Live from Camino Ingles - the UK section

[Trishb]

I have now completed just over half of the walk from Reading to Southampton in the UK section of the Camino Ingles and imagine there are those who might be considering it and also those who have completed it and may disagree with me. So let me firstly say that I applaud the CSJ (UK) for developing and promoting this route as a prequel to the section in northern Galicia. I believe they worked hard to get recognition and certainly the band of volunteers who put direction stickers did a great job - BUT! I started on Monday 14th which I soon found out was a bad day as the Reading Museum was closed (my fault I know) the official starting point of the Church of St James was also closed I really wanted the stamp so knocked on the door of the vestry and apologised to the busy lady for interrupting and asked if it was possible to have the stamp. She said “It happens all the time” gave me the stamp and that was it - no good luck or Buen Camino.The weather was pretty grim and the walk out of Reading likewise but I expected that. For the most part the walk was uneventful following the river and not unduly muddy. Now the main problem with this Camino is the lack of accommodation en route. This means that it is really not affordable for many. The options are to return to larger towns by bus or train and stay in fairly expensive accommodation. I stayed the first night in Mortimer 12.5 miles from Reading in an exceptional airbnb right on the path. The owner had not really heard of the Camino or hosted any other walkers. Anyone planning to go ahead with this walk please check out airbnb.I had hoped to eat at the local pub but (you guessed it) it was closed for food.

The next day I was joined by a friend and the weather was warm but it was not advisable to walk in shorts as much of the path was overgrown with nettles and brambles lining the way. One of the reasons I had company for the day was my friend had wanted to visit the Roman city of Silchester. Well, we spent ages looking for it because all that is left are ramparts and the amphitheatre is merely a round patch of ground - the colosseum it is not. I certainly advise against wasting time on this diversion. Because of the lack of accommodation we returned home from Worting. Today (Wednesday) was a beautiful day and despite the late start because of travel I began to feel the joy of the walk and maybe just a bit more like a pilgrim. A highlight being a lunch stop in the pub in Dummer to see England Ladies’ football team win.

Feeling a bit more positive about the whole experience I followed the well sign - posted route until after the village of Preston Candover it required a fairly long walk up a road with no pedestrian verge. Now you might think these are quiet country roads but they do not have speed cameras and the locals use this opportunity to see how fast their car can really go. I was relieved to arrive at the turn into a field and away from the main road. Unfortunately I had really hit a problem now as this particular day the field was being harvested and enormous machinery was going back and forth with dust and debris flying everywhere. It didn’t actually look safe to enter. Reluctantly I rejoined the dangerous road and walked the hard miles to my destination of New Alresford. From there I used buses and trains to get home as accommodation was very expensive.

I will continue the walk as I don’t give up, but honestly my experience of this Camino has been a major disappointment. I feel it has been ‘manufactured’ rather than authentic. Much of it is uncomfortable walking on the edge of ploughed fields, narrow overgrown paths or scary roads. Unless, in some way accommodation could be more convenient and affordable it will not attract people on a budget. I am sure there are those who have gone before who feel differently but I am commenting personally on my experience of the last 3 days. I am looking forward to the next chapter from A Coruna

 

[Kirkie]

Congrats for persevering, Trish.
I was puzzled about the distance you need to cover, so looked up the csj website - excellent, by the way - we used their guide to the cf in 2006 and it was invaluable.
(It looks like nobody has heard of camino in the wee bit of land north of the border, by the way! per the dots on the map in the linked page, but my map skills are poor .)
I was lucky, here in Ireland, not needing to look for accommodation on one of the equivalent caminos recognised by Santiago officialdom. I did the distance over two days due to time constraints, taking local transport to and from the spot of my end point on day one. A prize was the fine Celtic Compostela certificate.
I hope you will let the CSJ people know of your experience, no doubt they will appreciate feedback. Please report back when you have reached Santiago!
Buen camino .

