21 Jun 2022
Plans to revive a historic English route that medieval pilgrims used to walk to Santiago de Compostela in Spain have taken another big step forward with the introduction of pilgrim stamps at public houses along the route.
The new stamps are part of an ambitious project to revitalise the St. James' Way, a pilgrim path that starts at St. James Church, Reading, and finishes at God's House Tower, Southampton, before continuing via the Camino Inglés in Galicia, Spain, to the tomb of St. James the Apostle at Santiago de Compostela Cathedral.
Pilgrims, walkers, and families who embark on this modern-day pilgrimage will want to collect the stamps in their pilgrim passport (known as a “credencial” in Spanish) as evidence that they have walked the route.
Until recently, the stamps were only available at churches along the way. But now, pubs too are offering to stamp the passports of thirsty pilgrims with their own seals, turning this rapidly developing UK path into an authentic Camino experience. Every café along the Spanish route offers a pilgrim stamp, and these pubs are their English equivalent.
A passport grants the holder access to accommodation at pilgrim hostels and the right to a special “pilgrim's menu” at restaurants in Spain. More importantly, if filled with stamps (a minimum of two stamps per day for the last 100km of the Camino) a pilgrim may claim at the Pilgrims' Office in Santiago a devotional “Compostela” certificate, recognising their achievement and the distance they have walked.
Pilgrim passports may be obtained from the Confraternity of St. James' website or at Reading Museum, who also hold a stamp.
Additionally, God's House Tower will award a new certificate to anyone who presents a completed passport with stamps collected while walking the St. James' Way from Reading.
The pub stamps are stylishly designed. As a goal in their own right, they are fun to collect on this “pub crawl” of a different kind!
Work on signposting the pilgrim route all the way from Reading to Southampton is progressing well and is expected to be finished by 25th July, the feast day of St James.
The 13 pubs offering a pilgrim stamp on the St. James' Way are:
- The Cunning Man, Burghfield
- Fox and Hounds, Sheffield Bottom
- Horse & Groom, Mortimer
- The Queens College Arms,
Pamber End - The Queen Inn, Dummer
- The Purefoy Arms,
Preston Candover - The Horse & Groom,
New Alresford - The Bush Inn, Ovington
- The Plough, Itchen Abbas
- The King Alfred, Hyde, Winchester
- The Bridge Inn, Shawford
- The Junction Inn, Southampton
- Duke of Wellington, Southampton
David Sinclair, a CSJ volunteer leading this project, said: “Many pilgrims treasure the stamps in their passport. Thanks to the cooperation of the pubs on the St. James' Way, they now have greater choice and access to fill them with stamps. We are grateful for their support in the developing the essence of this UK Camino.”
Hayley Goodrick, General Manager at The Cunning Man pub, said: “All of us here at The Cunning Man are delighted to be able to offer this novel pilgrim stamp service. We are excited to receive our first walkers and families on the St James' Way and stamp their pilgrim passports. They will be warmly welcomed by all of the team.”
ENDS
Contact details for more information:
Freddy Bowen, General Manager
Camino Pilgrim™ | CSJ UK
(+44) 207 9289988
office@csj.org.uk
27A Blackfriars Road, London, SE1 8NY
