Hints and Tips
- Norway is expensive, accommodation and food especially so. Take a tent, the Youth Hostel was 30 pounds per person per night! There is some free/cheap accommodation for Pilgrims however.
- Buy light and cheap instant mash, noodles and tinned fish. Plan ahead so you don't carry unnecessary amounts of food. The location of supermarkets/garages is in the guide book. All the garages sell food, many sell hot food (if you can afford it). We found that 1 days food was enough in built up areas, 2 days in the countryside and 3/4 days for the Dovre crossing, assuming you eat out when possible on Dovre.
- Payphones are practically non existent, so if you want to keep in touch with someone take a mobile. Internet cafes are nowhere to be seen.
- The ground is hard and stony in places so a self or semi-self supporting tent is best.
- Everyone is friendly and happy to help, ask anywhere for water. Help yourself from an outside tap if no-one is around, no-one will mind.
- Almost everyone speaks good English, except the older generation. Ask the younger people in shops for help, unless you speak German which the older generation know.
- Go to the Pilgrim Office as soon as you get to Oslo, Eivind will give you up to date accommodation advice, and a warm welcome to Norway.
- It is legal to camp anywhere outside of town, provided you are more than 100m from a house and not on cultivated land. In practise that means you can camp almost anywhere you'll be walking! Feel free to camp even in full view, people will politely ignore you and give you privacy.
- If you can't get out of town before nightfall you can probably find somewhere to sneakily camp in the churchyard (but don't say we told you to!).
- There are always water taps in churches. Also most streams in wild or high areas are clean to drink from, though we used a water filter.
- Take all your credit/debit cards, sometimes one will be declined for no reason. Cash points are rare except in bigger towns, so make sure you have enough cash for your needs till you get to the next big town.
- Contrary to the guide book you cannot stay at Ringsaker Church. In fact the Priest we met was rude and unpleasant!
Some clear waymarking at last ....
- The Intersport chain of sport stores are fairly common if you need to buy new camping equipment. A lot of shops in remote areas sell socks, gas etc. There are also specialist camping shops in some towns.
- Dovre only has a supermarket however, and since this is the last stop before the 100km wilderness crossing with no shops make sure you get anything unusual you need before you get there! There is a good cafe though!
- On Dovre Fjell although there are no shops you can eat well at the Furuhaugli campsite, but the Kongsvold Hotel is only open briefly in the afternoon. Driva Kro Cafe at the end of Dovre is well worth eating at, cheap and good.
- Phone ahead to the Cathedral when nearing Nidaros as they will open the Pilgrim Office especially for you, give you a certificate and maybe give you lunch and a tour as well! They can contact a cheap hotel for you too. However don't rely on the Pilgrim Office being open unless you call in advance.
- Campsites often rent out small cabins. They are open to haggling out of high season.
- Campsites charge for showers! Yes its true! Even for washing up water on one occasion! You will need to get the appropriate coin for the slot machine from the campsite office, or have some coins in your pocket if you show up late and the office is closed.
- The cheapest place to buy alcohol is the supermarket, in the form of small bottles of beer. Its still terribly expensive though, and unless you drink it in the carpark you won't be able to get the deposit back on the bottle!
- Tourist Information Offices run an accommodation finding and booking service. A room in a house is the cheapest accommodation in a big town. We used this facility in Bergen whilst waiting for the ferry as all the Youth Hostels and Backpackers were full, it was great.
- Its worth asking if hotels/campsites have a Pilgrim discount, a few have, or will give you a discount for being friendly/cheeky/spiritual/sexy/religious/musical.
- There are wild raspberries, blueberries, strawberries and cloudberries everywhere. Eat them as supermarket fruit is horrible and expensive.
- English language books are available in most bookshops.
- Eivind's Norwegian language guidebooks have better maps than the Cicerone guide.
Great Places to Stay
Don't miss out on (in route order):
- Ullern Gard (we didn't stay there but met the host, he was cool).
- Lysjoen (free mountain hut) or Spitalen (cabin in old man's garden, donation for gas). These are near each other a few km beyond Floyta.
- Sygard Grytting, very historical ancient pilgrim hostel.
- Budsjord, fantastic cabin on mountain farm, with footbath and wood stove! Stay there before tackling the climb up to Dovre the next morning.
- We didn't stay there but it is possible to sleep at the railway station by the Kongsvold Hotel on Dovre, where you may be glad of some shelter.
- Halsetlokka Oppdal Camping, good cheap cabins though hard to find, take a right turn down the hill looking out for red waymarks a km or so after the Stolen Skisenter. Or walk a few km out of Oppdal on the E6 and its on the left.
- Olskastet, a lovely little hut with firepit and spring. Dirty magazine and visitor book tucked up in rafters.
- Haeverstolen Gardstun, beautifully presented pilgrim dormitory with reindeer skins, cooking facilities, wood stove. Cost us 10 pounds each.
Things To See:
Allow lots of time for:
- Hamar Glass Cathedral and attached building museum (on the route).
- Ringebu Stave Church, on the route.
- Ringve Musical Instrument Museum, a bus ride from Trondheim.
Weblinks:
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