Vårdnäs - Vadstena, St Birgitta Ways East

From Vårdnäs you can hike through northern Europe's best-preserved oak landscape. Take the opportunity to experience the beautiful Vårdnäs diocesan farm before you set off on a pilgrimage that qualifies you for the Birgitta Pilgrim Certificate.

IN BRIEF

Total length: 122 km

Number of sections/Hiking days: 6

Length of sections: 13-30 km/day (4-10 hours of hiking per day)

Places for food and accommodation: Pilgrim-friendly accommodation and eateries can be found here on the map. Always book accommodation in advance. Sometimes you have to carry food with you, check it.

Marking: The Vårdnäs - Vadstena route follows the Östgötaleden route with orange marks and the St. Birgitta Way logo.

Highlights

• Oak landscape - unique in Europe
• The Linköping Cathedral
• Vreta Kloster kyrka

• Stair of locks in Bergs slussar/Göta kanal

• Birgittas Udde (Cap Birgitta)

• Vadstena Klosterkyrka (Monastery Church in Vadstena)
• Sancta Birgitta's Monastery Museum in Vadstena

SECTIONS

Section 1: Vårdnäs - Bjärka-Säby 19.7 km

Section 2: Bjärka-Säby - Linköping 25-30 km

Section 3: Linköping - Vreta Monastery 14 km

Section 4: Vreta Monastery - Borensberg 21 km

Section 5: Borensberg - Motala 19-28.5 km

Section 6: Motala - Vadstena 18 km

DESCRIPTION OF SECTIONS

Section 1: Vårdnäs - Bjärka-Säby 19,7 km

Difficulty level: Green - easy '

Vårdnäs is a perfect place to start your pilgrimage. There is good accommodation, good food, a sauna, swimming and a chapel. Here you can buy your pilgrim pass and get a stamp. The stage goes through varied and very beautiful nature on gravel roads and paths to Bjärka-Säby Castle. The oak landscape is the best preserved in Northern Europe.

Section 1: Bjärka-Säby - Linköping 25-30 km

Difficulty level: Green - easy

The stage is easy to walk but long. The nature is enchantingly beautiful and varied: deciduous forests, pastures, Kinda Kanal and Stångån.

ALTERNATIVE ROUTE: At Fröberget in the Tinnerö nature reserve, you can choose between two alternative routes:

ALTERNATIVE 1: At Fröberget, go north (follow the digital map, not signposted route) and take the shortest route to Linköping. After about 1,700 meters, you will come to a place where you can follow the Östgötaleden further towards Linköping Cathedral. Still a very beautiful stretch, but the surface is mostly wide gravel roads. The length of the stage will then be about 25 km.

ALTERNATIVE 2: At Fröberget, follow the Östgötaleden markings west on winding paths through the beautiful nature of the Tinnerö nature reserve. The length of the stage will be about 30 km.

Section 2: Linköping - Vreta Kloster 14 km

Difficulty level: Green - easy

The stage is short so you can take your time in Linköping. The Linköpings domkyrka (Linköping cathedral) is a must and the perfect place to reinforce the pilgrim feeling. Don't miss the Birgitta choir and the fine bronze sculpture in the shape of a sleeping pilgrim. The priest or deacon will be happy to send you off with a prayer if time permits. Here you can buy a pilgrim's pass and get a stamp.

ALTERNATIVE ROUTE:

From Linköping Cathedral you can choose two routes:

One route follows the Östgötaleden and goes on a lot of asphalt along the Stångån/Kinda canal, then through an area with industry and shopping centers, and then comes to the cycle path towards Vreta Kloster.

The other route is unmarked, but a little more fun and goes via Skäggetorp and Tift, first through the urban environment and then mostly on a gravel road and finally an asphalted cycle path. Kaga Church is a perfect rest stop with beautiful paintings and a small museum. The road after Kaga is narrow and winding, so watch out for traffic.

Section 3: Vreta Kloster - Borensberg 21 km

Difficulty level: green - easy

The stage between Vreta Kloster and Borensberg is very scenic and follows a walking and cycling path along the Göta Canal.

Before you continue hiking, don't miss Bergs slussar (Berg's locks) near Vreta Kloster with its high lock steps from Lake Roxen. Along the Göta Canal there is an avenue of trees and many nice rest areas and sights. Almost there is a nice hostel with swimming facilities that gladly welcomes pilgrims. In the summer there are more restaurants and accommodations along the canal.

Section 4: Borensberg - Motala 19 - 28.5 km

Difficulty level: green - easy

The trail follows gravel, asphalt roads and nature trails through varied nature; Östgötaslätten with its fertile agricultural landscape, deciduous forest and swamp forest to continue on a stretch through a flower-rich limestone bog at Sjöbo-Knäppans nature reserve.

You pass places where Saint Birgitta lived with her family. Ekebyborna church is the church that Birgitta and her family visited regularly. The family lived at Ulvåsa (in a building that no longer exists) while the children were growing up and Birgitta ran the entire farm with extensive food production. On Birgitta's cape there are traces of a medieval castle and a ruin of a stone house where the family sometimes lived. Here you can sit and enjoy nature and perhaps feel Birgitta's presence. Perhaps she sat here and wondered what she would do with her life when her husband Ulf fell ill and died after a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostella. Perhaps she prayed her most famous prayer "Lord show me the way and make me willing to walk it"

- Which path do you want to take in life?

ALTERNATIVE ROUTE:

You can choose to make a detour of about 2 km to Ekebybornas church and go to the Old Rectory at Borens beach.

The road past Ulvåsa castle and Birgittas Udde (Cap Birgitta) is recommended. It is about 9 km and very nice, but if the stage feels too long you can choose the gravel road via Hagalund.

Section 5: Motala - Vadstena 18 km

Difficulty level: green - easy

In Motala, the Katarinaleden and Birgittaleden converge in a final joint day stage towards Vadstena. A symbolic reminder of the mother and daughter's pilgrimages together through Europe in the 14th century.

The trail runs through varied nature on gravel roads, asphalt roads and nature trails. At the edge of the Långvrån hardwood forest there is an old judge's ring that is a suitable resting place. Watch out for traffic on the road past Hagebyhöga Church. From here, according to legend, the pilgrims walked barefoot out of reverence as they approached the pilgrimage destination of Vadstena.

In Vadstena, Klosterkyrkan (the Abbey Church) awaits, built entirely according to the design of Saint Birgitta. Her relics rest in the church. Every evening, all pilgrims are welcomed in a pilgrimage mass and you are welcome to participate in the prayers of the hour three times a day.

At the Pilgrimscentrum (Pilgrims' Centre) next to the church you can land in a welcoming atmosphere where pilgrims from all over the world meet. Here you can get your last stamp, sign your pilgrim certificate and tell about your experiences.

There is a lot to do in Vadstena. Don't miss a visit to the Sancta Birgitta Monastery Museum next to the church. There is the coffin of Saint Birgitta and her prayer room. Here she prayed her prayer many times: "Lord show me the way and make me willing to walk it"