I’m on a roll. The Walsingham Camino completed in March, The St. James’ Way finished a couple of weeks ago and I have a big one coming up later in the year, that I’m itching to start; my energy and soul is currently fully recharged.
Keen to keep the momentum going, I’ve found a 3 day pilgrimage across the Yorkshire Dales – Although in my typical style, I’m doing it in 2!
St. Alkelda’s Way, 52km from Giggleswick to Middleham. Passing through Conistone, Kettlewell and Carlton. It crosses the rolling moorlands and limestone dales of this UK national park.
This obscure North Yorkshire saint is linked to villages of Giggleswick and Middleham each with churches in her name. She was an Anglo-Saxon noblewoman who travelled between the two villages, performing baptisms at the numerous holy wells along the path. However she was captured and strangled to death by a Viking woman.
Although this medieval story has become legend in the area, there is some doubt as to its authenticity. Historians believe the name ‘Alkelda’s is from the mashup of an old English and Norse word Halig Keld which means Sacred Well or Holy Spring. ‘Halig’ being Anglo-Saxon for holy/sacred and ‘Keld’ being Norse for spring/well.
Which would be appropriate with the many springs in the area.
BnBs all booked as the hostels are full for when I intend to walk. There is a surprising number of places to stay and pubs on this route. This could potentially be a little gem.
Now all I have to do is finish off my video for the ‘St. James’ Way’ and count down the days!
Next week’s forecast is a heat wave, and today was the warm up. At 8.30am it was already hot. We rejoined the riverside 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.
A day of Peregrine Falcons, Kingfishers and Cetti’s Warblers. Ornithology and tranquil river banks.
It started out in the drizzle, and as we passed the cathedral the Falcons were crying from the spires, clearly also disgruntled with the weather. The route winds through Winchester to the banks of the river Itchen, where it follows it to Eastleigh.
The trees and bracken were alive with birdsong. After hearing an unusual call, we booted up the app, and it identified it as the Cetti’s Warbler, and amongst the chorus, was a kingfisher call! – Although we couldn’t spot it due to the thick vegetation along the river banks.
As we went on the rain eased, and by 4km, at Compton Lock, it had stopped. We paused here for snacks, as a local wild swimming group convened to dip in the clear waters. I did suggest to my mum she could join them, but she wasn’t keen.
There was a route diversion here too, due to path works. We had to ascend a small hill into Shawford and rejoin the way there.
It continued on, progressively getting more overgrown. Narrowing the path to the point, it was a balancing act when meeting dog walkers coming in the opposite direction.
Around 11am the Sun had chased the clouds away, making it a very pleasant stroll into Eastleigh’s outskirts. We stopped for a couple of drinks at the ‘Ham Farm’ pub. The Assistant manager fascinated and amazed with our pilgrimage – I may have inspired her to undertake one!
There was no rush at this point, only 3km or so to go. We relaxed in the beer garden watching the world go by and the birds foraging for food crumbs.
Rob
The short distance back along the Itchen banks took us into the centre of Eastleigh. The place has a different vibe compared to the other towns on this route, almost like a northern coastal town that didn’t suffer the decline synonymous with them.
We had dinner and a few drinks at a craft ale bar with a Steam Train theme. The restaurant had first class train seats and the walls decorated with all things engineering.
That concluded our penultimate day, a short one into Southampton tomorrow awaits, to complete this pilgrimage.
Today brought rain and soggy feet, but also an easy 17km stroll into a former capital of England and the resting place of St. Swithun.
It was probably our quietest night sleep on the pilgrimage so far. No revelling golfers, early morning beer deliveries or city noises. When we began today’s walk, there was a spring in our step. The only dampener – figurative and literally – was the rain.
Although light, the overgrown paths and fields soon soaked our trainers. Each step was accompanied by a soggy a squelch.
At Ovington the way goes through a nature reserve, following the river Itchen. Swans sifted through the riverbed, fish glided beneath the surface, a chorus of birdsong filled the trees. Natures glory at its finest.
Fishy fish
We came across a dog walker with a chocolate lab called Amber. She came bounding to us, tail wagging wanting a fuss. We chatted with her owner, who recommended a route past Avington Golf club, giving views of the countryside and also a cafe stop – but he called it cardiac hill.
When we got to it, it was nothing. As we got to the top, the clouds thinned and by the time we got to the cafe, the Sun was shining.
After a cup of tea, we headed into Itchen Abbas for the stamp at the church and met two pilgrims. They live locally and have been leap frogging their cars, so that they could spend their nights at home.
