Created by brettstuckel
Brett Stuckel walked the Camino de Santiago during the spring of 2005.
His pilgrimage is chronicled here: http://mayopants.blogspot.com/2005/07...
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Left: A shoemaker with sinuses burnt out by glue, Gabriele's mules quit forty kilometers from his home in France. He traded them for an off-road stroller. Welcome to el Camino de Santiago.
The Legend
James the Apostle brought the word of Jesus to Spain, returned to Jeresulem and died as a martyr. His body was placed in a stone boat and carried by angels to northwest Spain, Finisterre, the end of the known world. From here, his remains were carried inland, buried in a marble tomb and forgotten.800 years later (9th Century AD), a hermit named Pelayo is led by a vision to a field of stars (campo-stella) and discovers the long-lost tomb. The local bishop officially recognizes the found remains as those of Saint James. Pilgrims flock to the site from all of Europe, and now, the World.
Routes
Make It Happen
There's no "right" way to get to Santiago. Many pilgrims have simply walked out their front doors. Many more will continue to do so. Here are some established paths, but feel free to make your own.
Before you go, visit the Confraternity of Saint James Bookshop. They print the most up-to-date Camino guides available in English. Includes refugios, terrain, distances, history, everything. They also have a selection of books specifically on the history of the pilgrimage.
All of the links will bring you to detailed route descriptions provided by the Confraternity of Saint James. Thank you!!
Before you go, visit the Confraternity of Saint James Bookshop. They print the most up-to-date Camino guides available in English. Includes refugios, terrain, distances, history, everything. They also have a selection of books specifically on the history of the pilgrimage.
All of the links will bring you to detailed route descriptions provided by the Confraternity of Saint James. Thank you!!
- Camino Frances/The French Route
- The most commonly traveled route, from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, France or Roncesvalles, Spain to Santiago. I walked this route in Spring 2005. Takes 4-5 weeks.
- The Paris Route
- via Orleans, Tours, Poitiers, St Jean-d'Angely, Bordeaux and Dax.
- Route from Vezelay
- via Bourges or Nevers to St Leonard-de-Noblat, then to Limoges and Perigueux before crossing the Dordogne river at Ste Foy-la-Grande. Thereafter via la Reole, Bazas, Mont-de-Marsan and Orthez to St Jean-Pied-de-Port.
- Le Puy Route
- Well-traveled, well-developed route passing through Conques, Figeac, Cahors and Moissac before reaching St Jean-Pied-de-Port.
- Geneva to Le Puy
- Enables pilgrims coming from Switzerland, Germany and Central Europe to walk to Le Puy (see above).
- Konstanz to Geneva (Swiss Route/Jacobsweg)
- East to west through Switzerland, continues on to Le Puy (see above).
- Nurnberg to Konstanz
- Starts in Nurnberg and leads southwest via Schwabach, Abenberg, Kalbensteinberg, Gunzenhausen, Markt Heidenheim, Oettingen, Nordlingen, Neresheim, Giengen, Nerestetten, Ulm, Oberdischingen. Apfingen, Biberach, Steinhausen, Bad Waldsee, Weingarten, Ravensburg, Brochenzell, Markdorf and Meersburg to Konstanz on the German-Swiss border (from where the pilgrim can continue on foot along the Jakobsweg in Switzerland, see above).
- The Arles Route
- Runs directly westward from Arles parallel with the Pyrenees, linking Montpellier, Lodeve, Castres, Toulouse and Auch: here it turns south-west to Oloron Sainte-Marie, and then south up the Gave d'Aspe to cross the Pyrenees by the Somport pass.
- Camino del Norte/The Coastal Route
- Runs from Irun on the France/Spain border, parallel to the sea along Spain's northern coast and turns toward Santiago in Galicia.
- The Tunnel Route
- A route that links the Camino del Norte to the Camino Frances.
- The Via de la Plata
- Runs north from Seville through Merida, Caceres and Salamanca, joining the Camino Frances in Astorga. It is also possible to travel directly to Santiago through Pueblo de Sanabria and Ourense in Galicia.
- The Camino Mozarabe
- Runs northwest from Granada (my heart belongs to Granada) to Merida, where it joins the Via de la Plata.
