weather is nice.
Tinnoset.
Bråtådokktjønn // day 1 >>
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