Medieval pilgrim's gear

Le Puy – Conques, Les Faux to Aumont Aubrac

This was the fourth day of walking and we knew that tomorrow was a rest day. The walking had been challenging but not too tiring.
A grateful pilgrim appreciates a good rest when it presents itself or is planned for.

We left the efficient and pleasant Hotel L’Oustal de Parent and rejoined the GR 65 at Le Rouget. The day was overcast and somewhat chilly. The path followed an open ridge and made its way to St. Alban sur Limagnole, the largest town in the area.

The GR 65 entered St. Alban through the grounds of a psychiatric ward which also housed an interesting tourist office. One of the tourist exhibits was a dummy dressed in medieval pilgrim’s clothes, a scallop shell, a ponderous cloak and a heavy leather bag.

I want to tell you a little about the medieval pilgrim’s gear and their motivations for making these arduous journeys.

In those days one important religious act available to both medieval men and women was to undertake a pilgrimage.
 
So over the next centuries many hundreds of thousands of pilgrims made their way through France to the three major holy sites in Christendom, Jerusalem, Rome and Santiago de Compostela. The journey to Santiago de Compostela guaranteed halving the pilgrim’s time in purgatory.

On the way to Santiago, pilgrims stopped at monasteries and abbeys, especially those which housed holy relics known across Christendom for their miraculous cures.
 
Pilgrims made donations for the upkeep of the relics and this became a major source of income for the religious orders. The most powerful relics were those associated with Christ and His apostles.

Paying homage to relics and minimizing time in Purgatory were not the only motivations for pilgrimage. The monastic order of Cluny elevated the importance of the pilgrimage. This pilgrimage was a journey to a new Christian self.

During the eleventh century writers compared the pilgrim’s journey to that of Abraham’s from Ur to the Promised Land, or to the exodus of the Hebrews from Egypt.

Throughout history, from all over Europe, pilgrims have walked to the saint’s tomb at Santiago de Compostela, passing by and stopping at shrines along the way.

To prove that he had visited the holy places the pilgrim would bring back various “souvenirs” – small medallions with symbols of the holy site.

It was important for the pilgrim not to tarry too long on the journey because if he had not returned one year and one day after his stipulated time, his property was transferred to his heirs.

His local bishop would issue him with pilgrim’s clothes, consisting of a long dark dress of plain material, a leather bag to be hung at the waist for food and money, a stout stick with a metal point and a wide-brimmed hat to prevent sunburn.

The staff represented Faith, the dress, Hope and the bag, Charity.

We decided to have lunch here as coffee and fresh bread were available. Then headed back on the path into the woods.

We still had some way to go before reaching our night’s accommodation.

Sometimes – even plastic – when it rains!

PONFERRADA, CAMINO, SPAIN:

.We left the hotel, walked past the Ayunamento, over the bridge and out through the suburbs of Ponferrada, the first of which was Compostilla, a lovely area with neatly spaced house blocks with large luxury houses. We passed a modern neo-Romanesque church with a statue of the Virgin and Child sitting on a rock in front. The modern frescoes on the verandah walls were fascinating.

We reached Camponaraya, a town with a seemingly endless main road. At the end of town is the Co-operativa Vinas del Bierzo, evidence of the area’s large wine industry. Further on more vineyards with branches draped on the ground. It must make picking the grapes difficult.

Then to Cacabellos. At the far end of town next to the bridge over the Rio Cua was an antique wooden olive press. On the opposite bank was the Santuario de la Quinta Angustia, the church which had an unusual altar showing the baby Jesus playing cards with San Antonio de Padua. Darn, it was closed.

Wet day. Slushy paths. By now, we were all thankful and pleased that we had the right wet weather gear. It had rained almost every day, and sometimes for more than an hour at a time.

So what did we wear? Firstly no cotton clothing, as it holds moisture (perspiration) and takes a long time to dry. The principle of layered clothing: close to the skin – a T shirt or shirt, mostly synthetic, can have a little wool or cotton for smoothness; shorts or travel trousers. Layer two can be a vest or shirt. Then an outer shell jacket made from a breathable material such as Goretex. Same for the overpants. Also a broad brimmed goretex hat for the sun and the rain.It all worked well.

After reaching Pieros, the map showed an alternative path via Valtuille de Arriba, but we decided to stick to the shorter main path. A particularly muddy road ahead. Our walk today brought us to the foot of a mountain range. When we finally approached Villafranca del Bierzo, the sun re-appeared causing mists to rise from the damp earth after the earlier rains. It was a magical moment.

We made our way past the municipal refugio to the Church of Santiago and its Puerta del Perdon. This was the second Door of Forgiveness on the Camino. There would be no more of these ‘Doors of Forgiveness’ until we reached Santiago.

We took our photos here, and viewed the sparse interior of the church. It was fortunate that we finished our business here first, as our hotel was all the way downhill at the other end of town. No-one apart from Nenad was likely to venture out sight-seeing once we had collapsed into the shelter of our hotel rooms.

We passed the Castillo de los Marqueses de Villafranca and followed the Calle Agua all the way down to the bridge over the River Burbia and into Casa Mendez.

We had walked another day towards Compostela.

Good friends in Obradoiro Plaza Santiago

Well, they have been such good friends along with my feet.

