On the Camino

The Saint Swithun Way was opened in celebration of the Golden Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II in 2002 and goes from Winchester to Farnham (and is roughly where the Pilgrims’ Way once ran – the original route is now under the A31). The waymarking of this route is circles which are green and show a scallop shell with two crossing crosiers (to represent Saint Swithun and Saint Thomas a Becket). The Tourist information offices in Winchester sells guides to the Saint Swithun's Way for £3 which includes maps but these are more sketch maps than trail maps - between these and the way markers it is usually possible to find where you should be walking (we did have to guess on at least one occasion but managed to guess correctly). I wouldn't rely solely on the way markers or the maps on this section of the Pilgrims' Way.

In the tenth and eleventh centuries the pilgrimage to Santiago rose in importance as the Spanish and French kingdoms had formed greater alliances and the French kings were keen to promote the pilgrimage through their lands which meant that the route was a lot safer than it had been – the abbey at Cluny was one that established a lot of monasteries along the Camino and promoted pilgrimage heavily. Many aristocratic families followed this example by setting up infrastructure (including hospitals and Churches) for pilgrims and began to take responsibility for the Camino’s upkeep believing that these actions would assist in the salvation of their souls. In the eleventh century travel became a lot safer as the invasions by Vikings and other groups lessened in number whilst the publication in the twelfth century of the Liber Sancti Jacobi (which contains what many consider to be the world’s first ‘tourist guide’ – a description of the Camino route). There were by now four main Camino r...

The only albergue (at least on the Frances route) in a pilgrim hospital. 62 beds is one room on three levels - warm on a cold day. Very large kitchen with several stoves and sinks, as always in municipal albergues no equipment and there is no where in Ribadiso to buy food so get anything that you might need in Melide (there is a bar here with good food though). Hot showers and toilets in a separate building which has a gap between the walls and the roof - I have stayed here twice and both times it has been too cold in the building to get a shower. Lovely position near the river.

I have only walked two of the Camino routes (the Frances and Portuguese) and still want to try many of the others and yet I am also finding other Pilgrimage routes that I want to walk - I did the Pilgrims' Way in the summer which starts from Winchester which is also the starting point for the Pilgrims' Trail a 155 mile route that finishes at Mont St Michel in Normandy, France. The cult of saint Michel was popular in Britain from the 9th century and the Pilgrims walking this way were called Miquelots and many Pilgrims on their way to Santiago. The route is marked by green way markers in Hampshire taking walkers from Winchester to Bishop's Waltham to Southwick and then to Portsmouth where ferries are caught to France and Way markers become blue. Tradition says that, in 709 Saint Michael the Archangel appeared to the bishop of Avranches, Saint Aubert, and told him to build a chapel in his honour on the island. The bishop obeyed and soon sent a group of monks over...

According to this article later this week Britain will be warmer than Santiago with highs of 21 degrees C. The question though is which will be wetter?!

Scallop shells often appear in helaldry and are shown as a symbol of pilgrimage (and possibly the crusades) so any family coat of arms bearing a scallop she'll had someone in their pat who went on pilgrimage - not necessarily to Santiago though. The Scallop shell appears as early as the reign of Henry 3rd  and appears on the Coat of arms of Winston Churchill and the Spencer family (Princess Diana and therefore Princes William and Harry). It also appears on the Coat of Arms of John Wesley and so has become a symbol of the Methodist Church.

A new albergue opened only last year 'The Last Stamp' is about a five minute walk from the Cathedral. Last year it cost 15E a night but may now cost 18E. Beds are in sections of four with eight in a room and some rooms have double beds. All beds have sheets and duvets which, I remember very well, is a great joy after 500 miles of walking! Well decorated with friendly staff and you can hire a card key to gain entry into the albergue at any time. A small kitchen with a stove and microwave and a few tables - all that we needed while we were there.

Mediaeval pilgrims carried very little with them – a cloak to wear as they walk and wrap around themselves at night, a hat to shade them from the sun, a staff to lean on as they walked and to ward off dogs, a scip (a leather satchel slung over one shoulder in which they would carry food, money and any documents they needed), a gourd to carry water in, a sclarin (a long tunic from the 17 th century onwards), a shell as a symbol of their pilgrimage (it also served as something to eat off of).             At the time what a man could wear was set down in law according to your social class and there were punishments for wearing anything that didn’t fit your station; the ‘uniform’ of a Pilgrim was the type of clothes that unskilled labourers or peasants would wear – they were a social leveller.