Day 6:  Mæl church to Dal church

Length: 10,3 km/up: 200 m/down: 160 m

Nature of the path: Road, gravel path, good forest path and some forest path

From the church in Mæl you go up to the road and turn left. You follow this little busy road, past some farms and a golf course, towards Miland. After 2.5 km you will see the school of Miland on the left side of the road, a large yellow, older building complex. In front of the school, turn into a footpath that leads you down to the main road from Mæl to Rjukan and a bus stop. 

There you cross the busy road, then the river Måna. Turn to your right and follow the new "monasti" towards Dal and further to Rjukan.

When you stay at Tinnsjø campsite, you pass the reception, through an opening in a metal fence and along a gravel path that takes you to a paved road after a few meters. To the left of you is a bridge and you turn right here. You first follow this road directly along the rails and later past some farms until you see a larger bridge on your right. (From there comes the path that you would go from the church). This part is marked with the painted church marks. Directly before the bridge you turn to your left and follow the new "Monasti" towards Dal and further to Rjukan.

Here you will meet the "Månasti". It is a new gravel road that leads almost all the time to the course of the river Måna in the middle of the valley through open and sunny terrain and offers a magnificent view over long distances beyond the 1883m high Gaustatoppen.  It is Telemark’s highest mountain and also the mountain in Norway from which you can enjoy the largest view in terms of area. Under the best conditions you can see from above 60,000 sq km (which corresponds to a 7th part of Norway’s area). A little tip: You can go up with the “Gaustabanen” in the mountain in two stages.

The view of the majestic Gaustatoppen will accompany you to the church in Dal. 

The last track leads through a residential area, past the “Brautschleier waterfall” and shortly before the church at the barrier of the Måna. 

When you reach the crossroads up to Gaustatoppen/Gaustablikk, you will see the church of Dal on the right side of Måna. 

If you have started your pilgrimage around the Tinnsjø in Gransherad, as recommended by us, you have now arrived at the last of our six white churches and thus at your destination. 

We recommend you to go on to Rjukan and hang there for a few more days. The foot and cycle path ends after a few kilometres behind a residential area. However, you can follow the little road to the left of the river until you see the church of Rjukan on the other side of the river. On the left side of Måna you will also meet the “Rjukan Hytteby” and the swimming hall. The tourist information and the center of Rjukan are located a little further back in the valley when you cross the bridge and follow the main road to the left. 

Parts of Rjukan belong to the UNESCO World Heritage Site and are definitely worth a visit. We have compiled further information and tips on a separate page with the corresponding links for you. 

If you want to go from the church in Dal back to Gransherad you will find the bus times on vy.no, the next bus stop is called “Mår Tinn” and is located directly on the main road below the church.