From our friend Alastair Thompson (Scoop Independent News co-editor)

In the month of May this year my wife Wendy and I went on a pilgrimage across Northern Spain, walking 810kms from the village of St Jean Pied de Port (France) to the city of Santiago Compostella(Spain) – the legendary final resting place of St James. According to legend St James – the beloved disciple of Jesus of Nazareth and brother of the apostle John – traveled to Santiago, possibly with with Mary mother of Jesus, in the 1st century CE and evangelised the natives of Galicia.

James the apostle returned to Jerusalem and was martyred by Agrippa. According to the legend his remains were returned to Santiago Compostella in a stone boat. They were later found by a Shepherd who saw a bright light in a field of stars (Compostella) and are now thought to be buried in the crypt beneath the Santiago Cathedral which is the end point of the pilgrimage. The following is a series of emails sent to our families during the course of our 32 day walk. It is accompanied by images taken on the Camino – which translates as “the way”.

Part 1 continued >>>

See Part 2 here >>>