Camino de Santiago

I have no idea why but for some time I have been drawn to the idea of undertaking the pilgrimage walk known variously as the Camino de Santiago, St James's Path or merely The Way. Santiago de Compostela is of course the capital of the Spanish autonomous region of Galicia and is said to be the site of the remains of St James who it is believed was the first Apostle of Christ to be martyred.

The earliest records of pilgrimages to the shrine of St James date from the 9th century and the route became particularly popular during the middle ages. It is therefore safe to say that literally tens of thousands of people have trodden those well worn paths through the years.

In more modern times, the walk has been popularised by several writers, artists and filmmakers who have recorded their own accounts of their own personal journeys or indeed those of others. These include Paulo Coelho who wrote the novel 'The Pilgrimage' based upon his own experiences of the walk. More recently Emilio Estevez wrote and directed a film entitled 'The Way' in which his father Martin Sheen played the part of a man whose son died in the very early stages of the walk and who felt compelled to complete the walk carrying his sons ashes. Having watched the film recently I found myself very moved by it and the compulsion to complete the walk myself was resurrected.

As I said at the beginning of this post, I have no idea why.

Which raises an interesting question as to why anyone takes on such a challenge. The walk can be completed in various ways and from various starting points but as the Spanish consider the Pyrenees to be the true starting point. it is traditional to begin at Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port on the French side of the Pyrenees or at Roncesvalles on the Spanish side. The distance from there to Santiago is about 800 Km.

It is no stroll in the park!

So why do people take on such a gruelling challenge? Some do so as a true pilgrimage, for spiritual reasons. For others it is more of a physical challenge while to the majority it seems to be something of a journey of discovery. What is discovered invariably has more to do with themselves rather than the sights and sounds they encounter on their journey. I saw an interesting explanation which suggests that the early parts of the walk test the physical abilities of the walker, the flatter, more boring middle section tests the walker mentally and the eventual journey into Santiago is the part which finally reveals the true character of the traveller. 

Besides the numerous books that have been written on the subject of el camino (the name simply means the walk in Spanish) a number of people also have online blogs or have uploaded short films of their experiences. Many dwell on the more pleasant aspects of the walk taking in beautiful scenery in perfect weather but my favourite (of those I have watched) was produced by an Australian named Mark. It certainly shows the good, the bad and the ugly side of completing the walk but is a fascinating film for anyone who has an interest in this subject (and if you have read this far, I assume you have). 

The film is 1 hour 15 minutes long and you can watch it by clicking here.

All of this has resurrected my own desire to complete the walk one day; so it is now on my ever-growing 'bucket list'.