- The Camino Portugues de la Via de la Plata
- A route that leaves the Via de la Plata in Zamora and heads west into Portugal. Passes through Braganca, Vinhais and Segirei, back into Spain, joins the Galician branch of the Via de la Plata until Santiago.
- The Camino Ingles
- A route originally used by pilgrims arriving in Galicia by boat. Runs from Ferrol or A Coruna to Santiago.
- El Camino de Levante
- Winds from Valencia to Zamora, then: 1) To Astorga/Camino Frances; 2)straight through Galicia to Santiago; 3)west to Portugal, joining the Via de la Plata in Verin. Apparently this is a strenuous and seldom-traveled route...sounds fun!
- The Madrid Route
- Runs northwest from Madrid to Sahagun, where it joins the Camino Frances.
Help Out!
Let's make this lens better
1) I'm seeking people to contribute a report on any route of the Camino de Santiago. Any language, 2500 word limit. Please email submissions to mayopants -at- gmail dot com.2) Please send suggestions for what to add to the "Beyond" list below. I want to know what YOU consider a pilgrimage.
3) Anything else you'd like to see, let me know!
Pilgrim Community-based Websites
- The Confraternity of Saint James
- A non-denominational association of former pilgrims, the confraternity publishes the Camino's definitive English-language guidebook. And it won't weigh down your backpack, either.
- American Pilgrims on the Camino
- New yet extremely well-run, this group organizes Pilgrim Gatherings across North America, publishes a magazine and "hopes to promote a positive American presence on the Camino."
- Asociacion de Amigos del Camino de Santiago
- Spanish-language site of a very active group of Pilgrims. Si hablas espanol, haz clic aqui!
- More
- A comprehensive list of Pilgrim organizations, courtesy of the Confraternity of Saint James.
Bookshelf
Travel From a Chair
Suggestions Welcome!
- The Pilgrimage
- The Camino de Santiago transforms the author. By Paulo Coelho.
- The Canterbury Tales
- Not about the Camino de Santiago, but required reading for Pilgrims everywhere. This one's an especially fun translation. By Chaucer.
- Amazon Search: Camino de Santiago
- 120+ results. Dig through here, surprise yourself.
- Iberia
- Classic Michener work that will deepen any travel to Spain; he saves discussion of the Camino de Santiago for the final chapter. By James A. Michener
- King James Bible
- Who Saint James was and much, much more.
- Perceval: The Story of the Grail
- A journey into the unknown. "Essentially the story of the making of a knight, both in worldly and spiritual terms, it is also the source of some of the most dramatic and mysterious adventures of romance." -Amazon. Trans. by Burton Raffel
- The Power of Myth
- Follow your bliss. By Joseph Campbell with Bill Moyers
- The Art of Pilgrimage: The Seeker's Guide to Making Travel Sacred
- Highly recommended. By Phil Cousineau
- The Way of a Pilgrim
- Classic Russian tale of a nineteenth-century peasant seeking the truth. (Featured in J.D. Salinger's Franny and Zooey.) By Walter J. Ciszek, Trans. Helen Bacovcin.
- Confraternity of Saint James Bookshop (Look here for guides!)
- CSJ prints the most up-to-date Camino guides available in English. Also a selection of books on the history and background of the pilgrimage.
Beyond
- Machu Picchu
- The Machu Picchu Library - extensive information on the Inca High Road. Rumor these days says book WAY in advance with a guide if you plan to go there.
- The Shikoku Pilgrimage
- 1,000+ year-old pilgrimage to 88 temples on the Japanese island of Shikoku.
- The Hajj
- Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca.
- Nipun and Guri's Walking Pilgrimage
- "We are profiling inspiring people, in the hopes that more goodness spreads in the world. And we are walking to increase our trust in the inter-connectedness of life; to that end, we sold our belongings and left with a one-way ticket to India on January 31st [2005]. After a few pilot experiments, we left the Gandhi Ashram on March 31st without knowing anyone, without having any resources, or without charting a path to walk."
- Via Francigena
- Route from Canterbury to Rome, nearly 2000km, looks fantastic.
- Pilgrim Road to Nidaros
- The way starts in Oslo and travels 650km to Nidaros. Also the source of terrible Norway puns.
