My First Pilgrimage: the North East Section of the Camino de Santiago
The north east leg of the Camino de Santiago starts at Finchale Priory just north of Durham and finishes at the ancient Anglo-Saxon church - one of the oldest in the Britain - in the village of Escomb. The route is roughly 22 miles long and takes in several pilgrim places, such as the church and priory mentioned above and the highlight: the Majestic Durham Cathedral (a UNESCO world heritage site). The terrain meanders through woodland, riverside, meadows and occasionally, housing estates. I am not going to provide a detailed route here. Instead I will provide a general outline along with some information on some of the key spots along the way. I walked the Camino with my friend Alex during the summer, when the lockdown restrictions had eased. It was my first one-day "long distance" walk and my first Pilgrimage Trail (it gets a brief mention in The Pilgrimage Trust's 2020 Britain's Pilgrimage Places ). It was a great experience. Never before have I walked such a distan