Laberget

I left the campground at Levanger a little later than I had wanted to this morning. I had been catching up on some emails, and this took more time than I anticipated. It might also have been because it was still raining, and there was the prospect that it would clear up a little if I waited.

The trail out went up into the Lavenger arboreatum, which sounds nice, but involved several steep slopes on the way up, and then some even steeper shTort slopes that really stretched my ability to tow the trailer. Even the short forest sections were on the margin, with side slopes that weren't particularly appealing after yesterdays incident when the trailer toppled.

But the doozy came in the form of a kissing gate. I had contemplated how I would get the trailer across a stile, but had not put my mind to how to negotiate a kissing gate. In the end, I took everything off the trailer, and very unceremoniously dumped the bag and then the trailer on the other side, and reassembled the load. I have been doing that each morning anyhow, so it wasn't as much of a drama as I thought it might have been.

I still made pretty slow progress, even when the trail followed alongside one of the roads on a pedestrian/cyclist path. I haven't been able to pick when the drizzle is going to be just that, or is going to turn into real rain. So there is a lot of getting my rain pants and jacket on, then off again because I am starting to swelter inside it, and then the process repeats.

I stopped at the Alstadhaug kirke to have a look inside, The attendant and I communicated using Translate. He was most adamant that I know that the church is 870 year old. Given it is build in stone, rather than the wood that I have seen on other pilgrimage routes in Norway, I suspect it will continue to stand for some time.

At some point, I realised that I hadn't been very disciplined about taking snack and meal breaks, and toyed with the idea of going into Skogn to the shops there, But I knew that I already had plenty in my food bag, and found a spot at the entry to Holsand Marina to sit and eat something.

It then took perhaps another hour to reach Laberget Leirsted, the place I am staying tonight. The entry was already full with the American pilgrim group's luggage, and they have occupied the upstairs rooms here and in thepilgrim house. My room is downstairs and out the back, so I don't expect to be disturbed by them, although I will be having dinner here, so they will have me for company.Read more