Pilgrimage walking in the modern world

In recent decades the number of people taking part in pilgrimage walking has increased significantly - the most famous example being the Camino de Santiago, which has seen a staggering increase of recorded pilgrims in recent times, from around 100,000 in 2006 to over 400,000 in 2024.

Whilst pilgrimage is an important facet of Judaism and Islam, not all of those that walk routes associated with the Christian tradition can be termed as ‘pilgrims’ in the strictest spiritual sense. The uptake of ‘secular pilgrims’ walking these routes is increasing, so much so in fact that some long-neglected routes have be revived to cater to the demand, such as the St Magnus Way on mainland Orkney.

There is undoubtedly something about these well-established, ancient ways that appeals to walkers, even for atheists and agnostics. Some Inntravel holidays follow routes such as the Portuguese Camino de Santiago, The Old Way, and Along St Francis' Way Through Umbria, whilst others feature in part on other holidays, such as St Oswald’s Way on the Northumberland Coast Path & Castles and the Quo Vadis trail on Austrian Tyrol: A Stubai Alps Stroll.

 

What of the actual experience of going on pilgrimage?

The small - but not insignificant - literature that survives testifies to the appetite that existed for learning about what it was like to be a pilgrim, especially the so-called ‘pilgrims guides.’ These were often miscellanies compiled from various documents relating to specific pilgrim routes, most famously the Camino de Santiago, and providing information on a range of topics – such as the best routes, eateries, and accommodation, as well as opportunities for sightseeing en route, with detours to shrines and other places ‘worth a visit.’

An important aspect of the experience of the pilgrimage journey was the fact that it could be incredibly dangerous. Pilgrims would often have to navigate hostile borders, exposing themselves to robbery and violence in remote areas. Routes were arduous, lengthy, and physically demanding, with illness contributing significantly to the danger.

Yet these harsh realities ironically played into the motivations of many pilgrims, who viewed the discomforts as a form of emulation of Christ. This focus on suffering, in emulation of Christ, worked in tandem with the belief in purgatory – essentially a ‘halfway house’ in which the soul of a person who had committed ‘minor’ sins in life underwent a period of cleansing in order to progress to heaven [purgatorium literally means ‘place of cleansing’ in Latin]. Time spent in purgatory could be reduced by intercession from the living on behalf of the dead (or even in advance of one’s death), with a sponsor (a family member, friend, or servant) undertaking the discomforts of pilgrimage and seeking salvation for the departed soul at the shrine of a saint.

Like the secular pilgrim, there were many reasons for people to take up a pilgrimage during the medieval period. Even with a shift from the medieval focus on suffering, this sense of purpose still survives in what Guy Hayward, founder of the British Pilgrimage Trust, has termed more generally as ‘intention’ – that ‘unique purpose’ to which one can dedicate their journey.

Not that pilgrimage in the medieval period necessitated suffering per se. Pilgrims would often travel in groups for reasons of safety but also conviviality. In the example of the pilgrim guides and narrative accounts, travellers were conscious of knowing about the best places to stay, eat, purchase supplies, or arrange transport.