On the Camino

The Pilgrims' Way is about 190km (120 miles) long and runs from Winchester to Canterbury or London to Canterbury depending on which route you take and what you think of as being 'official'. The route from Winchester to Canterbury can, from Farnham, be walked along the North Downs Way. The Pilgrimage can about after the death of Thomas Becket (canonized in February 1173) and the site is now considered to be the most holy in Britain.

With Saint James' Day rapidly approaching (it's on the 25th July which is Tuesday) here's a craft for a Saint James' Day card using hamma beads and incorporating a badge that can be worn on your backpack.

 Here are all sellos from the Camino Frances 2022

There are two conditions for obtaining the maritime Compostela:  cover at least forty nautical miles by sailing or motor-boat - from the port of departure to Pontecesures port in the Ría of Arousa-Ulla (and have your cerdential stamped) make the journey on foot from Pontecesures to Catedral de Santiago.

The Camino Ingles is the shortest of the Caminos at 120km from Ferrol on the Coast (where ships of Pilgrims mainly from England, hence this Way's name, but also from Scandinavia would land). Image taken from  http://www.pilgrimagetraveler.com/camino-ingles.html

 The transition from Pilgrim to tourist is always a bit of a weird one which is probably why on both of our days in Santiago I managed to walk about 20km around the city!

 O Pedruzo to Santiago de Compostela 21km on the Camino, 32km with walking around Santiago

 Arzua to O Pedruzo 23.10km

Palas de Rei to Arzua  20km

Portomarin to Palas de Rei 29km

 Sarria to Portomarin. 25.6km

 Triacastela to Sarria 22.95km

 Travelling day 2 - Santiago to Triacastela Walked 9.17km.

 Camino Frances - Tricastela to Santiago - April 2022 Today was a travelling day to get to Santiago before travelling on to Triacasetela to start our Camino the next day. I wrote in my diary for this day, 'I am laying in a bed on the Camino. What a strange and wonderful thing to be able to say after the past two years!' I had managed to do two virtual Caminos in 2020 and 2021 but my last actual walk on the Camino had been in 2019 and here I was at last, back on the Camino and getting ready to walk!

 This blessing comes from the text of a mediaeval rite dated 1078 and was preserved in the Missal of Vich Cathedral in Barcelona.  In Roncesvalles' Abbey this blessing is used at the end of the Mass for pilgrims passing through.

There are many links to the Camino in England from Churches dedicated to Saint James to pilgrims putting up scallop shells outside their homes but here are three interesting examples I've found.

This is one of my favourite pictures from my first Camino - I was walking that day with a girl from Canada and her mother but her mother walked more slowly than us so we stopped, sat at the side of the road and waited for her to catch up. Sometimes on the Camino it is nice to just stop and watch other Pilgrims going past.

The municipal albergue here had very welcoming volunteer hosipteleros when we stayed.

When I get to Santiago there is that moment when you are no longer a Pilgrim and become a tourist and start doing touristy things like buying souvenirs and presents. Buying things for men, smart things that they can wear to work, seems to be confined to pretty expensive ties so here's a suggestion instead 

There is no evidence in the Bible that Saint James ever visited Spain in his ministry or that his body was taken there after his death but what does the Bible say about him?  

Here's a selection of Camino Easter decorations I made last year - 

In Spain the Easter processions are organized by 'Co-fradias' or 'The Brotherhoods' and the floats that they carry are called 'tronos'. The people who carry them are called 'Costaleros' (a ' costal' being the small cushion often used to stop the tronos causing sores when being carried - the tronos can weigh up to 6 tons!). A parade in Santiago