From there it was across fields. At one, we met two walkers who had turned back. They asked us how we felt crossing a field with a lone bullock in it. They were afraid to keep going.
“If you ignore them, they tend to ignore you”. They didn’t believe me and left us to continue. As I got closer, it wasn’t a bullock nor was it alone. There were two calves, and they didn’t pay us any attention.
At ‘Martyr Worthy’ (cool names around here) we stopped for a picnic at the church after getting the stamp. We kicked off our trainers and pulled off our wet socks to dry our feet in the sun.
The route was pretty much the same to ‘Kings Worthy’ then the Winchester outskirts became our scenery. A quick stop at the ‘King Alfred’ pub then the home stretch to Winchester Cathedral.
We got the stamp, had a walk around the ancient building; the resting place of St. Swithun. Bishop and royal advisor to Æthelwulf. He requested when he died, to be buried outside of the cathedral so his grave can be visited and rained upon.
The monks, a hundred years later on the 15th July, moved his remains indoors, resulting in 40 days and 40 nights of rain.
After checking in, we attended the acclaimed oldest pub in England, ‘The Royal Oak’. Once the home to Edward the confessor and refuge for Charles II. A seat of power in medieval England.
It was an easy day after the last three, with tomorrow’s target Eastleigh – a similar distance.
I lived up to that stereotype today; your walking friend, that utters the words “it’s not far now”, “just around the next bend”, “one more hill to go” – the biggest liar in your friend group. Had I fully disclosed the distance today, I think my mum would have taken the bus!
We set off from Worting just after 8am, following an old Roman road that seemed to act as a dam to new housing estates leading out of Basingstoke.
The forecasted morning of overcast skies never materialised, the Sun was cheering us on for most of the day.
After 3km, we got our first corner, crossing over the motorway and finally leaving Basingstoke to enter the small village of ‘Dummer’. We aimed for ‘The Queen Inn’ to collect the stamp and a cold drink.
Crossing the car park it was all in darkness, with a patio set outside the entrance. We plonked our bags down and munched on our snacks. Shortly after, a chap doing some maintenance on the pub appeared.
He pointed us to a box at the front for the stamp, for such occasions, neatly packed in an OS map decorated container. So if you ever find yourself here, you now know where to look.
The next stop was Preston Candover, 5km over farm tracks and overgrown trails. Horse flies kept nose diving for my legs, luckily only one managed to get a nibble, my frantic wafting kept the rest at bay.
We stopped for a short refreshment break at the community run store to the village, then pressed on.
It was a bit of road walking until the route turns off into a field of wheat, hugging the hedgerow boundary. You need keen eyes to spot the gap in the hedge. The sign post was missing, and the marker was secured by a stone on top of yellow bricks, hidden in the long grass.
Through a few more wheat fields and we reached the country lane into ‘Upper Wield’. We took a break on a bench in the village, basking in the Sun.
A large section of road walking followed before turning off along a shaded path that stretched out for a couple of kilometres before the final legs into Alresford.
The weather began to change and after stopping for the stamp St. Mary’s, it began to rain, thankfully only lightly.
The last little bit into the village centre was up hill, to complete a 29.2km stage. My mum made it all the way; only the cost is, I doubt she will believe me when I say “nearly there”.
Bit of a long one today, wading through brambles and nettles, with a spot of wildlife rescue.
Wokefield Estate is clearly a popular location for lads golfing holidays. Sleep was little due to them coming and going throughout the night and holding phone calls in the corridors at 5am!
At 8.30am we made our way across the fields into Mortimer, calling at the shop for supplies. Unfortunately the pub with the stamp wasn’t open this early.
Crossing the Border
Over fields and through small woods led us into Silchester to collect the stamp at St. Mary’s church. Here is also the site of a Roman town, ‘Calleva Atrebatvm’.
It was a fairly large town for its time, the size evident from the remains of the surrounding wall that is still present.
The scenery that followed wasn’t very inspiring. The fields turned to metal structures where solar farms are being developed; power lines crisscrossed overhead. We were glad to reach Bramley, stopping for lunch at the farm shop and collecting the stamp from the church.
Then began the battle with brambles and nettles. The stinging, snagging tendrils grabbed at our bags and attacked my legs.
At Pamber End we called in at the pub for a cold drink and the stamp. The beer garden and sun enticed us to stay longer than we should have; we still had some way to go.
Fields and triffids continued to ‘Monk Sherborne’. While making our way along a wooded border, I spotted an owl that had its wing snared on barbed wire.
