Vikingaleden - Stage 3

Stage Description

Stage 3 runs from Häverö Church to Häverödal, a total of 9.1 km. The trail follows old mine roads towards the small village of Häverödal through varied terrain and changing landscapes along the old main road, church paths and forest trails. The stage is classified as easy with 88 metres of ascent and 96 metres of descent. Estimated walking time is approximately 2 hours and 20 minutes.

Häverö Church, the starting point, features beautiful paintings of people and events — including a depiction of the nyckelharpa, a traditional Uppland instrument. Along the stage you pass Häverö-Edebo homestead museum with historic buildings from the 18th and 19th centuries. In the forest sections west of Kusby, near Hallstavik, the trail is marked with orange ribbons. Häverödal was once a station on the Rimbo–Sunds railway.

Pilgrimage Tradition and History

Vikingaleden is the Swedish section of St Olav Waterway, the pilgrimage route that connects Turku in Finland with Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim — approximately 1,200 kilometres in total. Roslagen was historically a transit route for pilgrims travelling eastward towards Åland and Finland. The churches along the route, such as Häverö Church, were important pilgrimage stations. St Olav — Norway's patron saint and symbol of Christian conversion in Scandinavia — is honoured along the entire route with the Olav Cross as a waymark.

The old main road that stage 3 partially follows is a living memory of the historic routes used by farmers, merchants and pilgrims for centuries.

Practical Information

The trail is marked with Vikingaleden's rust-red markings and the Olav Cross; in the forest the section is marked with orange ribbons. Parking is available at Häverödal station (5 spaces, open 24 hours) and at the church. More information and maps are available at paxwalk.se and stolavwaterway.com.