WAY TO GO, ST. OLAF ÖSTERSUND St. Olaf’s Way is an ancient pilgrim’s trail through Sweden and that is as satisfying for the adventurers of today as it was for the religious devotees of yesteryear WORDS BY JÖRGEN VIKSTRÖM PHOTOGRAPHS BY NICKLAS BLOM ST. OLAVSLEDEN: A HIKER’S GUIDE

hemed hikes covering declared a Cultural Route of the Council everything from food of Europe. and wine to literature, Today, you’re just as likely to bump culture and adventure into runners, mountain bikers and Drifting downstream (anticlockwise from bottom T right): Hugo, Martina, Alice and Johan pick up the trail have become increasingly horse riders as pilgrims. Hotels, hostels, popular of late. Scandinavia’s answer to restaurants, adventure companies and again after catching their breath at Ristafallet northern Spain’s El Camino de Santiago city councils have joined forces in recent (the Way of St. James) is St. Olavsleden, years to make the trail more accessible. or St. Olaf’s Way. The pilgrimage trail While some stick to the pilgrim theme – leads from Selånger, near Sundsvall, on a slow, contemplative walk that earns a Sweden’s east coast to on certificate in (if you walk at least Norway’s west coast: 564km winding 100km) – others spice things up by biking through cities and towns, farmland and or kayaking. And when you stop for wilderness. lunch there’s the knowledge that another The trail follows the route along which weary traveler sat in that very spot 1,000 the canonized Norwegian king Olaf years ago. II Haraldsson (995-1030) led his army in 1030. Olaf’s plan was to reclaim the Good to know throne and convert pagan Norway to Hiking season in Scandinavia runs May Christianity. The war was savage and through October, with July and August Olaf was killed in the great battle of the busiest months of the year. Generally Stiklestad, 90km north of Trondheim. speaking, St. Olavsleden is pretty easy- The saint was buried in the mighty going and you don’t need to be superfit , which is also the to manage a longer section. Children end of St. Olavsleden. The trail has been 7-8 years of age can keep up, but don’t used by pilgrims on the way to Nidaros expect them to carry a lot in their packs. for hundreds of years, and in 2010 was You will need good wet-weather gear, E

SCANORAMA NOVEMBER 2013 93 Stepping stones: Hugo, Alice, Martina and Johan negotiate the banks of the Indal river

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THE SECTIONS BETWEEN ÖSTERSUND AND STIKLESTAD ARE PARTICULARLY STUNNING. THE DRAMA OF NATURE IS TANGIBLE HERE

including hiking boots or shoes. If you’re waterfall to create a luxuriant, almost- cycling, think repair kits: there’s a lot tropical setting with foliage in all the Pilgrims’ progress (from left): of ground to cover between bike shops. colors of the rainbow. Ristafallet is 14 meters high and Take warm clothes, a hat and gloves, In Åre, Sweden’s premier ski resort, 50 meters wide; Stenvalbroarna, a stone bridge just outside especially for the Skanderna mountains you can veer from the trail and take the Skalstugan in northwest Jämtland, on the border of Norway and Sweden. cable car up to the peak of Åreskutan. close to the Swedish-Norwegian There’s no shortage of accommodation so From an altitude of 1,420m, you look border; Lingonberries are ripe for tents are unnecessary, though bedsheets out across miles of mountains to Norway picking August through October are good for hostels. You don’t need to in the west, and over the lakes and carry too much food since there are forests around Östersund and the great stores along the way. The official website lake of Storsjön. Once the trail passes has maps so you can plan your hike. the Jämtland mountain village of www.stolavsleden.com Skalstugan and enters Norway, the landscape becomes treeless, harsh and Into the wild dramatic, with spectacular formations. Most people don’t walk all 564km, The trail here presents two alternatives, settling instead for one section of the one over the mountains and one along trail. St. Olavsleden is divided into five the country road 322. The mountain sections, each just over 100km long. pass reaches 550m above sea level at The sections between Östersund and Mt. Brekka. The hiking here can be Stiklestad are particularly stunning. arduous but you are rewarded with From Järpen to Åre, the trail follows incredible views down toward the val- some of the Indal river’s mighty rapids leys to the west. and waterfalls. The drama of nature is tangible here, and you can understand A well-deserved meal why Astrid Lindgren’s Ronia, the Rob- Hiking doesn’t necessarily a mean a diet ber’s Daughter was filmed here, with of soup and packed lunches. In Öster- the impressive Ristafallet as the Greedy sund a small detour takes you to the Jap- Falls. The towering, dense forest com- anese restaurant Take Mikado, where bines with the spray and steam from the Tsukasa “Tim” Takeuchi serves tradi- E

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WHEN YOU STOP FOR LUNCH THERE’S THE KNOWLEDGE THAT ANOTHER WEARY SOUL SAT IN THAT VERY SPOT 1,000 YEARS AGO Country fare: Lunch at Kretsloppshuset in Mörsil could be a plate of crispy waffles or a lavish smorgasbord that makes the most of the local produce

tional dishes such as sukiyaki (thin slices Take Mikado Infanterigatan 12, Östersund. of meat, tofu, and vegetables cooked in Tel: +46 63 209 08. www.mikadosweden.com soy sauce and sugar) and shabu-shabu (thinly sliced beefs and vegetables in Kretsloppshuset Kyrkvägen 5, Mörsil. Creature comforts: The Steward’s House at Wången Inn, Alsen, has bags of old-fashioned charm broth). Mörsil has Kretsloppshuset, a Tel: +46 647 665212. www.kretsloppshuset.com sustainable building with a lush garden that extends right into the restaurant. Fäviken Magasinet Fäviken 216, Järpen. They bake their own bread here and Tel: +46 647 401 77. www.favikenmagasinet.se make excellent vegetable soups and sal- ads from organic produce. Villa Tottebo Parkvägen 1, Åre. Tel: +46 647 506 20. Although well off the beaten path www.villatottebo.se Fäviken Magasinet, 25km northeast of Åre, is a must for foodies. Magnus Nils- A good night’s sleep son’s super-local food includes crispy The right of public access in Sweden lichens with dried egg yolk and smoke- and Norway means you can set up camp dried brown trout with a mild garlic almost anywhere you want, except on cream; salted and air-dried duck breast; private plots and land used for farm- and scallops “in the shell out of the fire” ing. But the trail is also lined with more cooked over burning juniper branches. comfortable alternatives, from hostels to In Åre itself there’s Villa Tottebo, a hotels and pensions. Don’t miss Wån- hunting lodge and summerhouse built gen, 30km west of Krokom, which is the by wholesaler Lars-Eric Lithander in national headquarters for harness racing 1897 that has since been hauled from the in Sweden. You can rest comfortably here shadow of Mount Totthummeln down to amid the pastures and stables. Ask for a the train station. The kitchen offers local room in the fin de siècle Förvaltaren, or delicacies such as arctic char and lamb, Steward’s House. You might get a tour of but go for the game meatballs. the stables and you can go for rides in the E

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