The poor thing was weak. I supported its weight off the wing and tried to untangle it, but the sharp metal had bored into its flesh. The wire would need cutting to free it – wire cutters are not a tool within a pilgrim’s arsenal.
I pulled its talons to the wire letting it hang like a bat to ease the pressure on the wing, and flagged down a dog walker. She knew the farmer and went to get his help to free the bird.
I left the owl in their capable hands; we couldn’t hang around as evening was approaching fast and we still had 5km to go.
The descent into Basingstoke passed the golf course, over a very busy road, through a farm and down a wooded tunnel into Worting, completing the stage at the church.
A long one today, but that is part of the journey.
A nice gentle start to break us into this pilgrimage, with perfect weather and some nice pubs along the way.
At 8am we set off from St. James Church, next to Forbury Gardens and Reading Abbey ruins. The busy streets from the night before now empty save a few dog walkers.
We followed the route to the canal where we got a picture with a Camino way-marker in the Galician style. On it, it read ‘690 miles’; the distance to Santiago de Compostela.
Mum and Me
There was a detour from here, due to repair works on the towpath that brought us through apartment blocks, until returning to the river Kennet.
The towpath took us through the restaurant and bar areas before giving way to the suburbs and eventually to the countryside – glad to be away from city.
I settled into the walk, watching the waterfowl glide along the water with the cathartic chug of passing narrow boats.
At 7km in, we reached the ‘Cunning Man’ pub, right on the towpath. Ideal stop for a tea and collecting the first stamp on the way. We missed the one at the start, as the museum closed at 5 last night and it isn’t open on Sundays.
Rojito and Mojito
The path continued on along the river, and at one point it was overgrown with nettles, adding a bit of jeopardy for wearing shorts today.
At Sheffield Bottom, we had lunch at the Fox and Hounds, getting the second stamp of the day. Two pilgrims entered for the stamp and moved on. Their bags suspiciously small for a journey to Southampton.
The route moves away from the river past a nature reserve then across countryside and small woodlands. A few gentle hills led us into Burghfield.
Here we left the SJW to head to our digs for the night. We booked a hotel at Wokefield Estate; a golf club/conference/leisure centre. Bit posh for scruffy pilgrims, but unfortunately I had no response from the sanctuary network representative in Mortimer.
We really mixed it up this year, rather than spending our annual week in ‘The Lakes’, we stopped at a holiday cottage in Wellesbourne, Warwickshire; a village between Warwick and Stratford-upon-Avon.
Day One
Check-in wasn’t until 1600h and Wellesbourne being only a 40min drive from my home, I had a leisurely morning, meandering into town and some last minute packing before I met my family at the Stags Head, Wellesbourne. Kicking off our week in Shakespeare Country.
We did well with the accommodation, a converted stable on the grounds of Wellesbourne Hall. Beautifully done up, with 4 bedrooms, three of which en-suite and a hot tub under a covered patio.
A quick trip the local supermarket for supplies and a chippy take-away, we settled in for the night.
Day Two
Straight off the bat we ran the Stratford-upon-Avon Parkrun in the rain – reminiscent of last year! The course is a pretty much flat circular route around a park and along the banks of the Avon. Despite 460 runners I was on track for a sub 27min – the fastest this year for me – only on the last corner, my earbud fell out causing me to stop and search for it.
I couldn’t find it.
Seeing all the runners I’d overtaken, pass me, I sprinted to the finish line. getting 27min 13sec according to my watch.
That’s two adventures and two lost tech so far this year! They say bad things come in threes, worrisome for next week!
We warmed up for breakfast at a local cafe before returning to the cottage, spending the rest of the day relaxing and playing board games – I also got new earbuds delivered.
Day Three
The plan for the day was a walk to Chesterton Windmill. A stroll from the quaint village of Harbury to a 17th century windmill built by Sir Edward Peyto. Unique with a six-arched base overlooking the Warwickshire countryside where a Roman village once resided.
I wanted to get my drone up, but with the wind and my current luck with tech, I opted to keep it packed away.
We returned to Harbury, in time for an annual wheelbarrow race around the town. Participants in costumes pushed their team mate in a barrow along a circuit passing the pubs.
We popped into the crown for lunch then made our way into Warwick for a quick look around, finishing the day with a Chinese takeaway at the cottage.
Day Four
Another energetic start. We tried our hand at padel. The new craze; tennis come squash. After circumnavigating the confusing roadworks outside Stratford, we got the Padel centre. Two hours of retrieving balls from neighbouring courts ensued.
