Way of St James – France, Europe - A Walker's Guide

• Location
• Description
• Contents
• Introduction
• Sample Route
• Maps
• Updates
• Further Reading

The Way of St James as described in this book and its sequel covering the section through Spain is a long-distance footpath with a difference.

People have been walking it – as a pilgrimage route – for over a thousand years, and in 1987 the section from the Spanish monastery at Roncesvalles in the foothills of the Pyrenees to Santiago de Compostela became the first European Cultural Itinerary. The 1500km route, from Le Puy-en-Velay in the Haute Loire to the City of the Apostle in the western reaches of Galicia, has changed little in all that time. For although parts of it have now become modern tarred roads, and many of its ‘hospitals’ and other accommodation set up by religious orders along the way to minister to the needs of pilgrims have long since disappeared, the route through France – and the camino as it is known in Spain – still pass through most of the same villages, climb the same hills, cross the same rivers and visit the same chapels, churches, cathedrals and other monuments as did the path taken by our predecessors in centuries gone by.

The Way of St James is also a long-distance footpath with a difference in that many of those who walk the route through France and the vast majority of those who start on the Spanish side of the Pyrenees are not experienced walkers at all. Many have never done any serious walking in their lives and many will never do any again; for here, as in the past, walking is a means of transport, a means to an end, rather than an activity for its own sake.

Most long-distance footpaths in Britain, for example, avoid not only large towns but also even quite small villages; the Way of St James, on the other hand, because of its historic origins and the need for shelter, deliberately seeks them out. Several thousand people walk the Way every year, whether from points on the camino in Spain, from the Pyrenees, from different parts of France, or from even further afield. It is not uncommon, even nowadays, to meet Swiss, German, Belgian or Dutch pilgrims, for example, who have set out from home to make the entire journey on foot in one go.

The modern pilgrim

However, one of the differences between the modern pilgrim and his historical counterpart, whether he walks, goes by bicycle or on horseback, is that very few return home by the same means of transport. The modern pilgrim route has thus become a ‘one-way street’ and it is unusual, today, to encounter anyone with either enough time or the inclination to return to their point of departure by the same means as they used on their outward journey.

People make the journey from Le Puy-en-Velay to the Pyrenees and then on to Santiago for a variety of reasons. For some it is just another long-distance walk. For others the motives may be historical, cultural or religious, while for many it may also be a significant action or event in their lives: to mark their retirement, perhaps, to fill the gap between studying and taking a first job or to take time out to decide which way to go next after a turning point of some sort. In the 21st century, pilgrims are people of all ages and from all walks of life. The majority of those on the Le Puy route are from France, Switzerland, Belgium, Holland and Germany, but pilgrims come from all over the world, including a relatively small number from Britain.

Some travel alone, some in twos and threes, some in large groups (particularly those on foot). Many complete the entire journey in one stretch, which helps to maintain the feel of a genuine pilgrimage, rather than a series of walking holidays. Other walkers, with more limited time, cover a section at a time over several years. But almost everyone who has walked the Way of St James, and especially those who did the whole route in one go, would probably agree that it has changed their lives in some way, even though that may not have been their original intention.