An early start today! I woke stupidly early and needed a pee. By the time I’d walked to the bottom of the garden (that’s where the loo was) and back I knew that there was no way I was getting back to sleep, so quietly packed my stuff and left. I didn’t dare to make a coffee, as steam from the kettle had set off the fire alarm twice yesterday. It had been a relaxing evening, chatting with the same group who had been at Haug Pilgrim’s Hostel. The owner of the School Hous popped in during the evening to check we were all OK and it was interesting to hear a little of his story and the history of the building.
The good thing about near constant daylight is that leaving early doesn’t necessitate a head torch! I was also aware that the better weather was forecast for the morning, and the idea of avoiding another wet walk held some appeal.
The first half of today’s route was through primeval forest. Yesterday’s rain had added to the many streams and turned many of the paths into babbling brooks. Birdsong and the sound of water flowing were my constant companions. Yet again I was having to be careful where I placed my feet. Progress was slower than I would have liked and expected, and it is surprisingly exhausting! When I have finished this post I and going to have a look at the rest of my itinerary. I have a few 33km days coming up, and I think that is probably too much on such tricky ground. II also don’t want to look back and regret not spending a bit more time in some of the places I am passing through.
Emerging from the woods the first thing I saw was Mjøsa lake. The largest lake in Norway. The path follows the eastern edge taking me all the way to Lillehamer where it meets with the western path. From here the route was on small roads, lots of great biews. Norway very much shuts up shop on Sunday. When the guide book warned that there were no shops until Tangen (where I am now) it failed to mention that if you arrive on Sunday that one shop will be closed! The nearest open shop is 5k away.
The church in Tangen was open. A very pretty one! I popped in for a quick look. A wonderful octagonal wooded structure.
Tonight I am staying in the house that used to belong to Ingeborg Refling Hagens, a famous Norwegian writer. I thought I’d be in the little cabin in the garden, but my room is in the main house. It is quite odd to be staying in a building that has huge cultural importance and lots of unique artefacts.
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