St James Way pilgrimage route waymarked in time for Feast of St James

14th July 2022

Ahead of the Feast of St James on 25 July, a new walking route following in the footsteps of the medieval pilgrims who walked from the south of England to Santiago de Compostela in Spain, has been launched. 

The St James’ Way between Reading and Southampton revives a historic English pilgrimage route with modern waymarking, a new guidebook and support from tourism organisations, hospitality businesses and churches along its 68 miles length. 

The St James’ Way is one of the UK legs of the world-renowned pilgrimage route, the Camino de Santiago. It is designed for modern-day pilgrims and walkers interested in retracing the historic pilgrim route and can be walked in stages or over 4-5 days. 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. 

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, a disciple of Christ and one of the most revered saints for Christians. 

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 (or Galicia Regional Government). The 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.

The 68-mile route is waymarked with 500 waymarkers from Reading Abbey Ruins to God’s House Tower in Southampton and passes through idyllic West Berkshire and Hampshire countryside as well as the historic cities of Reading, Winchester and Southampton. The starting point is the Church of St James in Reading. 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.  Nowadays a detour to Plymouth or Portsmouth to catch a ferry, or to Southampton airport, secures further passage.

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 through our historic towns and cities and glorious countryside along the way.”
The tradition of pilgrimage dates back to the gift by King Henry I of the ‘Hand of St James the Apostle’ to Reading Abbey in the 12th century, inspiring a four century-long tradition of pilgrimage to see the relic and to continue the journey to Santiago. In modern times, the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route in Spain is one of the most travelled long-distance walking routes in the world with over 350,000 pilgrims a year taking a variety of routes to Santiago from different parts of Europe and beyond. The St James’ Way provides an accessible route for walkers and pilgrims to experience a UK-leg of the route before completing the route in Spain.

Before setting off on this modern-day pilgrimage, a guide to St. James’ Way and a pilgrim passport are essential kit.  These can be obtained from either the Confraternity of St. James or Reading Museum (open Tues. – Sat., 10am – 4pm).

Pilgrims who continue on to Spain must present their passports filled with stamps obtained at churches, cafes and hostels along the way to the Pilgrim Office in Santiago to receive a devotional “Compostela” certificate, acknowledging their achievement and the distance they have walked. Along the St James’ Way, pilgrim stamps are available at the departure and end points as well as churches and 13 pubs en route. 

David Sinclair, a CSJ 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.”

Useful links
Camino Ingles
Confraternity of St James St James Way   
Reading for Modern Pilgrims