We are very proud to introduce a guided group hike from Sweden to Norway in the summer of 2025. Over mountains, through forests and along the Trondheim fjord. Plus: a visit to the annual St. Olav Play in Stiklestad.

My special bond with Finland started four years ago. I had been a big fan of the Nordics for over twelve years and that is why I had decided to move to Finland. Once there, I immediately fell in love with the nature and the peace that the country radiates. Unfortunately, after a while I developed severe physical complaints that made it impossible for me to walk or stand on my legs. The Finnish doctors could not help me and I could not take care of myself, because of these physical problems. For that reason, my Finnish dream fell apart and after a year I had to move back to the Netherlands.

Over the years we have met quite a few people who were interested in moving to Sweden, Norway or Finland after completing their hike. Not surprising: there is a lot of space and unspoiled nature, there are a lot of (professional) opportunities and in the countryside houses can be affordable.

In August and September 2024, we had the opportunity to explore parts of the Gudbrandsdalsleden - the pilgrim route from Oslo to Trondheim.

Mireille from Belgium walked the St. Olav’s Trail from Sweden to Norway in 2023. She liked one of the accommodations she stayed at so much that she returned a year later as a volunteer.

The St. Olavsleden (St. Olav path) is mainly known as a hiking trail, but cyclists can also follow in the footsteps/tire tracks of Olav. And with the arrival of a new travel guide (link) for cyclists at the end of 2024, more will soon follow. But how do you approach something like this, a pilgrimage route by bike? We asked Suze and Ton from the Netherlands.

One of the best things of running a company like Nordic Pilgrim, is to see people arriving at their final destination, often after a long journey. Take Sue from the USA, for example. She started her hike in Selånger on June 1st. After almost one month of hiking she arrived in Trondheim on the 28th and wrote:

In the commotion of the coming hiking season, we almost forgot our own anniversary: Nordic Pilgrim has been around for ten years! In 2013, founder Ruben was asked by the Swedish St. Olavsleden project to ‘test’ this route

So you are going on a trip through the Nordic countries and you would like to understand the locals. What is the best way to learn basic language skills? There are real language courses you can follow, of course. Some bigger cities offer real, physical classes. If you want to learn digitally, you could use learning apps, like Duolingo and Babbel. If you are too busy (or lazy) to learn, you could always use the Google Translate app to translate in real time by using the microphone on your telephone.

We receive a lot of questions about the Inner and Outer Route. Here follows a short explanation. The St. Olavsleden (from Selånger to Trondheim) splits into two for the last part in Norway: at Munkeby you can choose to take the Inner or the Outer road to Trondheim. What are the differences between these two routes?