The Routes to Santiago

Today we left Puente Reina, a place where the four main medieval pilgrimage routes through France converge; from here all pilgrims from France would be following the same route to Santiago de Compostela.  But of course, with pilgrims making their way to Santiago de Compostela from all parts of Europe - and with the impact of history - a number of routes to the city became established over the years. There are six main historic pilgrimage routes through the Spanish peninsula:

Camino Frances – the most established route for those that entered Spain via France and the subject of the Codex Calixtinus. Today this is the busiest route and the one that I am walking.

Via de la Plata – this was the route used by those coming from southern Spain in particular those Christians that lived in Spain during the Muslim domination.

Camino del Norte – also known as the Coastal route, this became established when Muslim domination of Spain had extended northwards and was making travel along the Camino Francés difficult and dangerous. Sections of it were also used by those who arrived by sea at one of the northern coastal ports.

Camino Ingles - the Camino Inglés or the English route was a short and direct route from the port of A Coruña to Santiago. It was used by pilgrims of various nationalities from northern Europe, who had travelled to Galicia by sea.

Camino Portugues - a route from Lisbon and through Portugal.

Camino Primitivo - this was the first Camino de Santiago trail when most of Spain was under Moorish control.

Today all these routes are used by walkers aiming to reach Santiago de Compostela and in my short time here I have met people who have done, or intend to do, some or all of each of them. However, by far the most popular is the Camino Frances. In 1980 a few hundred people walked the route but today over 150,000 people walk this route each year although not all start their journey in France.