The path of Glomdalen, from Eidskog to Våler

About

"Glåmdalsleden" - the Glomdal trail -  runs through the municipalities of Eidskog, Kongsvinger, Grue, Åsnes and Våler, partly on the eastern side of the Glomma and partly on the western side. It is approximately 150 kilometres long and meets the Østerdalsleden trail in Elverum. There will also be a signposted path from Våler to Hamar via Roko so that you can continue northwards via Gudbrandsdalsleden until the last section of Østerdalsleden is completed. Bishop Øystein's land register from 1394 states that a ‘sælehus’ was built by Eidskog church - an accommodation centre for pilgrims. To the west of the church stood a wooden cross where sacrifices were made for the maintenance of pilgrims. Eidskog church was dedicated to St Olav. There was also Hof church in Solør.

 

Eidskog

The Glåmdalsleden trail starts at ridge 56 Rödehallsröset between Skillingmark/Eda municipality and Vestmarka/Eidskog municipality. Buåa on the Norwegian side and Högsäterelva on the Swedish side. The border makes a notch here - the farmer on the Norwegian side didn't want to lose his land, and is said to have paid the surveyor a goat or a sheep to make this happen. There are 15 such axes + auxiliary axes between the two municipalities, surveyed in 1754 - in accordance with the border treaty between Norway and Sweden of 1751, which is still in force. The locks between the two countries are unique in the world, as is the long period of peace. The trail in Eidskog is just over 4 kilometres long and follows old roads, caves, church paths and public/private roads. 

The trail passes through the following cadastral farms known from around the year 1000 and older - towards Eidskog village centre Almenninga: Rud Almenninga, Kulblik, Klanderud. Almenninga is mentioned in Bishop Øystein's land register from 1394 and was divided into two farms in the 17th century, later divided into four parts and was almost a cluster yard. Between the land registry farms of Tobøl and Stangnes are the remains of the Paradisbanen railway, a railway primarily for forestry on both sides of the border from 1918 to 1962, which is also home to the Glåmdals district's only railway tunnel. Eidskog church was built in 1665 (two stave churches have stood in the same place, about 1100 or older, dedicated to Saint Olav who travelled through Eidskog during the escape to Gardarike about 1028 (Snorre), It is also mentioned in Håkon Håkonsson's saga. 

To the north, there is a monument in honour of Colonel Krebs in Bautaparken who won the battle with his soldiers in 1814, the only battle won by the Norwegians in this special year in our history.

Kongsvinger

In Kongsvinger, the trail runs from Eidskog to Kongsvinger town and then on the east side of the Glomma to Brandval where it continues on the west side towards Grue. From Eidskog's border, the Glåmdalsleden trail follows the old royal road from the early 1600s towards Kongsvinger town, past Hov old church to Brandval where it crosses the mighty Glomma and heads towards Grue. The trail through the municipality is approx. 50 km and runs through varied terrain on both paths and tarmac roads.

A side branch of the trail shows you a small detour, around Vinger church. The old garrison church from 1697 is one of very few Norwegian churches with an onion dome and marks the church's role in Norwegian military history. Right next to the church is the town's protected old town, Øvrebyen, just below Kongsvinger Fortress, which is also worth a visit. The oldest parts of the fortress date from 1673 and were built as a defence against the Swedes.

 At Festningen Hotel & Resort, you can both eat and stay overnight. In Brandval to the north, Brandval Church dates from 1651 and is the oldest preserved church in the parish. The church was moved here from Fyrilunda, which you also pass after crossing the mighty and wide Glomma. Fyrilunda is also home to the remains of the region's only proven longhouse from the Viking Age.

Grue

In Grue, the Glåmdalsleden trail runs on the west side of the Glomma. The trail through Grue is about 15 kilometres long and runs through a solid cultural landscape with farms and places that are far older than the Viking Age. It follows rural roads and old paths that climb slightly up the gentle valley side. In some places, this provides a good, wide-ranging view of Glommadalføret. The Black Death obviously took its toll, as many farms were deserted and only fully restored in the 17th century. 

The trail passes Opaker Farm, which was probably built before the Viking Age. You can also spend the night here and book guided tours.

Along the trail is the memorial to the church fire in Grue on Pentecost Day, 26 May 1822. The Great Fire of 1822 cost 116 people their lives. This was a tragic event that will never be forgotten. After crossing the Sandstad Bridge to the east side of the Glomma, you can walk on the flood embankments (Verken) or follow Prestgardsgutua. 

After crossing the Sandstad Bridge to the east side of the Glomma, you can walk on the flood embankments (Verken) or follow Prestgardsgutua. 

Åsnes

From Grue, the Glåmdalsleden trail runs on the west side of Glomma. It passes over by Flisa and continues towards Våler on the east side. The trail through Åsnes municipality is approximately 25 kilometres long and runs through the middle of the open, broad cultural landscape, with proximity to the Glomma, agriculture and cultural monuments, through the village of Flisa and on towards Våler. Lightly trafficked gravel roads, paths/earth roads and some stretches on tarmac.

Klokkergården, Hov, Hof church, Tinghaug- Prestegården, Borg - this is part of the old town centre that dates back a long way. Archaeological finds confirm permanent settlements in Hof for several thousand years, with a strong social structure and far-reaching contact with the outside world. There were several large burial mounds just west of Hof church. Hof church is dedicated to St Olav, and Hov is one of the oldest farms in Hof, probably cleared around 800 AD. It got its name from the god's court that was here in pre-Christian times. The remains of a sacrificial altar from the court have been found on the farm's grounds. The whole village was eventually named Hof after this farm. When Solør was Christianised by St. Olav in 1022, a church, St. Olav's Church, was built where the court stood in Viking times. Since then, there have been two or three more stave churches at Hov. There were 4-5 churches here before today's church.

In the centre of Flisa stands the statue of ‘Skjoldmøya’. In 1900, a Viking grave was found for a young girl with full war equipment - the statue was erected at Nordre Kjølen where she was found. Artefacts from the grave are now on display at the Viking Museum in Oslo. Bjørneby from the 9th-10th centuries, also mentioned in Archbishop Øystein's land register from 1394 as church property. Bjørneby was one of the headquarters during the Battle of Trangen in 1808. There is a ‘king's room’ here, where King Karl Johan III stayed overnight on his coronation journey in the autumn of 1818. In the senrum of Flisa, you can spend the night at the venerable Negarden, a Swiss villa from 1897.

Våler

In Våler, the Glåmdalsleden trail runs on the east side to Braskereidfoss. The trail will continue over the forest to Jømna and on to Elverum, connecting with the Østerdalsleden trail at Rena. The Glåmdalsleden trail crosses the bridge over the Glomma at Braskerud and will continue through old pastoral areas towards Rokoberget, Løten. There it will meet the trail from Domkirkeodden in Hamar. People have been travelling here since the Neolithic period. All the farms down by the river on the east side of Glomma were probably cleared at least a thousand years ago.

In Våler, there are several farms with roots from the Viking Age, such as Svenneby and Øiset. You'll also find St Mary's Church; legend has it that St Olav came to Våler to Christianise the village. He stood at Olavskilden and tied his horse to the old pine tree that used to stand there. From there, he shot an arrow and said that the church would stand where it came down.

We recommend taking a look at Våler Church. Today's church was completed in 2015 and is a fantastic building that, with its special design, will delight future generations and travelling tourists forever.