The way of the Camino

In today’s world faces are often illuminated with screen glare rather than enlightened with a smile and a lack of care. It’s a pretty hectic existence for a lot of us isn’t it? We seem to be dashing from one daily task to another, we’re always consumed one way or another. We hardly ever take the time to wander and savour the moment, this September I went to find out how we go about engaging in the lost art of pilgrimage.

The North Downs Way Pilgrims Festival Camino took place in the final week of September, celebrating forty years of the North Downs national trail, although it has accommodated walkers, pilgrims and wanderers for significantly longer. The guided walks organised for the festival ranged from map-reading workshops to ale trails, the walk I attended though was on the penultimate day of the festival, the longest guided walk that the festival had to offer, the St Augustine Camino.

Arriving at Faversham train station prior to eight Am on Saturday, regretting my decision not to take on one of the less gruelling and more ale guzzling walks, I spotted a man wearing a smile and wielding a stick and knew immediately that this man was embarking on the Camino. As it turned out he was actually leading the Camino, Andrew Kelly tells me that he is the founder of the St Augustine Camino, a seventy-mile, seven-day route billed as ‘A pilgrimage to the birthplace of English Christianity’. I was initially horrified as I thought I’d accidentally signed up for a seven-day trek, he reassured me this thirteen-mile pilgrimage we were on, was a one day, one off, for the festival.

Following Andrew to the Shrine of St Jude, better equipped walkers than myself waited for us. We were welcomed into the Shrine by friendly Friar Brendan, who blessed us and educated us and encouraged us to ‘unplug’ ourselves, and treat fellow pilgrim with the respect that we all deserve. Everyone left with a spring in their step.

It was soon apparent that everyone was at ease and very relaxed, a feeling that comes when you allow yourself to be led. Andrew armed with stick marched on and we followed like merry little pilgrims. I quizzed my fellow pilgrims before we arrived at our first watering hole, there was an international collection of us. Claudia from Argentina told me how she was on this crusade as’ “I wanted a change in my life, I wanted a connection with nature, my inner self, after a really bad experience in my life that I’ve had recently”. Alex from Colombia, tells me she used to jog but it is getting harder to upkeep a running regime due to health complications, so she now walks and was using the walk to find some answers about her personal life. Alex offers me a Colombian snack, a peanut but not like you’ve ever tasted before, much like the women I’d just spoken to, the peanut was incredible.

The profound nature of my fellow pilgrims causes, was something I pondered at St James church in Sheldwich. A fascinating little hamlet that boasts no shops, no public houses, no post office, no street lighting, no sewerage system but an occasional bus, route number 666. However, it’s not all bad news for the people of Sheldwich as the sausage rolls and spread of snacks that the church generously put on for us pilgrims were delicious, surpassing the Colombian snack I was given earlier.

Onwards we went, I spoke to a young couple who were avid walkers, kitted out with binoculars and walking boots. He was looking out for birds and she had recently become an ambassador for the North Downs and was monitoring Andrews leadership, learning from the man leading us to Wye. I overheard a woman called Pam was chatting with her friend Patricia about ‘annoying moths’ who had gone about eating her top since its last outing. That outing was almost certainly notable, as these two were seasoned adventurers, between them they have climbed Snowdon, the great wall of China, Kilimanjaro, Everest space camp and regularly submerge themselves in cold water in their favourite activity, cold-water swimming. They steamed ahead to the beautiful Red Lion pub in Badlesmere, where we lunched.

Whilst feasting on a bowl of chips and a swigging on a pint of lager, I got chatting with a man juggling two conkers, when I asked him why he told me the conkers represent his burdens, his worries, when he gets to the end of the walk he’ll throw the conker away, representing the end of his worries. His daughter was accompanying on the Camino, she tells me he is preparing for the Camino Santiago, which is 500-mile pilgrimage across Spain which is getting increasingly popular attracting 301,036 pilgrims in 2017. “This is his training, which I don’t mind accompanying him on. The Santiago one he’s on his own, well not completely he’ll probably have a new set of conkers”.

On the final stretch into the picturesque village of Wye, I spoke to Lizzie who told me how she joined meetup the website after a break up, “I wasn’t wanting to get back into dating, and walking is the main thing I’ve got from meetup”, so keen is her new love for walking she is also considering the Camino de Santiago. As the legs began to crave a chair, knees wobbled and Wye got within touching distance I chatted with Gabrielle, a woman who works in London and was thoroughly enjoying being at one with nature. I’d witnessed her hug a tree and she spoke to me of the joys of being able to wander through the countryside with no pressures, she questioned “why would you go abroad? We have such beauty, such history on our doorstep”.

The pilgrimage had enlightened me, the beauty and serenity of nature was stimulating, casual conversation with people with the same singular aim, without attention diversions to screens was refreshing. After thirteen miles of pilgrimage we were welcomed into the church of St Gregory and St Martin in Wye where carved meat, beer and singing were awaiting us, as you can see in the short film below.

If you are in need of a walk, a wander or just a chat with like-minded people please do check out meetup which is a website that hosts a range of events. All of which can help you take a second savour the moment and wear a face of enlightenment rather than a glare of illumination.

www.meetup.com
www.walkingforhealth.org.uk