Plassastoggo

Plassastoggo is an unattended cabin. Bring your own sleeping bag and food. There is a small shop at Smegarden, 200 meters from the cabin. The cabin is unlocked, and advance booking is not possible. It accommodates 2 people. There are two sleeping benches with sleeping mats. Gas stove and wood-burning stove. Outdoor toilet. Water can be fetched from the nearby Vinstra River. A giro form and a cash box for cash payment are available in the cabin, or you may pay via Vipps.

Plassastoggo is operated by Loe utmarkslag, based in Oppdal kommune. As part of their work to preserve the cultural landscape and cultural heritage, they carry out several tasks related to the Pilgrim’s Way. They have an agreement with the municipality for maintenance and marking of the pilgrim route and are working to upgrade it by linking it to cultural heritage sites along the trail.

One of their projects has been the restoration of Plassastoggo, an old crofter’s farm located close to the Vinstra River on the edge of Vinstradalen. The cabin is open to pilgrims and other travelers and offers simple accommodation. It is cozily furnished with a beautiful soapstone fireplace, and much of the interior has been donated by local farms. The cabin was officially opened on November 20, 2010. At the opening ceremony, Vinstradalen and Loe utmarkslag received the Environmental and Cultural Award of the Year from TrønderEnergi for their significant efforts in preserving the cultural landscape and the pilgrim route in Vinstradalen.

***

Continuing on from Plassastoggo, you pass the impressive railway bridge, Vinstra bru.

Vinstra Bridge is located in Drivdalen, south of Oppdal, where the Dovrebanen crosses the Vinstra River. A few hundred meters downstream from the bridge, the Vinstra flows into the Driva, the main river in the Driva watershed.

Vinstra Bridge was built as an arch bridge, with a span of 12 meters. During construction, the arch was supported by a special wooden centering made from pine timber from Drivdalen. The arch masonry was completed in September 1914, and the supporting framework beneath the arch was lowered in August 1915 without any recorded settling of the arch.

The bridge was constructed directly on bedrock after it had been leveled.

The foundations, superstructure, and retaining walls were built from hard-to-work augen gneiss, some of it taken from rock cuttings for the Isbrekka Tunnel, about 3 km south of the bridge site. Most of the stone was quarried from the mountains in Loslia and in Vinstradalen, up to 2 km from the bridge site. The stone was transported over snow during winter.

This text is based on an article in “Dovrebanen 2007,” published by Dovrebanen – Jernbanehistorisk forening.