Caminos in the UK

Pilgrim routes and sites of St James that exist in the British Isles and the work we do towards promoting them.

www.csj.org.uk

 

[Trishb]

Thank you Kirkie. I am having a day off today then will do Winchester to Southampton tomorrow. A Coruna to Santiago in September

 

[Vacajoe]

I appreciate your insight and personal experience. Some of your complaints are valid (accomodation price, road walking) but many of them are your own fault such as starting on a day when places you want to visit are closed or walking in the rain. That’s avoidable and unfair to pin on the route.

Personally, I loved the route (except the cost) and even found the Roman city quite fascinating, especially the amphitheater. One shouldn’t expect the Colesium and instead appreciate the fact that it exists in a state you can recognize.

Again, i am glad you shared your thoughts and I hope more people walk it so it becomes more popular. I hope the rest of your journey is better for you.

 

[Trishb]

Hi Vacajoe. Thanks for the comment. Of course it was my fault for choosing to start on a day things were closed and I said so. I did not complain about the weather as we a know it is a fact of walking. It wasn’t my intention to post a moan but to comment on my experience in order to alert would - be pilgrims to potential drawbacks. Like you I hope the route does become more popular (meaning the paths less overgrown) and the accommodation more available and affordable

 

[gollygolly]

I am looking forward to the next chapter from A Coruna

Very appreciate your account of your experience.

If the walkers come, I believe that the infrastructure will, in time, follow. Regrettably, accommodation costs in the UK are disproportionately expensive, and until there is the demand, I cannot see that there will be any hostels or the equivalent of an albergue along this route.

Enjoy the rest of your experiences, and after your experience at the Church of St James in Reading, head to the Iglesia de Santiago in La Coruna for what I believe you will receive as an uplifting experience.

Bon Camino​

 

[Dickwilbur]

I recently walked the Cornish Celtic Way. The last stretch, from Lelant Church via Carbis Bay down to St Michael's Mount, was marked as part of the Camino Ingles with all the usual signposts. Re accommodation, I can highly recommend this route in it's entirety as it has budget places to stay in churches and village halls. With that in mind it's always worth checking out The Sanctuary Network who organise, and are in the process of building, a network of such places to stay on established UK pilgrimage routes.

 

[Bradypus]

If the walkers come, I believe that the infrastructure will, in time, follow. Regrettably, accommodation costs in the UK are disproportionately expensive, and until there is the demand, I cannot see that there will be any hostels or the equivalent of an albergue along this route.

The revival of the Camino Frances and the later routes happened largely through voluntary efforts and the generosity of local people. It took quite a few years before numbers walking were enough to make private albergues and hostals in smaller villages a profitable option. The early refugios were mostly donativo or in some cases actively refused to accept donations. I do not think there is the same level of disinterested support for the idea of pilgrimage in the UK. Not convinced that if Don Elias and his friends were to start from scratch today they would find the same level of support that they received in the 1970s and 80s. Times have changed.

 

[Vacajoe]

Hi Vacajoe. Thanks for the comment. Of course it was my fault for choosing to start on a day things were closed and I said so. I did not complain about the weather as we a know it is a fact of walking. It wasn’t my intention to post a moan but to comment on my experience in order to alert would - be pilgrims to potential drawbacks. Like you I hope the route does become more popular (meaning the paths less overgrown) and the accommodation more available and affordable

To be clear, I LOVE that you posted your impressions, both good and bad. And owning your mistakes provides great guidance to future walkers. . And 1000% agree that that one section overgrown with nettles and brambles (and I know exactly which part you mean!!!) needs better maintenance - there are similar paths elsewhere in the world where they put a scythe or shears at each end of the path so walkers can prune the trail while traversing it!)

