St. Olavsleden, the St. Olav Path
St. Olavsleden is the world’s northernmost pilgrim’s way: from Selånger (Sweden) to Trondheim (Norway). The 580 km-long trail leads over mountains and through forests, along lakes and historical sites. St. Olavsleden is the Scandinavian answer to El Camino de Santiago de Compostela, the famous pilgrimage to Spain.
Program
The second stage is the shortest of the entire route and runs from Bräcke to Östersund, the capital of the province of Jämtland. A walk along historic sites and picturesque villages.
The schedule that you see below is just a suggestion. You can plan in resting days or combine stages. Ask us for the possibilities.
01. Travel day. Overnight stay in Bräcke
It is easy to reach Bräcke: you can take the train from Stockholm or the airport, with a transfer in Sundsvall.
02. Bräcke – Gällö/Revsund (approx. 25 km)
You walk along the beautiful Lake Revsund where Olav according to legend split a stone in half with his boat when he went ashore. The last part is through dense forest towards the village of Gällö. A tough hike!
03. Gällö/Revsund – Pilgrimstad (approx. 18 km)
Following the shores of Lake Revsund, you pass the village of Revsund, which has several ties to the St. Olav history. In Revsund you can visit the church if it’s open – one of the biggest rural churches of Sweden – which exhibits some really interesting historic artifacts. You pass Hålbergsgrot, a cave where in the Middle Ages a murderer lived in exile. In Pilgrimstad you drink from another St. Olav spring – one that has healing water, or so the story goes.
04. Pilgrimstad – Brunflo (approx. 25 km)
From Pilgrimstad it is a pleasant, yet long walk towards Brunflo, passing some small villages and bubbling streams. In Brunflo begins Storsjön (the Great Lake), along which you will walk the next couple of days.
05. Brunflo – Östersund (approx. 15 km)
The road to Östersund is easy and not very long. Östersund is the capital of the Swedish province of Jämtland and has one of the best attractions of Sweden: the huge open-air museum Jamtli (Swedish Museum of the Year in 2013). Part of Jamtli’s exhibition is about Olav and the Vikings. They also have an awesome midsummer celebration!
06. Travel day
You can take the train from Östersund back to Stockholm. There is also an airport in Östersund, with flights going to Stockholm.
6 days, of which you walk 4. The average is 20 kilometers per day.
May-September
Not a very difficult walk – easy for a trained walker. There is one part however, that can be tricky, especially when the weather is bad: a couple of kilometers between Revsund and Pilgrimstad follow a narrow path that can be very slippery. Mind your step. We recommend that you bring good hiking equipment – broken-in hiking boots, a comfortable backpack and possibly walking sticks.
You spend the nights in pilgrim accommodations, ranging from simple to comfortable. Cabins, at home with locals, B&B’s, hotels and everything in-between. It is not necessary to bring bed linen – although it can save you some money if you do.
All meals are included, except dinner in Östersund. There are however many restaurants in the city.
Luggage transfer is possible along this route, but it is quite costly. Ask us for details.
Bed linen, booking, assistance through app (if needed).
Luggage transfer, plane- and train tickets. You will of course be helped to find the trip that suits you best.
This offer is covered by the STO Garant guarantee. You can find the conditions for this guarantee scheme on STO Garant’s website (www.sto-garant.nl/en/downloads).
Contact us for more information: info@nordicpilgrim.com or +31 6 12834782.
- € 560 (one person, single room where available)
- € 950 (two persons, double room where available)
Summary
Self-guided hike along St. Olavsleden, from Bräcke to Östersund
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Available from May to September
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6 days of which you walk 4 days, an average of 20 kilometers per day.
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€ 560 (one person, single room where available)
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€ 950 (two persons, double room where available)