Great fun and plenty of laughs as well as a cardio workout. We had a drink and a snack at the onsite bar then headed into Stratford itself. Spending the afternoon exploring the town and having a drink in the oldest pub, The Garrick.
We had hoped for a Shakespeare play, but when we looked at booking leading up to this holiday, all the tickets had been sold.
Day Five
A day at Bicester Village shopping was on the cards. Dodging heavy rain showers we got some bargains. I got myself a new running shirt and mid-layer for walking in the offers – I love a bargain.
We then made our way back to Warwick for a couple of drinks then returned to the cottage for a dip in the hot tub.
Day Six
We popped into the Cotswolds visiting Burton-on-the-water and Lower Slaughter. Enjoying the picturesque villages, the sunny weather and a couple of beers in the quaint pubs.
The last time I was here, I was a teenager, and nothing really much had changed. I remembered paddling in the stream runs through the village, with my dog at the time.
After exploring the village, we walked along the ‘Monarch Way’ to Lower Slaughter. I looked this route up, and it begins in Worcester and ends at Shoreham-by- Sea. Retracing the retreat of King Charles II after his defeat to Cromwell. 932km through Birmingham, Stratford, Bristol, Lyme Regis and more. One for a later date.
On the way back, I popped into the church of St. Lawrence and spotted a stained glass window; a sign for the week to come.
After some food we returned to our lodgings completing our penultimate day.
Day Seven
Persistent rain defined today, prompting us to do an indoors activity for our last day. We visited the stately home, Charlecote House.
Its origins date back to 1066 with the Norman conquest and the beginnings of the Lucy family. Over the years the stately home was built with the family making their wealth in agriculture for the textile trade. Although the Lucy family still reside here, the building is now owned by the National Trust.
It was rumoured that Shakespeare had poached on the estate.
The rain eased up allowing for us walk around the grounds spotting the deer grazing in the fields.
For the remainder of the afternoon and evening, we spent our time in Stratford. Sheltering from the rain before returning to the cottage, concluding the Warwickshire Adventure.
Still on a high from my Walsingham Camino, I found a book from the British Pilgrimage Trust about locations around the UK that were destinations for medieval pilgrimage – ‘Pilgrim Places’.
The book also details some routes to follow. The chapters are separated into the counties, giving the history behind the locations.
One route jumped out straightaway, ‘The Saint James Way’. Set up by the UK confraternity of St. James; the organisation for the Camino de Santiago. They run two Albergue’s in Spain – one at Rabanal on the Francés and at Miraz on the del Norte. You can even volunteer at them if you want to experience a different side to the Camino.
The route starts in Reading, at the ruined abbey which was associated with St. James. From there it winds South through Basingstoke, Winchester and arriving in Southampton. The departure point for medieval pilgrims to sail to A Coruña, and continue the Camino Inglés.
There are no ferry services these days from this port to Spain, you have to take a bus ride to Portsmouth to continue the sea journey.
If you haven’t guessed it yet. This pilgrimage is now locked into my sights. If you are a regular follower of my blog, you will know I spend a week in June with family in the Lake District.
Well, we’ve mixed it up this year and going to stay around Stratford-upon-Avon area. I’ve sneakily booked off the following week to do this pilgrimage.
Unlike my last two long distance walks, I won’t be alone this time. I will be accompanied by my mum. A warm up for something later in the year, and an opportunity to test some gear out.
Every bit of free time I’ve had since completing my latest adventure has been spent on editing all the footage into a video. Hopefully it is an improvement on my previous ones. I had a loose storyboard for this walk, with an idea of what filming I wanted to get.
Like each trip, it’s a learning curve; this one more so than usual. I tested out some new equipment, some I’d use again, others I won’t bother. I borrowed a digital camera for this one and took a deceptively heavy miniature tripod for it. These ended up more of a hassle to set up and use – I fell back on the convenience of my mobile phone.
I expanded on my drone getting a remote, with plans to take some sweeping recordings of the walk, and even planned how I wanted to capture the abbey ruins at Walsingham, as my parting footage for the video.
However, if you read my blog, you know the abbey ruins were closed on my arrival, and many of the days, the UK experienced strong winds due to a series of low-pressure systems from the Atlantic. Having lost one drone on the journey, I didn’t want to risk losing the replacement, and kept its use close to ground level.
It was also evident I need more practice with flying it!
If you have a spare 45min and nothing better to do, have a gander at the video. It’s now on Youtube.
Stu's Camino 