 

[kathanne]

I walked from Reading to Southampton this May. I appreciated the work that was done in directing walkers and all the detail in the book. I also appeciated the route, which was varied with probably minimal walking on roads.
However, there was very limited accomodation and that was expensive. I chose B&Bs off the route in two or three places. So we did have a lot of road walking to get back on the route.
I continued to walk the Camino Ingles from A'Coruna to Santiago the following month. That way has a lot of road walking, albeit minor roads.
Still worth doing and I very much enjoyed the walk, all of it.

 

[joeboybollo]

I have now completed just over half of the walk from Reading to Southampton in the UK section of the Camino Ingles and imagine there are those who might be considering it and also those who have completed it and may disagree with me. So let me firstly say that I applaud the CSJ (UK) for developing and promoting this route as a prequel to the section in northern Galicia. I believe they worked hard to get recognition and certainly the band of volunteers who put direction stickers did a great job - BUT! I started on Monday 14th which I soon found out was a bad day as the Reading Museum was closed (my fault I know) the official starting point of the Church of St James was also closed I really wanted the stamp so knocked on the door of the vestry and apologised to the busy lady for interrupting and asked if it was possible to have the stamp. She said “It happens all the time” gave me the stamp and that was it - no good luck or Buen Camino.The weather was pretty grim and the walk out of Reading likewise but I expected that. For the most part the walk was uneventful following the river and not unduly muddy. Now the main problem with this Camino is the lack of accommodation en route. This means that it is really not affordable for many. The options are to return to larger towns by bus or train and stay in fairly expensive accommodation. I stayed the first night in Mortimer 12.5 miles from Reading in an exceptional airbnb right on the path. The owner had not really heard of the Camino or hosted any other walkers. Anyone planning to go ahead with this walk please check out airbnb.I had hoped to eat at the local pub but (you guessed it) it was closed for food.

The next day I was joined by a friend and the weather was warm but it was not advisable to walk in shorts as much of the path was overgrown with nettles and brambles lining the way. One of the reasons I had company was my friend had wanted to visit the Roman city of Silchester. Well, we spent ages looking for it because all that is left are ramparts and the amphitheatre is merely a round patch of ground - the colosseum it is not. I certainly advise against wasting time on this diversion. Because of the lack of accommodation we returned home from Worting. Today (Wednesday) was a beautiful day and despite the late start because of travel I began to feel the joy of the walk and maybe just a bit more like a pilgrim. A highlight being a lunch stop in the pub in Dummer to see England Ladies’ football team win.

Feeling a bit more positive about the whole experience I followed the well sign - posted route until after the village of Preston Candover it required a fairly long walk up a road with no pedestrian verge. Now you might think these are quiet country roads but they do not have speed cameras and the locals use this opportunity to see how fast their car can really go. I was relieved to arrive at the turn into a field and away fro the main road. Unfortunately I had really hit a problem now as this particular day the field was being harvested and enormous machinery was going back and forth with dust and debris flying everywhere. It didn’t actually look safe to enter. Reluctantly I rejoined the dangerous road and walked the hard miles to my destination of New Alresford. From there I used buses and trains to get home as accommodation was very expensive.

I will continue the walk as I don’t give up, but honestly my experience of this Camino has been a major disappointment. I feel it has been ‘manufactured’ rather than authentic. Much of it is uncomfortable walking on the edge of ploughed fields, narrow overgrown paths or scary roads. Unless, in some way accommodation could be more convenient and affordable it will not attract people on a budget. I am sure there are those who have gone before who feel differently but I am commenting personally on my experience of the last 3 days. I am looking forward to the next chapter from A Coruna

Hi Trish,very interested to read your post.I did some research on this route and also the best way to continue to the Ingles,but in the end I gave up owing to to the accommodation problems etc. I did the Ingles 9 years ago with my wife and daughter,but we stayed in b&b's and pensions as they didn't fancy hostels.But this time I am doing it deliberately on a budget next month,flying to Santiago and bus to Ferrol.I did the Portuguese this Summer and used alberques exclusively and really liked the experience.So I want to do that again.Air fares are becoming a bit of a problem as all the cheap fares now only seem to offer a very small under seat bag allowance and I'm reluctant to use the hold for luggage,but hey ho,there you go.
I'll follow your posts and hope you continue having a good walk.

