Thank you for visiting my fundraising page and thank you so very much if you have already made a donation. I am trying to raise money for a World Vision Project in Honduras involving building new homes for families who live in slums. Each home costs £2,500 (less a 3% administration charge by WV) and it would be wonderful for the children of those families to have a proper home. Please help if you can (see below to do this). Below is a brief account of my pilgrimage and you can see some pictures if you click on the Flickr link opposite. Thank you for your interest Steve PILGRIM'S PROGRESS by Steve Phelps In September I set out on a walk to church of 1,500 km (930 miles) via the old pilgrimage route known as the Way of St James (French: St Jacques) or the Camino de Santiago. You always knew I was a religious fanatic. In truth, I only planned to walk to St-Jean-Pied-de-Port, which is merely half-way to Santiago de Compostela in North-West Spain. Some historical remarks ... My walk began in the 9th Century when Pelagius, a hermit in Spain, had a vision which led him to a tomb containing three bodies, one of which was identified as that of St James (son of Zebedee and brother of John for those familiar with the gospels). I am not privy to the methods which enabled such a firm identification of a body some 800 years old, but tradition has it that James preached in Spain for a few years before returning to Jerusalem where Herod beheaded him in AD44 and his body was then brought back to Spain and buried in a secret location until Pelagius' discovery. Perhaps the fact that being a pilgrimage centre was an excellent economic proposition had something to do with the speed with which a shrine was constructed over the tomb and St James was declared the patron saint of Spain. So now you know... The Turks had put a stop to pilgrimages to Jerusalem in 1078 so this provided opportunity for another pilgrimage venue to establish itself. Santiago offered the right criteria for a worthy pilgrimage - relics; difficult and remote location necessitating hardship and endurance; danger - wolves, bandits, fever, river-crossings, unscrupulous ferrymen. So the pilgrims came, singing their pilgrim songs. It was not at all certain a pilgrim would make his destination let alone return home so it was customary to make a will before setting out. Also, the pilgrim obtained his credentials (pilgrim passport) from his church which he/she presented in order to obtain care, food and lodging at pilgrim hospitals and other establishments along the route. In Santiago the passport provided proof of the journey so that a Certificate of Pilgrimage could be obtained from the cathedral authorities which permitted use of pilgrim facilities on the way home. Pilgrims travelled on foot and carried little else but a staff, scrip (knapsack) and water container and on the way home they carried a scallop shell (le coquille) ; these are found on the Galician coast and provided additional proof that the pilgrimage had been completed. You may recall that Coquille de St Jacques is a scallop dish on modern menus. Why did people do pilgrimages? For a variety of reasons: a profession of faith, a form of punishment, a means of atonement, a way of acquiring merit and as an opportunity to venerate relics of saints. You could even hire a professional pilgrim who would undertake the pilgrimage for you - for a fee. I am offering this service to old Hong Kong colleagues and other friends at a discount - except relic veneration, which can be done in the mirror. A whole network of pilgrimage routes developed through France which funnelled through St-Jean-Pied-de-Port in the Basques country before crossing the Pyrenees and making their way through northern Spain. My route, the Via Podenesis, commenced in Le Puy-en-Velay, a volcanic region to the south west of Lyon: other routes commence in Arles, Vezelay and Paris as well as farther a-field (Geneva and even Germany). The modern pilgrim ..... Why do people walk the pilgrimage routes nowadays? Some were doing it as a long-distance walk or for historical or cultural reasons. Some pilgrims dismissed those walkers as mere "tourists" - but I think mere walking is a valid reason for walking anywhere. Pilgrims (Les Pelerins) perceived themselves as doing the walk for a broad range of "spiritual" purposes - religious; to mark a significant action or event in their lives such as retirement or a gap year between jobs; or as the opportunity to take time out to decide which way to go next at a turning point in their lives. It is perfectly acceptable to enquire of fellow pilgrims about their reasons for being on the camino and I had many interesting conversations. For instance, Natalie, a 34 year old Belgian girl had walked from Brussels following the death of her husband from cancer in January. I have not enjoyed good health over the last year (sleep problems and extreme negativity about life) so was doing the pilgrimage both to symbolise leaving negative history behind and walking into a brighter future but also as more than a symbol - a place in which to hopefully experience some personal transformation. Modern pilgrims are all ages, most say they are doing it for spiritual not religious reasons, and I met no other Brits on the whole route but lots of French, French-Canadian and Germans. Each year thousands walk the camino through Spain but there was less than a dozen a day arriving with me in St Jean from the French routes. There were similarities to those medieval pilgrimages. Often we stayed in simple dormitory accommodation with other pilgrims. The first we stayed at was run by volunteers who had previously done the route - we enquired about the price of a bed and food and for each we were advised that the price was whatever we wished to give. Many pelerins carried a staff and a scallop shell. We visited churches along the route - not to kiss a saint's big toe but for a moment of quiet. There was hardship - the walk was undulating, the path was often rocky and unstable and carrying a 14 kg rucksack as well as bulbous body is a major task for 55 year old legs. Some sang on the route - an ancient pilgrimage song taught us at the cathedral in Le Puy where we went for a pilgrim's blessing before we set out. At each location we collected a "stamp" in our pilgrim's passport and when the pilgrim gets to the Cathedral at Santiago a certificate is presented on production of the passport evidence. There was even danger - Nicky cracked a bone in her wrist when she had a tumble. Those who know us well will sense that the principal danger was not from the path but simply from being with me as I have acquired a totally justified reputation for being accident-prone. This accident was a moment of mutual recognition - I looked back and thought - "She's had a heart attack - the children will never forgive me" and as I lumbered back up the path gasping under the weight of my rucksack Nicky looked up and thought "He'll have a heart attack". By Day 13 Nicky's feet were covered in blisters which were going septic so we visited a doctor who spent one hour dressing Nicky's feet and called me "un tortureur". Very unfair. Nicky had started out with the intention of only doing a week or two but had become hooked by the experience and was determined to carry on - but the next day it became just too painful and she took the train to Toulouse then a flight back to UK. One of the best outcomes of the pilgrimage is that Nicky has rediscovered enthusiasm for walking. So I carried on as a solitary pilgrim, mostly walking on my own but enjoying others' company in the evening. Eating well, as you would expect, and sipping the odd glass of vin: and after 31 days and 740 kms (460 miles) with a 7 kilogram (1 stone) reduction in body weight, I arrived in St-Jean-Pied-de-Port. I had to go home but I wanted to carry on so that will have to be another year. I leave it to others to gauge the degree of transformation but I certainly feel better and am fitter than I have been for years... and I have feet soles as leathery as a hobbit's. And now I am trying to learn to concentrate and read after the best headspace I have had in my entire life. Try it some time! November 2008