St. Olavsleden29 or 31 days(self-guided)

You can choose between a hotel in Sundsvall or a B&B in Selånger – near the start of the route.

From Sundsvall is only a few kilometers by bus to Selånger. Here, the real journey begins at the church ruins of Selånger, where Olav Haraldsson stepped ashore and began his journey to Norway a thousand years ago. You can take a tour on the grounds before you take your first steps towards Trondheim. The hike passes through agricultural area and is quite easy.

A lovely, albeit monotonous walk the shores of beautiful Lake Stöde, where there are enough beaches and secluded spots to catch your breath.

On day three a relatively easy walk through green fields and along streams to Torpshammar, the geographical centre of Sweden.

From Torpshammar is a fairly easy and pleasant stroll towards Fränsta. The impressive church of Fränsta, situated along the water, has a statue of St. Olav from the thirteenth century.

Through quiet country lanes you pilgrimage continues to Borgsjö, a well-known place in the St. Olav legends: it is here that Olav created a spring by hitting the ground with his staff. His thirsty men and horses were probably very thankful.

On day six, the walk continues along forest paths and meadows, slowly going uphill. The hike is relatively heavy, but very rewarding. You stay in a simple ‘stuga’ in the middle of the forest – without electricity or streaming water.

The journey continues, over narrow forest roads and through small villages, in the direction of Bräcke, the largest and most important town in the region. Bräcke grew enormously in the late 19th century, with the arrival of the railway. The centre of the village has a kind of Wild West atmosphere, with wooden houses and porches.

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!

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.

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.

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!

For a lot of pilgrims Östersund is a popular town to take a rest day.

The first part of the walk crosses the island Frösön. You pass the northernmost rune stone in Sweden and the beautiful Frösö church. The route continues along the shoreline of Storsjön towards the peninsula Rödön.

The landscape on Rödön consists of farmland and green hills, with picturesque churches and small villages. Today you pass the St. Olavs spring of Vikeränget, where you can have a refreshing drink of “holy” water.

From Vaplan it is a pleasant, easy walk towards Alsen, with stunning mountain views. Along the way you can admire the five thousand-year-old rock carvings of Glösa and a reconstruction of huts of moose hunters who lived here long ago.

Today’s walk is a long and heavy one! You walk trough dense forest, have to do some hill climbing, with asphalt in-between The views of the mountains and dark, deep lakes are breathtaking.

The road to Hålland is relatively easy, but long. It follows the river Indalsälven, with Ristafallet, a beautiful waterfall with great rapids and views.

The route to Åre is spectacular: the tops of Åre ‘s popular ski slopes are slowly getting closer, dominating the landscape. Through forests, meadows and along a ‘troll path’, you arrive in the bustling ski village, where you can take a cable car during the season, which climbs to the highest peaks of Åre.

On your way to Tännforsen you pass Duved, where you can buy some provisions. Because after Duved the actual wilderness begins. You leave behind the last bit of civilization and head for the mighty Tännforsen, Sweden’s largest waterfall.

On the road from Tännforsen to Medstugan you pass a number of restored stone bridges that were built in the 19th century after the Treaty of Kiel.
Quite a lot of asphalt this day!

You’ve seen them for many days in the distance, and today you finally cross them: the mountains between Sweden and Norway. After crossing the border, the landscape changes immediately: past spectacular rock walls you walk to the deep, dark valley of Sul. Because there is no accommodation available in the mountains, the walk is quite long. But don’t worry: you can be picked up by car if it gets too much!

Today’s tour goes through a narrow valley to a more open landscape with pine forests and distant views. After a long hike through the mountains – yesterday – many people experience this stage as quite tough.

After a lovely, relatively short walk through green hills, you arrive in Stiklestad, where Olav Haraldsson was killed in battle on July 29 1030. Nowadays Stiklestad has an open-air museum, a pilgrim centre and a church, containing the stone on which Olav laid his head when he died – or so the story goes.

The route between Stiklestad and Munkeby is relatively easy. Along the way you pass the town of Verdal – the first bit of civilization in days. In Munkeby you stay at a pilgrim’s cabin, near the ruins of a medieval monastery. Not far away is a modern monastery, where you can buy cheese from the monks.

The walk is a bit rough, partly on unpaved roads and through wetlands. The path follows Lake Tomsvattnet along some old summer farms. There is a lookout with panoramic views of the mountains Haråhaugan and Vinkjerran.

Today’s trip is mainly on dirt roads through the ‘marka’, a Norwegian expression for nature areas between villages. You pass Lake Ausetvatnet. In the afternoon you reach a farm turned hostel in Boras.

You continue via Vollhaugen to Stjørdal, passing several historic sites. The church of Stjørdal is located near St. Olavsleden and has a great history. The tour ends at the beautiful farm Ersgard. Here you can take a dip in the river.

The pilgrimage continues along dirt roads through the village Hommelvik and then uphill to Brennberga and Nygårdsvollen. Here you see and hear the river Homla, which you follow for a while. Can be a pretty tough hike, especially with bad weather.

Today you walk along old church trails to the lake Nyvattnet, where you have lunch on the waterfront. At the end of the walk you pass by the farm museum Fjölstadtröa.

The last day is a day of reflection. You still have a couple of kilometers to go along the coast and through the outskirts of Trondheim. At the intersection of Saksvik once stood a cross where pilgrims stopped to have their first look at Nidaros. Here you can look out over the fjord and the city. The last kilometers to go straight through the heart of Trondheim, until you finally reach the goal of your journey: the Nidaros Cathedral, where St. Olav is buried. In Nidaros you receive your well-deserved pilgrim’s degree.

You can book extra nights in Trondheim if you want.

From Munkeby you follow the road to Levanger, one of the bigger towns in the region, with a population of 10.000. From there you go to the Levanger arboretum and follow the road to the coast.

Today’s trip is tough: mainly on asphalt roads – although there is alternative route, that is not signposted, that follows the coast. The water of the Trondheim fjord is however never far away. Past the Falstadsenteret (war museum) and the Ekne church, to Hellberg. You are now on the peninsula of Frosta, a region with a rich cultural history witnessing the central position held by Frosta throughout the centuries. Frosta is sometimes nicknamed “Trondheim’s kitchen garden” due to many farms with production of vegetables, as well as a good microclimate.

A beautiful hike through forest, over hills and across fields – all the time with the sea on your right hand side. The last bit crosses the 2-kilometer long bridge between Frosta and the island of Tautra, famous for its Monastery ruins. In 2003 Tautra Mariakloster, a new Cistercian nunnery, was founded on the island.

The last day is a day you take the boat from Tautra to Trondheim, which takes about one hour. The boat only goes in the months June, July and August, every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Keep this in mind when planning your trip.
From the small harbor it is just a 2-kilometer walk to the Nidaros Cathedral – end point of the St. Olav pilgrimage.

You can book extra nights in Trondheim if you want.