Oslo - Lillehammer, Norway - June 20, 2020

[HeidiL]

We are all sorted now, except for the pilgrim passports - and are planning to pick them up here in Oslo this week.

There will be three of us, my husband, me and our 24-year-old son.

We old ones are going for comfort and luxury (=sleeping indoors, with accessible water and electricity), once we get to Lillehammer, we take the train back to Oslo and the young man, who recently got a new tent and a water filtration system, is carrying on towards Trondheim.

Once he has passed the most hilly bits, we may re-join him, possibly by driving to Oppdal to meet him, letting him exchange some of the stuff he has been carrying for other stuff (we have been discussing clean t-shirts and anything else he think might be useful), locking the car and walking with him to Trondheim - but we'll see.

If the weather report is too horrible, we may postpone our departure from Oslo by a day or two. But we ARE walking.

 

[ivar]

God tur!

 

[dougfitz]

I cannot remember there being any bits that weren't hilly! And in saying that, I think you are going to be letting your son enjoy some spectacular walking on his own - I hope he appreciates your generosity.

 

[nidarosa]

God tur!

 

[alexwalker]

God tur!

 

[HeidiL]

We're home again! These were our stages:

1. Oslo - Lommedalen - already walked a few weeks ago, so we just took the bus
2. Lommedalen - Kleivstua (waiting for horrendous rain storm to be over) - Sundvolden (hot day)
3. Sundvolden - Haug kirke -Klækken hotell (hot day)(lots of interesting art in the hotel)
4. Klækken - Sognsgården (lovely, primitive place, still wish they had a shower and fewer flies, but it IS a working farm, and there is a washing machine!) (my husband's cousin came for an outdoor visit and we chatted for an hour)(hot day)
5. Sognsgården - Granavollen pilgrim centre/Søsterkirkene - Hadeland folkemuseum - Brandbu - taxi last 10 km uphill to Åstjern hyttetun (very, very hot day)(will go back to Brandbu to see the comics museum and walk those 10 km some time in the autumn)
6. Åstjern - Holthe gård (lovely place, washing machine) (rainy day)
7. Holthe - Kapp (hot day) (great pizza)
8. Kapp - Gjøvik (at least 1 km of underwater paths along Mjøsa, Crocs are lifesavers) (Duck King has the best Chinese food I've had in Norway)
9. Gjøvik - Husmannsstuggua, Biri (incredible place, the best bathroom ever)(still damned hot)
10. Biri - Vingom (and then the rain started beating down and we took a bus the last 10 km to Lillehammer, saw the current exhibition at the art museum and took the train home).

We're going back to walk for at least another week some time this summer, short stages only. My husband is really not happy past 20 km, and is walking very slowly now. But as long as he is still walking, I'm not complaining - much. It is easier to slow down to his speed when I have poles.

Our son started a lot later than we did on the Eastern Route, and has been walking long stages - 45 km yesterday. He will be in Lillehammer today, after only 25 km.

 

[Pilger Franz]

@HeidiL
When reading your post I was thinking about Norway after Covid-19 is open again!?
No, it is not
You are Norwegians (who cannot get out).

BC
Franz

 

[HeidiL]

At the Pilgrim Centre in Hamar (we went there on a day-trip by car a few days after we got home from Lillehammer) I met Henrik Sanne, who later sent me the most updated official list of places to sleep, eat and buy food (when it is more complicated than normally) on this path. I have (after asking for permission) posted the English version under Resources.

(And if things go as planned, we'll walk another week or so from Lillehammer, starting next week. I just have to work a bit more first.)

 

[HeidiL]

Checking in from Nordum gård, after walking from the place we stopped a few weeks ago. Gudbrandsdalsleden is very, very hilly, there are plenty of stinging nettles and rain appears without warning from the meteorological services. It’s a lovely walk, but I prefer Spain.
Yesterday and today, we walked with two other pilgrims , and later we met a group of four, who started in Hamar, but mostly, we talk with each other and locals...

 

[HeidiL]

We made it to Budsjord, mostly along the marked paths, but following roads when the paths got too steep.

Today I had to be in the office, so we walked to Dombås instead of Fokstugu yesterday, and then took the train home to Oslo early this morning.

All in all, a good walk. A bit under 250 km left for another summer.

 

[HeidiL]

Plans ready for the next bit - hopefully next summer. (My son is off walking again - just wanting to see how far he can get in three days. I am SO happy not to be in my twenties any more.)