 

[gollygolly]

I recently walked the Cornish Celtic Way. The last stretch, from Lelant Church via Carbis Bay down to St Michael's Mount, was marked as part of the Camino Ingles with all the usual signposts. Re accommodation, I can highly recommend this route in it's entirety as it has budget places to stay in churches and village halls. With that in mind it's always worth checking out The Sanctuary Network who organise, and are in the process of building, a network of such places to stay on established UK pilgrimage routes.

Thanks very much for your referencing The Sanctuary Network… this initiative was previously unknown to me

Britain's Sanctuary Network - The British Pilgrimage Trust

We are working to provide and promote ‘Sanctuary’ to pilgrims along the path: i.e. low-cost community-run accommodation – e.g. churches, church halls, village halls – with a high-impact experience through welcoming pilgrims into the heart of villages and towns. Various offers of Sanctuary exist...

britishpilgrimage.org

 

[Corned Beef]

If you are interested in the developments of the routes proposed (or manufactured*) by the BPT, you can look at their Annual Report here. Oddly they have a government contract which is not explained and which makes up 25% of their recent income.

THE BRITISH PILGRIMAGE TRUST CIO - Charity 1176045

Charity details for THE BRITISH PILGRIMAGE TRUST CIO - Charity 1176045

register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk

* Tried the Old Way a few years ago and found it to be no more than a relabelling of known public rights of way. But which came first - pilgrimage or right of way?

 

[Trishb]

Following on from my initial post in which I gave a less than positive report from St James Way in the UK, I took a day off to reconsider my attitude and comments. Returning with enthusiasm I began to 'feel' something more special about the walk and the highlight of Winchester Cathedral and the beautiful city confirmed this. The first few miles were muddy following heavy overnight rain but the day warm and sunny, so all good. The route follows the Itchen way along side the river. I am now going to be cynical, the excellent Pilgrim's guide from the CSJ has a lovely picture on the front of a group 3 abreast walking a wide path. This is entirely misleading and was certainly not taken on this section and in fact most of the way from Reading is very narrow. Not only is this section single - file walking but on meeting anyone coming in the opposite direction necessitates stopping and moving to the side into unfriendly brambles and nettles. This made for very slow progress and as this continued relentlessly my enthusiasm waned. The path emerges at Bishopstoke road and now I had a choice. Looking at the path ahead (barely visible) and the bus stop to the right without any feeling of guilt or failure I turned right. I saw no reason to plod on getting more scratches and nettle stings just to prove a point.

As I said in the first post, this walk is due to the efforts of the CSJ and is clearly way marked and the guide informative and comprehensively researched. There will be other months when the weather has not lead to overgrown paths and therefore others will have a different experience. There is a definite Catch 22 here, the lack of affordable accommodation will deter those on a tight budget and the lack of footfall will not improve that or indeed the path itself.

I believe there are efforts to work with the British Pilgrim's Trust to overcome the accommodation situation which would certainly help. Is it an enjoyable walk?
Hmmm.

 

[chris_yyc]

I walked this in Feb 2024, before continuing on to Santiago via Ferrol. It was wet, muddy, and utterly fantastic. Very well signposted by the CSJ. I made the Mass in Reading on the Sunday (full on incense and Latin) and Santiago (of course). My favourite sections were Mortimer to Reading (Day 2) and New Arlesford to Winchester (Day 4). Only one other pilgrim that I saw (but did not speak to, other than a "Buen Camino" at the Queen's College Arms public house). Winchester Cathedral was beautiful (I told them I was a pilgrim to get my stamp and I got a personal guided tour in return). The church at Itchen Stoke was fantastic, with its Chartres labyrinth and St Chapelle-style stained glass windows. Fully agree with your traffic comments - I had to dive into the hedgerow a few times!