The St. James Way Day Six – Southampton

Brambles. Officially my least favourite plant.

Next week’s forecast is a heat wave, and today was the warm up. At 8.30am it was already hot. We rejoined the river side path, that seemed to turn into a jungle expedition the further along we travelled it.

Nettles and brambles crisscrossed the narrow footpath. The nettles were nothing. I resided to their stinging presence with me wearing shorts; I hardly noticed them.

The brambles were the pain. Snagging your bag and clothes. Clawing at your flesh; you would have thought I’d wrestled a cat!

It made slow going, but the pain paid off. Entering Southampton’s outskirts, we passed through the Riverside Park. Wide pavements along the Itchen Banks; ducks, swans and geese paddled the waters.

We stopped for an ice cream, sitting on a park bench, watching dogs chase tennis balls thrown by their owners.

As we continued on, the smell of sea air filled our senses – the end was approaching.

Eventually we reached the ‘Junction Inn’, stopping for a drink. Despite the confraternity of St. James stating this is a stamp location. They don’t have one.

From here, it got very urban and cityscape fast. Passing under the Bargate – the Norman gateway to the city, we made our way over the last stretch to the docks.

Reaching the end point where the medieval pilgrims would have boarded the ships to A Coruña. We headed back to the ‘Gods House Tower’ (named after a pilgrim hospital). The official end to the pilgrimage.

We got the stamp and the certificate.

We had a drink at the Red Lion. Acclaimed oldest pub in Southampton. The location of the trial of three conspirators who tried to depose Henry V, before he set sail to Agincourt.

They wanted to put Edmund Mortimer on the throne. The Irony was, old Ed taddled on them. They were sentenced to death. The pub has a historic feel, high vaulted ceilings, coats of armour.

We then went to the ‘Duke of Wellington’ the acclaimed oldest pub in Southampton, where there was a live jazz band on.

Either way, we had a drink at the oldest pub in Southampton.

That completes the St. James Way. A great pilgrimage and one that will prepare you for the Camino. It is well marked, very much in the same way. You have to keep your head up, to spot the markers and arrows on lamp-posts, trees and curbs.

The next stage now is getting to A Coruña or Ferrol, to continue the Camino Ingles to Santiago.

But that will be at a later date.