Notre Dame at Le Puy

Le Puy, France ON the GR65: – The next day we had a lot to do. Waking early we left the hotel in the dark to attend the 7.00 am service which would include a pilgrims’ blessing. I felt a sense of adventure as we walked up Mount Corneille and into the centre of old Le Puy looking for the Cathedral of Notre Dame.

Walking along the dark streets with occasional lights illuminating cobble-stoned streets and the windows of closed shops we eventually found an entrance into the Cathedral and sat down. People, most of them pilgrims, arrived and sat in the pews. I could see the Black Madonna of Le Puy above the altar.

Early spring near Richmond, UK

Coast to Coast Walk – REETH to RICHMOND: The wind always seemed to blow in our faces. Still, mustn’t grumble. And anyway, who could really complain? Walking across open fields, exercising a thousand muscles; breathing in fresh spring air laden with a hint of farmyard aroma, and generally just being in the countryside, was the stuff to bring a glowing ruddiness to one’s cheeks.

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We crossed the old bridge in Marske and noticed the ancient church of St Edmund just above us. A few strides further on we found ourselves back in the fields, crossing more stiles, on the track down to Clapgate Beck.

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From there it was a stiff climb up to Applegarth Scar. We skirted the base of neighbouring Whitcliffe Scar and continued along the track.

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I had to stop to retie my boots while Carol continued. The coldness of the day was remarkable. Many trees were quite bare; magnificent skeletal structures of branches silhouetted against a pale grey sky, a stark reminder of winter’s lingering departure.

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I continued on to a gate, which permitted access to Whitcliffe Wood and noticed two rather sorry looking walkers massaging their feet.
“Looks nasty” I prompted them.
“ It’s my blisters,” replied the one who was applying Band-Aids to his damaged feet.

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They had started their walk from Robin Hood’s Bay and had been camping and sleeping in barns. The one who was repairing his blistered feet explained
their condition.
“I bought these 1000 mile socks for the walk, because the makers pro m i s e d that if you got blisters they would refund your money. So I’m sending them back.”
Not much consolation at the moment, I thought.

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I recommend that walkers wear an inner liner pair of wicking sox, and wear a heavier sock on top of that. The wicking sox “wick” the foot’s perspiration away from the foot and leave it in the outer sock. This minimises the possibilities of blisters and makes your walking experience that much more enjoyable.

Remember two pairs, not one. Every night wash the wicking sox to keep them clean. The outer sox can be washed every second night.

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We wished each other well and I continued on into the woods. The road was wide and muddy, and I climbed to another gate where the woods ended abruptly. The vista opened out and I caught up with Carol. From this high vantage point, Richmond lay spread out below us with the magnificent keep of its castle visible in the distance.

Via Francigena pilgrims - on horses!

The next morning we left via Rue de Gare and walked to the railway station and through the underpass making our way to Route D’Evian which led to a combined cycle – walking path along the Rhone River. Although the path was flat, it was asphalted so we tried to keep to the grassy verges as much as possible.

The problem with walking on asphalt or concrete surfaces was that the same set of muscles were exercised, sometimes causing sore feet or legs. When walking longer distances, irregular surfaces made for better walking.

Mud and Rain in the UK

Well, you just knew that it would rain.

After all, here we were on Offa’s Dyke in the middle of Autumn approaching a stile (gate in a fence) – and there are around 700 stiles to get over or through on this walk.

The capricious showers don’t last very long, just long enough for you to put your wet weather gear on (after a 5 minute period) and then 5 minutes later they stop.

However, without the rain gear you would get thoroughly soaked. We found the best sort of rain jacket – also called an Outer Shell, is one that fits comfortably over you while you’re wearing your fleece jacket. Also make sure you get a jacket that has good Breathability. If you don’t – your perspiration will stay inside your jacket and you’ll get as wet as it is outside.

The same applies to waterproof overtrousers. If you don’t want the water to soak into your shorts or trousers, get yourself a pair of these. Make sure they have the same breathability as your jacket otherwise – your legs will get as wet as it is outside.

What about your T-shirt or First Layer clothing? For this sort of walking (especially when it rains) we are forbidding you to wear cotton during the day. Because once that cotton garment gets wet, then it’s really difficult to get dried.

Back to the walk. At this particularly muddy patch near the stile, we gloried in the mud, helped each other over the stile and continued on the track. 10 minutes later the rain stopped. We took our rain gear off and found a dry place to have some lunch.

pilgrims on the Road to Santiago

What sort of boots or shoes should I walk in? What’s the best sort of rain gear for the Cotswold Way? Do I need walking poles for the Camino? We will help to answer your gear questions in this Walking Gear section.

The best place to start is with walking shoes or boots. There are three types of footwear for walking holidays – walking shoes, mid-cut walking boots and full cut walking boots. Everyone will find that one of these types is best suited to their walking style.

It is important to get your footwear sorted out first. That includes your socks. We recommend a thin pair of inner socks to “wick” away the foot’s perspiration into the thicker outer socks. Have you tried two pairs of socks?

The best way to get the right boots is to buy the socks first, inner socks and outer socks. Then with these you can start trying on boots at your walking gear outfitter. They should have staff who can measure both your feet and then select an appropriate boot for you. Your boots should feel comfortable before you leave the shop. Due to advances in footwear technology and materials, the old approach of walking or breaking in your boots is no longer conventional wisdom. At the end of the exercise you should be able to answer the question – which boots are best for me?