To be a pilgrim

I've just come back from St Jean Pied de Port, which is the place from which Compostela pilgrims have set off across the Pyranees for a thousand years or more. Going up the valley on the train was very picturesque, despite the weather, but it would have been hard work walking, especially in the pouring rain.

We think that we know so much about health, nutrition, etc but the medieval pilgrims must have been much fitter than most people today. They didn't have the benefit of lightweight waterproof clothing, or the choice of going by train, and had to eat whatever was available, not worry about calories, cholesterol or whether they'd had 5 portions of fruit and veg.

There are still plenty of people today who choose to walk the road to Compostela. I had a fascinating conversation with a German gentleman who did it last year, and is now doing a stint as a volunteer at the centre which offers advice to those setting off across the mountains. It's necessary because a lot of people don't realise how hard going it is, and don't understand how the weather can change. Apparently, people do still die in the mountains, and very recently two ladies were only just found in time, before they died of hypothermia.

My German friend was also telling me about the different reasons people do the walk. Many are Roman Catholics, but many are other denominations or none. He is a Lutheran who retired early at 60, having been a lay worker with the industrial mission. It was the first time that he had had the chance to do anything without a rigid timescale. People do the walk for many different reasons, but even those who say that it has nothing to do with religion nearly always go to the celebration in the cathedral when they arrive.