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What are the St Olav’s Ways?
St Olav’s Ways are a series of long-distance hiking paths in Norway. There are actually nine different paths that make up the “St Olav’s Ways”. Most of the paths lead to Trondhiem, but others end in different areas of Norway.
The paths have historical significance for a number of reasons. Firstly, they are the Northern most pilgrimage routes. Secondly, the paths (or many of them) lead to Trondheim. It is in Trondheim that St Olav’s remains are buried within the famous Nidaros cathedral. This has made the route an important Christian pilgrimage for many years.
Who is St Olav?
Olaf II Haraldsson, referred to latterly as Saint Olaf (or Olav), was the King of Norway from 1015 to 1028. His remains are enshrined in Nidaros cathedral, in Trondheim. King Olaf became a Saint after his death and soon became an important figure in Christian religion. A number of churches are named after Olav, including a number in England.
Why is Trondheim referred to as Nidaros?
Trondheim is also referred to as Nidaros. You will see the name “Nidaros” on many of the St Olav’s distance markers. Nidaros was the medieval name for Trondheim.
How long are the St Olav’s Ways?
The nine paths all differ in length. You can see a comparison of the paths below. They range from 150km to walk Valldalsldeden to 1080 for Kystpilegrimsleia, the latter route involves boat hopping as well as walking.
Gudbrandsaslden, which is the most popular route for pilgrims walking, is 643km.
Are the St Olav’s Ways a pilgrimage route?
Yes, the St Olav’s Ways are considered to be pilgrimage routes. This is because they historical significance, with many walking the pilgrimage routes to arrive at Nidaros cathedral, the burial site of St Olav. Today, people walk St Olav’s Ways for a number of reasons, from religious and spiritual to achieving fitness goals or finding an adventure.
What is accommodation like on the St Olav’s Ways?
You can find a really great directory of accommodation on the official Pilegrimsleden website here. We used this list and website to plan our accommodation stops for our walk from Oslo to Trondheim.
Accommodation on the route varies, from farm stays to pilgrim hostels and campsites. Hotels are also available in some areas.
We’ve written in more detail about accommodation here and camping here.
Is it hard to walk the St Olav’s Ways?
The nine paths of St Olav’s Ways are all different when it comes to distance and difficulty. We recently walked Gudbrandsdalsleden and found it challenging. The route requires some forward planning to ensure you have access to food and refreshment as well as to plan accommodation. Plus, it is an undulating route with frequent climbs and descents. Including climbing up to 1,300m during the Dovrefjell section.
You can find out more on our daily stage guide to walking Gudbrandsdalsleden.
How many days does it take to walk the St Olav’s Ways?
The nine different routes can be walked at your own pace, but the Pilegrimsleden website recommends the following:
| Route | Distance | Days |
| Gudbrandsdalsleden | 643km | 32 |
| Nordleden | 135km | 7 |
| St. Olavsleden | 580km | 30 |
| Kystpilegrimsleia | 1080km | 28 |
| Valldalsleden | 150km | 7-8 |
| Borgleden | 176km | 9 |
| Østerdalsleden | 320km | 21 |
| Romboleden | 150km | 7 |
| Tunsbergleden | 190km | 9 |
How many days does it take to walk Gudbrandsdalsleden?
Gudbrandsdalsleden is the most popular pilgrimage route in Norway, it runs from Oslo to Trondheim and is 643km long.
Although the Pilegrimsleden website recommends 32 days, in our experience you do not have to walk at this pace. The route offers a lot of flexibility, especially if you have a tent and are willing to wild camp. In total, the route took us 23 days, rather than 32. We met many pilgrims walking at a slower pace and a few walking at a faster pace than us too.
You can find out more on our Gudbrandsdalseden daily stage guide.
Navigation is quite easy on the St Olav’s Ways. During our walk from Oslo to Trondheim, we got lost briefly once or twice, but it was easy and quick to navigate our journey back to the route.
The number one way to navigate is to follow the St Olav’s signs. It’s a really well sign-posted route. We even met someone from the Oslo pilgrim’s office who had come out to check the signs on the route!
Look out for sign posts at the side of roads, at turnings and even hanging from trees.
We also recommend getting access to the maps on the Pilegrimsleden website. We used these frequently to check the direction of the route, if there were short gaps in sign posts. Without this, we may have been a little unsure a few times.
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Some of the camping equipment we used. Find them on Amazon!
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HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO WALK FROM OSLO TO TRONDHEIM ON ST OLAV’S WAY? Walking Pilegrimsleden is very different from walking the Camino in Spain or the Via Francigena in Italy. There are fewer cafés, no €10 pilgrim hostels, and long stretches with nowhere to buy anything at all. We spent evenings eating pasta…
A diary of walking our pilegrimsleden in Norway
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I have recently completed the St Olav’s Way walk from Oslo to Trondheim. This is the latest in a series of long-distance hikes that I have completed. Despite walking regular long distances, I’ve managed to remain injury free. I credit this to regular and structured training before completing any hike like St Olav’s Way. Here’s…
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2 responses to “How to walk the St Olav’s Ways in Norway”
[…] long-distance hike which is one of the pilgrimage routes that make up St Olav’s Ways. More on that here. The specific route from Oslo to Trondheim is called “Gudbrandsdalsleden”, because it […]
[…] is a gothic cathedral, with an interesting history. Built from the tomb of St Olav, the namesake of St Olav’s Way in 1070. Today, you can visit the cathedral and even climb the tower in the summer. Notice the […]