Table of Contents
Start: Trondheim
End: Grong
Section distance: 234,2 km
Hiking days: 10
Total distance: 973,1 km
Day 56 – 57: Trondheim
10.07. – 11.07.2022
A two-day break in Trondheim was good for my shin. The pain isn’t completely gone yet, but we want to keep going. During our time in Trondheim we planned the rest of the route. We still have about 470 kilometres to go before we rejoin our planned route. After getting an overview of the supermarket situation, we stock up until we reach Grong. This is about halfway along the route, and we can follow the Nordleden until then.
On a shopping tour in Trondheim
As our shoes are now quite worn out and we have a lot of asphalt kilometres ahead of us, we decide to buy some trail running shoes in Trondheim. At least they have some cushioning. Our barefoot shoes worked well on all sorts of unpaved paths, but our feet get tired quickly on roads. They are also worn out and have holes in the material.
As soon as we leave the shop, we put on the new shoes and throw the old ones in the nearest bin. The cushioning feels strangely unfamiliar. Almost as if we had little springs under our feet. And with those we explore the city: we visit the cathedral, the pilgrims’ café and ride the e-scooters through the streets. Having been in Trondheim last year, we recognise many of the places.
Day 58: Trondheim – Storsand Gård Camping
12.07.2022 | 19,9 km
For once, the weather is fine for a day, when we continue our hike. Nordleden and Olavsleden both run along the Trondheim Fjord now. This means that we always have beautiful views of the sea. But there are also a lot of people on the way. Obviously, we are still on the outskirts of Trondheim.
At the edge of the path we spot a plant that looks like giant hogweed. We recognise it from Germany and are immediately wary. It is poisonous and should never be touched. We therefore keep Lando close to us. During a break we do some research and find out that it’s probably Persian hogweed. It’s a real pest in Norway and is also known as the Tromsø palm. But even with this plant you have to be careful.
At the same time, it is oppressively hot and the walking is exhausting today. Despite the view of the fjord, we drag ourselves through the day. In the evening, however, we find a campsite with a view of the fjord. While we prepare our dinner, harbour porpoises swim by close to us. It’s the little things that turn a day into a really good one after all!
Day 59: Storsand Gård Camping – Monaplassen
13.07.2022 | 27,6 km
Over the next few days, we will be roughly following the Olavs Trail and the North Trail, which will take us north on small paths. Sometimes though, we also take shortcuts along smaller roads. The pain in my shin comes and goes. I can’t make sense of it. I definitely get frustrated when the pain gets worse again. Nevertheless, we are making good progress. Our daily stages are getting longer and suddenly we’re talking more and more about the 30 kilometres that lie ahead of us that day.
Good tip when searching for a campspot
But tonight our first task is to find a place to camp, which means involuntarily extending our day’s hike: we had hoped to find protection from the weather in a shelter, but it is completely run down and there are mice droppings everywhere. A couple passing by recommends that we walk a few more kilometres and use the new Monaplassen shelter. Despite being pretty tired, we do exactly that and find a great shelter when we finally arrive.
However, there are so many mosquitoes here that we decide to pitch our tent in the shelter after all. But at least we are out of the pouring rain and even have benches to sit on. At the shelter we also get a stamp for our pilgrim booklet. There are only a few of these along the Nordleden as hardly anyone walks this pilgrimage route.
Day 60: Monaplassen – Markabygda Kirkestue
14.07.2022 | 29,8 km
Every now and then we get into conversation with the people we meet along the way. These moments are very enriching for us. When we take a break in the rain at a small picnic area by the Ausetvatnet lake, we meet a man. He greets us and silently walks back and forth between his car and a small boat.
When he has finished, he approaches us with a friendly smile. He now has a thermos in his hand and asks us in Norwegian if we would like some coffee. We almost feel a little guilty as we explain in English that we would love some coffee but unfortunately don’t speak a word of Norwegian. He smiles at us and replies: “That doesn’t matter. The coffee tastes the same!”
Still rain every day in this region of Norway
At one of these encounters we also learn that it has been raining here all June. We were really lucky with the weather in the south. The temperatures are around 12 degrees, which is also quite unusual. We have to think of Sophie and Markus once more, who are currently making their way through the remote, trackless Blåfjell. It’s certainly no walk in the park in the current conditions.
We keep our motivation high with the permanent accommodations we keep finding on the Nordleden. While it is raining during the day, at least we have solid accommodation with heating in the evenings, which we always turn on. At the same time, reading about the heatwave in Germany and the forest fires in Spain and Portugal is a topic for our discussions more than once.
