A NEW Pilgrims’ Way is now open, running from Reading to Southampton and then on to Spain.
The St James Way was launched last week, just in time for the saints’ feast day on Monday, July 25.
It follows an historic route from St James’ Church in The Forbury, going 68 miles to God’s House Tower, and encompassing pubs, churches and other hospitality venues along the way. As we revealed last month, pilgrims can obtain a special passport and collect stamps at participating venues including The Cunning Man in Burghfield.
Those pilgrims who carry on the walk to Spain will take the world-renowned pilgrimage route, the Camino de Santiago to Santiago de Compostela.
The route links to the ‘Camino Ingles’, the final part of the pilgrim route in north-west Spain and one of the main seven official Camino de Santiago routes.
And while the St James Way may be new, it is also old.
In the 13th and 14th centuries, medieval pilgrims would have visited Reading Abbey to see the Hand of St James, the most important relic owned by the Abbey.
From there they would have continued their pilgrimage through modern-day West Berkshire and Hampshire to Southampton before boarding ships to the north-west Spanish coastal cities of A Coruña or Ferrol to walk the remaining 75 km / 113 km respectively to the world-renowned cathedral at Santiago which holds the tomb of St James, one of Jesus’ disciples.
The St James’ Way has been waymarked by the Confraternity of St James (CSJ), a volunteer-run organisation dedicated to promoting the Camino experience in the UK and Spain, with support from the A Coruña Province Council and the Xunta de Galicia (Galicia Regional Government).
Distinctive dark blue waymarkers with yellow arrows and a scallop shell – the symbol of St. James used on the Camino de Santiago – will help pilgrims, walkers and families who set out along the route to enjoy their experience and keep on track.
From Reading, the route runs through Silchester, Alresford and Winchester to God’s House Tower in Southampton, retracing the footsteps that a typical medieval pilgrim would have taken to travel from church to church to the coast before boarding a boat to Spain.
Alex Brannen, tourism lead at Reading’s Economy & Destination Agency (REDA), said: “It is very exciting to launch a new long-distance walking route that links so many historic destinations along the route.
“The Camino in Spain is one of the world’s most popular walking routes and now walkers in the UK can experience part of that pilgrimage experience right here as they retrace the steps of pilgrims from medieval ages, starting in Reading and passing through historic towns and cities and glorious countryside along the way.”
And David Sinclair, a Confraternity of St James volunteer overseeing the installation of the 500 new signs, said: “This mammoth project to firmly establish the St James’ Way as a UK Camino has been an aim of the CSJ for over 30 years.
“We hope this initiative opens the path for many individuals to put on their walking gear this summer and, as a pilgrim, discover the St James’ Way.”
A guide to the route and the pilgrim passport are available from the Confraternity of St. James or Reading Museum, which is open from 10am to 4pm Tuesday to Saturday.
For more details, log on to: https://www.csj.org.uk/st-james-way
