Pilgrimage walks holidays

Follow the scallop shells… the Camino de Santiago is an iconic route for pilgrimage walks holidays. Or routes, we should say, as there are actually several you can take. The most popular include the French Way, which crosses the Pyrenees, and the Portuguese Way, which you begin in either Lisbon or Porto and can either follow the coast or go inland. Then there is the Northern Way, which offers more of a challenge due to the ups and downs of the terrain. On our holidays you can cycle too or even kayak it.

There are several pilgrimage walks holidays in Japan. The Kumano Kodo is an epic 258km route through the peaks and valleys of the Kii Mountains south of Kyoto. The Shikoku Pilgrimage, meanwhile, circumnavigates the smallest of Japan’s islands on its 1,200km route, which connects 88 official and 20 unofficial temples, all linked to Kobo Daishi, founder of Shingon Buddhism. Pilgrims traditionally walk in white clothing, carrying a staff and wearing conical hats. And then is the Nakasendo Trail, where you’ll follow in the footsteps of merchants, samurai and emperors on the historic road from Kyoto to Edo (Tokyo).

Lesser-known and far less busy than the Camino de Santiago, with which it connects in France, the Via Francigena is an ancient route spanning 1,900km as it makes its way from Canterbury Cathedral in England to Rome via France and Switzerland. The Tuscany section is one of the most famous, offering rural panoramas that most visitors here never see. In Portugal, our pilgrimage walks holidays make the journey to the Sanctuary of Fatima, taking the beautiful Carmelita Route. Then there is England, which is criss-crossed by many historic pilgrimage routes and some newer ones too, such as Saint Cuthbert’s Way, which traces the life of the 7th-century monk through some truly lovely countryside.