I recently hosted a long distance walker Owen Charnley, who was on the home stretch of his epic journey, walking from Azerbaijan to Rochdale, raising money for Manchester homeless charities. He documented his journey on Instagram (@owen.charnley91 if you are interested in seeing his adventure).
It was a fantastic evening hearing about his adventures and geeking out over every part of the walking life — gear, blister hacks, pack weight, trail essentials, and even the way we each capture our journeys.
The following day after he set off into the rain, I got that all familiar urge to stuff my walking gear in my rucksack and begin another adventure. There is nothing I can do to sate this itch, other than set my sights on another pilgrimage – and that’s what I did.
Having not done an early spring thru-hike in some time, I booked leave for March 2026. I was tempted to zip over to Spain and get the Camino Ingles done, however it’s been a while since I did a route on home turf. One pilgrimage I have had my eye on for a while is the ‘London to Walsingham Camino’. A 270km route from the church of ‘St. Magnus the Martyr’ at London Bridge to the ‘Anglo-Saxon Shrine to the Holy House of Nazareth’ in Walsingham, Norfolk.
It passes some of London’s famous landmarks, historic shrines (some dedicated to my favourite saint himself, St. James) and through my old stomping grounds in Norfolk. A county I spent 5 years in during my early working life – it will bring back some nostalgia for sure.
The route is officially recognised by the Spanish Pilgrim Authorities as part of the Camino Ingles, and walking it before continuing the route from A Coruña or El Ferrol, will entitle you to the Compostela. It has a rich history and for a time it was the fourth popular pilgrimage in the Christian world, beaten only by Jerusalem, Rome and Santiago.
It’s conception starts in 1061; Lady Richeldis de Faverches, a noblewoman living in Walsingham, claimed to have had a vision of the home of the Virgin Mary where the annunciation of the Archangel Gabriel, foretelling Jesus’s birth occurred. She built a replica of the house in Walsingham, that later became a shrine and the destination for pilgrims from all over Europe.
It attracted Kings, Queens and commoners alike- Henry VIII being a notable royal, before he outlawed pilgrimages in 1538; for such a decision, it must have been one bad blister! It wasn’t until the 1930s when the shrine was re-established, that it saw a revival in foot traffic. Last year 350,000 or so visited the shrine at Walsingham; although this includes day visitors. Not many opt to walk the whole route, with most sticking to the last mile.
I spent a few evenings planning and booking my stops. Downloading the route to my ‘OS Maps’ app. Unlike my other long distance walks, this one isn’t waymarked – yet. I’m mostly stopping in pubs and inns. Ones that would have served the pilgrims all those years ago – the hostels have long gone. I would have like to have spent a night at the accommodation set up for pilgrims at the shrine in Walsingham, however there are no vacancies on the date I am due to arrive.
I can relax now it’s all been booked and hopefully getting to the start line will go smoothly, unlike my Sanabrés!
Stu's Camino 