Probably the most famous Christian pilgrimage route of all is the medieval route to Santiago de Compostela in northern Spain, alleged burial place of St. James, brother of John the Evangelist and one of Christ’s twelve apostles.
As early as 1000 years ago, devout people from all over Europe made a pilgrimage to the tomb of the Apostle Jacobus. Today the paths leading to that destination are called Jacob’s Trails and are still used by pilgrims.
It is the route that they follow that is known as “El Camino” and the oldest one starts in France some 900km from its ultimate destination.
The serious pilgrims, who walk the entire route, can expect a journey of approximately one months duration, with the added bonus of very sore feet.
For bikers the journey is faster (roughly 14 days), but the bonus will be a hurting backside.
The objective is to reach the large cathedral at Santiago de Compostela and visit the shrine of the apostle whose tomb rests there.
