The Confraternity of Saint James was founded in 1983 to bring together those interested in the medieval pilgrim routes through Spain and France to the tomb of St James at Santiago de Compostela, and in the associated rich heritage of art, architecture, history, music and faith. The CSJ has an office, bookshop and library in central London close to Blackfriars Bridge.
Publisher's Information 2022
The St James Way is approximately 68 miles / 110km long and has been designed for pilgrims who wish to walk from Reading Abbey, the centre of the cult of St James in England in the Middle Ages, to the port of Southampton, from where pilgrims may have sailed to France or Spain on their way to the tomb of St James at Santiago de Compostela in north-west Spain.
The route uses existing public footpaths as far as possible and takes in churches of St James and places of pilgrim interest. Since it was first devised by members of the CSJ, further routes have been developed, most significantly the Hampshire County Council Millennium Footpath Trail for the route from Winchester to Portsmouth with a continuation in Normandy from Cherbourg to Mont-Saint-Michel, a pilgrim destination in its own right, as well as being one visited by pilgrims on their way to Santiago.
Pilgrims who are starting their pilgrimage in England on St James' Way, before continuing on the Camino Inglés (English Way) from either A Coruna or Ferrol to Santiago, should collect pilgrim stamps from churches and pubs in England and continue to collect them in Spain. The total distance is around 197/226km (England 110km, A Coruna 87km or Ferrol 116km) and is long enough to qualify for a “Compostela” certificate from the Pilgrims’ Office in Santiago.
