"Ringebu Stave Church" Ringebu by eric_ives

We came to Ringebu to see the Stave Church. We took a morning train from Trondheim to Oslo, getting off the train in Ringebu for several hours before catching the late afternoon train on to Oslo. We were using a ScanRail pass, but had to reserve these trains a couple days in advance while we were in Trondheim. Anyway, the walk from the Ringebu train station to the Stave Church took us about 90 minutes (we were walking with two children, the youngest aged 4).

Guides at the Stave Church

When we arrived at the church a funeral was taking place, so we couldn't go in, but that gave us an hour or so to rest after the long walk from the train station. Then, when the church was opened, we didn't have any Norwegian money (cash only) to pay the fees to get inside. This was no problem, as we enjoyed the exterior of the church and the fine 13th Century door. Also, the guides were friendly and talked to us about the church. Here is a picture of the guides.

Detail of Door Carving

Most of the ancient woodcarving on the door decorations are badly weathered, but the worn adn warped wood still shows clearly the style that was so popular in religious carvings of 13th Century Norway.

• Pros:Lovely valley scenery. Ancient church. Woodcarvings.
• Cons:Church admission fee that must be paid in Norwegian cash.
• In a nutshell:Worth a scenic walk to the old stave church