In 2024, 500,000 people made the pilgrimage to the cathedral at Santiago de Compostela in Galicia, northern Spain. To get there, they took one of a number of paths that spiderweb from starting points in France, Portugal and Spain. The route is no mean feat, and yet the number of people making these epic journeys is increasing. So what’s behind this trend? Are we becoming a more religious society, or is the appeal of a physical and mental challenge in a new landscape simply too good to resist?
“Hiking and, in particular, pilgrimage holidays, are sought after because people are looking for ways to switch off digitally,” says Yana Tudzharova, CEO at The Natural Adventure, a company founded in 2009 that offers over 700 self-guided walking holidays in 50 countries. “The pandemic had a big impact, as people had time to get out into nature; craved it even. And once they discovered the walking bug, they didn’t look back.”
If you’re considering taking on the challenge, here are 10 of the best hiking and pilgrimage trails to consider across the UK and Europe, each with a suggested tour operator to book with.
Best UK pilgrimage routes
Beginning at St Germans Priory near Saltash and ending at St Michael’s Mount, a tidal island near Penzance, this 125-mile trail takes in the best of Cornwall’s rugged north and pretty harbour towns of the south, as well as some of its lush interior. Don’t miss a dip at Prussia Cove near the finish point as a reward. Like many pilgrimage routes, the trail features a passport system that, when purchased, gives you access to accommodation in the form of churches and sanctuaries.
How to do it: buy the Celtic Way Passport for £7 and organise your luggage transfers through luggagetransfers.co.uk
This not-too-challenging 100km route follows the path of the 7th-century Saint Cuthbert, and traverses the rolling Northumberland hills, salt-licked coastline and Scottish borders. St Cuthbert was known as the healing saint, and this walk with its life-affirming vistas is certainly a salve to everyday stresses. The finishing point is Holy Island, home to the ruins of Lindisfarne priory and castle. In dramatic fashion, the diminutive island is accessible only at low tide, via a causeway revealed by the retreating waves.
How to do it: Absolute Escapes offers the ‘St. Cuthbert’s Way’ 5-8 day tour including accommodation, daily breakfast and luggage transfers from £705 per person.
In The Canterbury Tales, Chaucer’s pilgrims paved a route through the Kent Downs – an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty known as the Garden of England. Today, you’ll witness many of the same sights described in the famous literary work – castles, woods, beacons and market towns galore. Canterbury Cathedral marks the impressive end point.
How to do it: Natural Adventure offers the 6 day self-guided itinerary including accommodation, breakfast on five of the days and luggage transfers from £2,190.
Best European pilgrimage routes
Hiking over bogland and battered coastline in this famously beautiful part of County Kerry was just the starting point for the Irish pilgrims who walked this route back in the Middle Ages. After setting foot in St James’ church at Dingle, they would then head over to Spain to complete their pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela. Today the Kerry Camino offers walkers welcoming pubs and some of the best coastal views in all of the British isles.
How to do it: Macs Adventures offers the 10-night circular self-guided tour including B&B accommodation from £999.
The most popular route of the Camino de Santiago is the Camino Francés, a nearly 500-mile romp beginning in St Jean-Pied-du-Port on the France-Spain border, though this takes around a month to complete. If you’ve only got 10 days to spare, The Camino Portugues takes in sedate rivers, picturesque vineyards and charming villages.
How to do it: Inntravel offers the 10 day Camino Portuguese tour including a river boat section, accommodation, daily breakfast and dinner on five of the days from £1,360.
Landlocked Umbria is known as Italy’s green heart and is home to the pilgrimage site of Assisi, where Saint Francis marched to during his years of self-enforced poverty. Francis stomped through some pretty terrific unspoilt scenery, much of which is what you’ll see today, from the rolling ancient olive groves to Medieval hilltop towns. Begin either at the mountain-perched Franciscan sanctuary of La Verna in the Tuscan Apennines (189 km), or Rome (247 km). Be sure to obtain your credential document two weeks before departure.
How to do it: UTracks offers the 8 day ‘Rieti to Rome’ self-guided package including accommodation with daily breakfast and dinner on two nights, luggage transfers and airport transfers from £970 per person.
Greece’s highest peak is thought to be the home of the Olympian gods and archeological evidence suggests people were trekking to the summit since 400 BC. Along the hike, which is relatively gentle until you start to summit, you’ll find Enipeas Gorge, home to a monastery dedicated to the saint Agios Dionysios, and nearby you’ll find the hermit’s cave, with its beautiful white-painted chapel built into the rocks.
How to do it: G Adventures offers the 7 day self-guided ‘Hiking Northern Greece’ trip, which visits the amazing mountain monasteries of Meteora, as well as Mount Olympus and includes accommodation, daily breakfast, two dinners and transfers from £1,104.
Named for Olav Haraldsson, the Viking king who introduced Christinanity to Norway, this walk skips through the Finnish Archipelago’s 20,000 islands, via fairytale harbours and forests where remote churches and traditional red-painted cabins perch on rocky shores, before travelling on to Sweden and Norway, where Olav’s tomb resides in the Fjordic city of Trondheim. To make the most of the enchanting Finnish islands, the 14-day Nordic trail from Turku to Åland is linked by regular ferries and must be the only trail in the world that boasts sea views and saunas on an almost daily basis.
How to do it: Nordic Pilgrim offers a 15-night package including accommodation, luggage transfer, ferries and meals from £2,877.
For many, a hike through the impossibly dramatic Italian Dolomites is a pilgrimage, albeit not religiously linked. Hikes are challenging and typically trail among the jagged peaks, glacial lakes and Tyrolean villages, gazing at scenery almost too beautiful to be real. The three peaks hike is the most famous of all the Dolomites hikes.
How to do it: Exodus offers the 8 day ‘Classic Dolomites’ self-guided itinerary including accommodation at a spa hotel and daily breakfast, five lunches and five dinners and transfers from £2,149.
Starting at the Mediterranean shore and ending at the impressive Prostanna ruins, one of the best preserved ancient cities in Turkey (including Roman baths, library, a theatre and mansion), this 500 km trail takes in the Taurus Mountains, rivers, swimming lakes, canyons, oak and juniper forests and mountain peaks. You’ll stay at traditional pensions along the way, eating local dinners with your hosts.
How to do it: Ramble Worldwide offers the 8 day guided tour including return flights to Antalya, transfers and full-board accommodation from £1,799.
