St Olav Way Norway – St Olavsleden Pilgrimage

We will arrive in Stockholm in the morning.  Our tour guide will take us by motor coach to Sundsvall, where St. Olav sailed into the harbor in A.D. 1030 to begin his journey to Trondheim.  We will check into our hotel and have some free time before gathering in the lobby at 6 p.m.  We will enjoy a nice dinner together, get to know each other, and discuss the pilgrimage tour ahead of us. Overnight in Sundsvall.

Walk 7 km

It’s time to put on our hiking boots and start our pilgrimage.  Our first stop is the old church ruin in Selånger, located west of Sundsvall.  This was the first place Saint Olav arrived after sailing from Russia on his quest to reclaim the throne of Norway.  Here, we will obtain our pilgrim passport and collect our first stamp on our journey to Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim, Norway.  Today’s highlights include walking through an ancient Swedish native forest, visiting the Viking rune stone, and exploring the Selånger church built circa 1200 AD.  We will pause to reflect on the beginning of this journey in front of the Saint Olav statue inside the church.  At noon, we will stop for lunch at an old mansion.  Our accommodations for the night will be at a small farm that has welcomed many pilgrims over the years.

Walk 7 km

Enjoy a serene morning walk along Revsund Lake.  It’s an excellent opportunity to unwind and appreciate the tranquility, listening to the birds sing their morning melodies while considering where to place your feet on the forest path.  We will explore a small cave with an intriguing history, and for the adventurous, it’s a chance to crawl inside and reflect on the man who lived here for several years.  After our first walk, we will pick you up by bus, and after a short drive, we’ll be ready for the next walking segment that will take us to a spring well.  St. Olav created the well, and we’ll have the chance to drink from the cold, clear water.  In the afternoon, it’s time to immerse ourselves in Viking history when we reach Frösön, where the Vikings once lived.  It’s named after the Viking god “Frö,” and here we will visit the northernmost rune stone in Sweden.  You will also have the chance to shop in the town of Östersund.  A map will direct you to all the unique local stores in the area.  At the end of the day, we will arrive at Moose Garden in Orrviken.  The family who lives at the farm cares for moose calves affected by car accidents and has raised many of them, feeding them with milk bottles since they were babies.  Dinner and overnight in comfortable cabins overlooking Sweden’s fifth-largest lake, Storsjön, and the panoramic Oviken mountains.

Short walks today.

When you wake up this morning and look out the window, you might first see a moose!  The older ones are so tame that you can say hello and even kiss them.  We start the day’s adventures with a guided tour, where we get to know some of the moose and learn about the farm’s history. 

At noon, we will take the bus to the Jamtli Museum, where the cultural history of the Jämtland region comes to life.  At the Vikings exhibition, you find ancient woven cloths known as “Överhogdalsbonaderna.” These fabrics have existed for over 1,000 years and depict a world far removed from our own today.  Outdoor history comes to life through actors and animals, and we will learn how people lived in the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries.  Jamtli is also home to a branch of the National Museum, featuring unique collections of Nordic paintings, sculptures, and other artwork dating from 1500 to 1900.  We will return to the Moose Garden at dinnertime and cook a meal together. 

In the evening, the sauna will be available for those who wish to experience this traditional Scandinavian custom.  After the sauna, we can sit outside and listen to the legends of the Great Lakes Monster while watching the sunset over the mountains.

Walk 7 km

Today, we walk the St. Olav Pilgrimage Trail along the shores of Lake Storsjön.  On the horizon, the mountains are reflected in the lake, just as when St. Olav embarked on his journey almost 1,000 years ago.  After our morning hike, we will enjoy traditional Swedish Fika (cookies and coffee) before heading into the woods.  Our second stretch will take us to Glösa, where we will learn about the first people who arrived in this area after the last ice age.  The water’s edge reveals 5,000-year-old stone carvings.  As people have done since the ice age, we will prepare our dinner over an open fire near a beautiful waterfall.  In the evening, we will arrive at the famous mountain village of Åre, a popular tourist destination for over 100 years.  It all began with wealthy guests who visited the small farming village to breathe in the healthy mountain air.  The first tourist hotel opened in 1895.  The cozy hotel still stands and, like 100 years ago, continues to welcome its guests; this is where we will spend the night.  Today, the small village of Åre has become northern Sweden’s most prominent tourist destination.  Get ready to choose your favorite activities for tomorrow!

Optional hikes available

After spending a few days together as a group, we will have some free time to do as we please.  We can sleep in or hike up the mountain to enjoy the view.  We can also shop at the small stores in Åre, filled with traditional crafts from the area and high-quality outdoor brands.  Åre offers many optional activities, including downhill mountain biking, kayaking, fishing, and yoga, to name a few.  If you’re interested in a mountain hike, Totthummeln is a recommended trail that provides a stunning view of the valley.

In the evening, we will gather for a short walk to the Romanesque Old Church in Åre, built in the late 12th century.  It features one of the most unusual Olav statues: unlike the usual depiction of him with an orb, a war axe, and a crown, it shows him wearing a tricorne uniform hat typical of the Caroleans, who were Swedish soldiers from the 17th century.  Although the wooden statue dates back to the 14th century, it could be older.  It is the only stone mountain church in Scandinavia, and over the years, thousands of pilgrims have visited this church.  

Expect an evening filled with music, a significant part of the local culture.

Walk 2 km

Our next segment of St. Olavsleden will take us to Sweden’s largest and most beautiful waterfall, Tännforsen. A few kilometers from the Norwegian border, we will stop to enjoy the treeless, barren landscape that is home to reindeer.  Moss and lichen form the basis of their diet; if we are fortunate, we may glimpse some reindeer.  Once we cross the Norwegian border, we will witness the open and stunning landscape transition into farmland.  We will arrive in Stiklestad in the afternoon, where King Olav was martyred for the faith.  We will gather around a long table in the evening to feast on traditional Viking food.  It will be a night filled with Viking tales and perhaps even stories from our pilgrimage across the border to Norway!

Optional hikes available.

After Stiklestad, the road will split into two, and we will drive along the coastal route, allowing time to move a little slower.  We will take in the landscape through the bus window and have time to reflect on the days we have traveled along St. Olavsleden. Tautra, an island where people have lived since the Bronze Age, is our destination for today.  The monastery on the island was built in the Middle Ages and is dedicated to the Virgin Mary.  The monastery is Tautra Mariakloster,  a community of eleven nuns who live the Cistercian (Trappistine) life in central Norway.  The Trappistine nuns will welcome us, and we will participate in their silent meditation session in the afternoon.  We will also have mass at the Monastery.

Walking 3 km

We have been following St. Olavsleden from the Swedish Baltic Sea in the east to the Norwegian Atlantic Ocean in the west.  In the morning, we will take the boat from the island of Tautra to the bustling coastal town of Trondheim.  Trondheim is the fourth-largest town in Norway and was the capital until 1217.  Our final pilgrim walk will take us to the Nidaros Dome.  Constructed over the tomb of St. Olav, it is Norway’s largest church.  It has been an important pilgrimage destination in Northern Europe for centuries, and it still is, as more than a thousand people embark on the pilgrimage to Nidarosdomen every year.

Before we have dinner together, we will have some time to stroll through the streets of Trondheim, see the sights, and go shopping. Overnight in Trondheim.

After breakfast in our hotel, the guide will meet you at the reception and will transport you to the local airport in Vaernes.