Since 1982 I have travelled in the spirit and manner of the medieval pilgrim. I want to experience the sights that the pilgrims would have seen and try to discover what drove somebody to leave their home to visit distant shrines, the sort of problems they would face and see the sights that they may have seen.
My pilgrimages have been to local churches and Holy Wells, to famous destinations in Britain and abroad, including two pilgrimages in France and two to Santiago de Compostela in Spain. I have made one pilgrimage on horseback and another using a coracle.
Santiago de Compostela
When I first walked, few people knew anything about medieval pilgrimage or pilgrimages in general, but there has been a major resurgence since the 1990s and many more people are now following routes that I walked many years ago.
I carry the same things that a medieval pilgrim would carry.
These would be blessed at the pilgrim’s church before setting out on the journey.
A hat for protection from the sun and rain. Many pilgrims wore medals on their hat or clothing to show which shrines they had visited.
The scrip is the bag that the pilgrim carried. It would be fairly small and hold money, some food and documents to prove that the pilgrim was genuine.
A sturdy staff to help with walking and for pole-vaulting across streams and also to fend of dangerous dogs and possibly human attackers.
A bottle for water or small ale. Water in my case!
A cloak to keep out the cold and wet, to sleep under and for protection when clambering over the not-so-medieval barbwire fences.
Arriving at the original site of the shrine at Walsingham