Norwegen: Olavsweg

1st edition 2016
256 pages, 98 color illustrations, 77 maps and elevation profiles, overview map inside the cover flap, GPS track for download, language German.

Pilgrimage in Norway: new hiking guide to the Olav Way.
When talking about pilgrims, probably few spontaneously think of Norway. Yet in the Middle Ages, the grave of St. Olav in Trondheim was as important a pilgrimage destination as Jerusalem, Rome and Santiago. Since the Olav Trail was declared a European Cultural Route in 2010, more pilgrims and Scandinavia fans have been traveling the route again. The new hiking guide "Norway: Olavsweg" from Conrad Stein Verlag describes the route.

You don't have to be a pilgrim "in the narrow sense" to walk the Olav Trail - author Hanna Engler makes that clear right from the preface: The 660 km long Olav Trail also inspires completely normal hikers. The book describes the eastern variant of the pilgrimage route, known in Norway as "Gudbrandsdalsleden". From the capital city of Oslo, it goes via Hamar to Lillehammer, through the beautiful Gudbrandsdal valley, into the wild solitude of Dovrefjell and finally to Nidaros Cathedral, which was built over the burial place of St. Olav. "Pilgrimage in Norway is not like pilgrimage in Spain." - The author also found this out during her research. The marking is still expandable and between overnight accomodation and stopover possibilities lie sometimes far distances. With the help of the book the migration succeeds nevertheless: A detailed description of way with maps and height profiles and a GPS track help with the orientation, exact data to overnight accomodation and purchase possibilities provide for the fact that no pilgrim without roof over the head or hungry into the bed must go. Again and again the author intersperses personal tips and tells, which church is particularly worth seeing and which hostel is particularly comfortable. The compact pilgrim guide is completed by numerous pictures, which awaken the anticipation of the hike.

The author: The foundation for Hanna Engler's passion for hiking was laid early on during hikes with her family. Later, the online editor, sports scientist and arborist traveled the world and explored hiking trails including New Zealand, the Zugspitze and the Black Forest. In 2014, she hiked alone from Frankfurt am Main, where she lives, to Basel (read more on her blog verwanderwegen.com). Her passion for writing led, among other things, to a two-year stint for an outdoor website.