Pilgrims’ accommodation at its best: the dormitory
Tonight we arrive at Markabygda Kirkestue in the pouring rain. The accommodation is run by the local council and we sleep in a dormitory with camp beds for the first time. Two Dutch people are already there and we chat about our experiences over a cup of tea.
Day 61: Markabygda Kirkestue – Soria Moria Camping
15.07.2022 | 27,4 km
The Olavsleden/Nordleden trail heads back into the mountains from here. We know from Manja that this section was quite wet when she passed through here a few weeks ago. It’s about 30 kilometres to the next village, Verdal, and we’re definitely not going to make it across the mountains in one day. We think for a moment and change our plans: We take smaller roads towards the coast and then a few more kilometres along the E6. Looking at the Open Street Map, however, we see that the motorway has pedestrian walkways everywhere.
No sooner said than done, it’s going to be a long day and we also make a short stop at a shopping centre to replace Manuel’s broken headphones. We use them straight away on the next, rather monotonous stretch of road.
Day 62: Soria Moria Camping – Stiklestad
16.07.2022 | 8,2 km
On the way to the historically important village of Stiklestad, we walk through Norway’s longest avenue of birch trees. The trees line our path for more than three kilometres before we reach the location where St. Olav fell in the Battle of Stiklestad almost a thousand years ago. We may not be believers, and people bashing each other’s heads in has rarely moved the world forward anyway, but we still enjoy visiting this historically fascinating place. Unfortunately, the open-air museum is already closed, so we check into the hotel and enjoy a half-day break.
Day 63: Stiklestad – Steinkjer
17.07.2022 | 31,9 km
We leave Olavsleden in Stiklestad. Now we don’t meet any other pilgrims. We can still follow the Nordleden for a few days, but firstly it is much less well marked and secondly it only exists in sections. So we often find our own way now.
And this way first takes us to Steinkjer. After the short stage the day before, we have plenty of energy today. The route, on the other hand, is rather boring as we follow one gravel road after another. We use the time to call our family and a few hours pass before we finally arrive in Steinkjer. We spontaneously find a small hut on a rather run-down campsite and spend another night sleeping in the dry and letting our shoes dry.
Day 64 – 65: Steinkjer – Snåsavatnet – Strindmoen Camping
18.07. – 19.07.2022 | 31 km | 9,5 km
After Steinkjer begins a stretch where we suddenly find only brown water. It doesn’t look very appetising, but it’s apparently harmless and only coloured by the higher lying moorland. We don’t really like drinking the water and boil it whenever we can.
At an unspectacular car park there is a sign pointing to a place where ancient rock carvings can be seen. The reindeer we see here is life-size and was carved into the rock about 6000 years ago. It was only discovered a few years ago during the construction of the railway. It is not easy to see on the dark stone. Unfortunately the café in the adjacent car park is closed, so we soon move on.
But then my body goes on strike mode once again: gastrointestinal problems are just what we need. We make a short day and stop at the next campsite after only a few kilometres. I spent the afternoon dozing off, trying to recover.
Day 66: Strindmoen Camping – Snåsa
20.07.2022 | 20,3 km
For three days I can barely eat anything without feeling sick afterwards and my performance drops correspondingly during the day. We spend the night at Snåsa Hotel, where the self-proclaimed healer Joralf Gjerstad used to practice. We read more about him on Wikipedia and can only shake our heads that there were people who gave him a platform. The hotel doesn’t make a good profit on us for dinner and breakfast, because my appetite is back and we really fill up on food.
Day 67: Snåsa – Grong
21.07.2022 | 28,6 km
The stretch between Snåsa and Grong takes us directly onto the E6 for the first time. There is no pavement anymore and we walk between cars, caravans and trucks on the side of the road. This is very uncomfortable and so we hurry to get through this section as quickly as possible. Luckily we can sometimes walk parallel to the road on old sections of the E6. However, these paths are often very swampy and also not much fun to walk on.
Halfway through the stage, we take a short break at Heia Gjestegård and enjoy several sweet pastries and cakes with coffee. Fortunately, it’s not far from here until a side road branches off, which we can follow the rest of the way to Grong. We finally arrive in Grong in the rain, but in good spirits and full of energy.
Day 68: Grong
22.07.2022
Nevertheless, we rest for a day to do some washing and shopping. From here, the Nordleden only accompanies us for one more day to its end, and we are amazed at how quickly we have made progress on this section!
We also use the break to replace Manuel’s completely torn T-shirt, which is now also far too big for him. Apart from that, the sleepy village of Grong doesn’t have much to offer.
Map
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