The English Camino

by Cristóbal Ramírez

Chair of the Association of Journalists of the Camino Ingles, writing from Oroso in Spain

Great Britain has always been a land of pilgrims. Before Henry VIII there were thousands who went on the three major pilgrimages, Jerusalem, Rome and
Santiago de Compostela (Spain). There is evidence that Scots, English and Welsh pilgrims appeared in its streets from the mid-sixteenth century.
Numerous people -some with religious interests, others with merely historical interests- worked hard together to ensure that the pilgrimage to the Spanish
city, Santiago de Compostela was recovered. Recently, Durham Cathedral has enthusiastically committed to establishing strong links between the cities. Thus
begins the recovery of the English Camino, which at this time, has already been identified and is well signposted, passing through Gainford.

We are pleased with this stage of development. There had been perceived reluctance due to people misunderstand the meaning of pilgrimage, considering
it as something anachronistic. Despite of the inconvenience caused by the coronavirus pandemic we have overcome the obstacles, and even more people
have begun to take up walking. Because of this, the pilgrimages to Santiago de Compostela have taken on a new life. This is the chronicle of that rebirth.
The idea was hatched in a Spanish office in 2014. There, Rafael Sánchez, the then director of the Xacobeo (which is the public company in charge of
promoting the Camino de Santiago worldwide) gave the green light to the project and approved a budget. The agreement implied not losing sight of what
a pilgrimage is: not only putting one foot in front of the other, not only recovering history, but also having an intrinsic spiritual dimension. Walking for leisure is one thing, pilgrimage is quite another.

The starting point of the historic English Camino is Finchale Priory, where the hermit Saint Godric lived. The first initiative of the project was to organise a
pilgrimage from the priory to Durham Cathedral in June 2015. This was a very short route, that provided an opportunity to see how people were going to
respond.

It was a great success with more than 80 pilgrims walking. This encouraged other Spanish organisations, and the Diputación de A Coruña (the government
of the province where Santiago de Compostela is located) and the municipality of Oroso (the most active municipality in promoting the Camino, geographically
bordering with that of Santiago de Compostela) to become more actively involved in recovering and signposting the route. The English administration did
not contribute money initially. However, the enthusiasm of the people made up for this, and more than two dozen people of County Durham created the association of the Friends of Finchale Camino Inglés (thefinchalecamino@gmail.com).

Today the English Camino has been traced as far as Richmond, and is signposted from Finchale Priory beyond Gainford, where the Reverend Eileen Harrop became an invaluable champion of pilgrimage.  This pilgrimage was resumed, after the pandemic, on March 19, 2022, when 170 people walked from Finchale Priory to Durham Cathedral. On arrival there was a reception that can justly be described as spectacular. The subsequent Sung Eucharist service, with the Durham and Newcastle Cathedral choirs, touched the souls of the congregation, who took away with them an indelible memory, some leaving with tears of emotion.

We hope that by the Summer or the beginning of Autumn the Camino will stretch as far as York. This means that the entire section of this part of the English Camino will be identified and signposted, whilst in the South the route from Reading to Southampton is also being completed. Then a double challenge will begin. One concern is to keep the Camino clear and signposted.  More importantly, we want to ensure it is considered to be a pilgrimage and not a pastime based on history. The spiritual aspect of pilgrimage is consubstantial to it, and without it, this is nothing more than a Sunday stroll. The Camino de Santiago is open to everyone, but it contains within itself a dimension that transcends mere leisure.

In that sense, Gainford can play an interesting role because of its particular geography. As you descend the hill and find yourself on the village green, set alongside the River Tees, you come upon the magnificent church of St Mary (Santa Maria).

Pilgrims will find themselves in a calm, quiet and relaxing space that invites thought, and makes us ask questions. In Santiago de Compostela and Oroso, from where these lines have been written, the recovery of the English Camino gives us delight, joy, and satisfaction. The commitment to continue and the strengthening of ties with County Durham augurs well for our future. We celebrate the welcoming parish of Gainford and its role in promoting pilgrimage.