But who are they, this ever-increasing number of walkers who cover kilometers every day on the paths of Compostela, the most legendary hiking routes? In 2019, the “record” was broken: 347,578 people were counted at the Santiago de Compostela Pilgrims Office in Galicia (Spain). It marked the peak of uninterrupted growth since the 1990s. Imagine, in 1988 there were only 3,501 people, sometimes lost in the open, along a much less marked route than today… before Covid 19, it went up again in 2021; at least 176,868 Jacquets returned to the trails.
This restoration appears to have been confirmed in 2022, the “bonus” year of St. James, which was extended by twelve months by Pope Francis due to the pandemic. This event occurs thirteen to fifteen times a century when Saint-Jacques, July 25, falls on a Sunday, as in 2021. So it doesn’t matter if it’s Monday this July, 2022, there’s still a chance to reset the counters. zero According to Church law, if you walk to the tomb of Saint James the Great, you will receive full forgiveness of your sins.
Desire for nature and solitude, Marie-Béranger (age 48)
According to the results of a study conducted by the Agence française des chemins de Compostelle*(1) in 2021, 54% of pilgrims are women. Marie-Beranger, a 48-year-old Parisian gallery owner, is a prime example. He returned in late June 2022 from his penultimate stage, the Camino Frances, the Spanish section between the Pyrenees and Santiago de Compostela. For ten days he crossed the Meseta, this austere grain plain between Burgos and Astorga, in Castile and León, known as the most monotonous part of the route. “Infinite plateau conducive to introspection”, corrects one who advanced at a speed of 25 kilometers per day. Marie-Béranger set out in 2016 from Le Puy-en-Villa in Haute-Loire out of a desire for nature and a bubble of solitude. “The priest at the initiation liturgy warned us that on the path of life we will encounter periods of joy and suffering, as well as more or less bucolic landscapes…”. Meetings again punctuated this sixth division. “In particular, he was a former heroin addict in a rehabilitation center. This 30-year-old marathon runner had injured her leg and we were all cheering her on.”, He says. All social barriers are erased along the way. “I remember an incredible dinner with Jesuits in civilian clothes and rather rustic Belgian women who didn’t speak a language. ». The pilgrim is heading to Arles for ten days this mid-July with his 12-year-old son Antoine, eager to experience the same adventure. This will be the third edition of this mother-son ritual. Next summer, Marie-Béranger will carry her pilgrims’ baton alone on the Camino France for its final leg to Santiago de Compostela. “It looks amazingly beautiful”he is already happy.
“We learn to master time”, Gilles (age 70)
Retired people represent one in two pilgrims, and “senior managers – liberal professions” – 37% of walkers*(1). Gilles, 70 and living in Morbihan Bay (56), ticks both boxes. “I have been telling myself for several years that when I have time, I will do the road to Santiago de Compostela.” he explains. When it was time to retire, three friends suggested that he carry out this project together in several stages. Leaving Puy-en-Vella in 2016, the small group arrived safely in mid-June 2022. “Sports performance was an important factor for two of my friends. Me, it was a bit religious. I wanted to thank my family life, my husband, father and grandfather. I was also drawn to the intellectual side, meditation. Along the way, we learn to manage time and distinguish between what is important and what is not. »
“Emergency to change life”, Julien, 40 years old
Julien, 40, completed the journey in one step in 2019, 1,300 kilometers in seven weeks from Figeac. And he compiled a book about it, Compost Therapy (Larus, €16.95, 2021). “I multiplied the fleeting evenings and weekends in Ibiza to escape the inner malaise.”confides the former head of press relations for Club Med, Vuitton and Veolia, now a therapist. “Suddenly I felt an urgency to change my life. I was looking for a way to regain momentum. » To search for meaning, he chooses a book at random from his library, From some point of view by Françoise Sagan and finds a card from her mother, who died a few years ago, written in Kayark, Lot; “I came back with this, which was written on the front of a house. if you can’t think, walk. if you think too much, walk; if you think wrong, walk again*(2). This road is calling you, my love. » Compostel will represent a healing journey for Julien, during which he needs to lighten up to become more fruitful and inspired again. The first three weeks will be the most painful, “like physical and mental contamination.” Especially since this novice hiker injured his knee from the very first day. “And one morning you wake up and you feel lighter”, he observes. Leaving with a thirteen-kilogram bag, he got rid of the computer at the post office in Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port in the Pyrenees. “In this connected world, our lives are full of non-essentials. Meetings prove to be more invigorating and rejuvenating than social media, strong in the values of solidarity and listening.”.
“My most beautiful journey”, Charles, 32 years old
32-year-old Charles, a real estate agent in Vannes, Morbihan, escapes every summer from backpacks to the ends of the earth, on the Silk Road, South America, Siberia… “The road to Santiago de Compostela represents my most beautiful journey, turned on itself. I discovered long distance walking, awareness of your body to wash your soul, a spirituality I didn’t expect.” he analyzes. She arrived in Saint-Jacques on June 11 at the end of a two-legged journey, departing from Puy-en-Villais in 2020 for the French leg, with her younger sister Audie, 17. In 2022, he went around the Spanish part at a speed of about thirty kilometers a day. Aude, now a medical student at Brest, was only able to accompany him as far as Burgos; he will then continue alone.
The loneliness was not heavy with the absence of the younger sister. Charles dined at the “albergue” in the company of South Koreans, young Americans, Australians… On the menu: croquette, essalada mixta and… wine, “ he does not die of thirst with shooters in all taverns. » A pilgrim caught Covid 19 in Leon. He waited for the fever to pass. “in a hotel and no longer in a hostel, a big blow to the budget.”. Then he began to climb again, with his share of simple joys, like the beautiful light of early morning on a field, the wind that turns the wheat from green to gold. “I needed a break to break away from this fast-paced society, and I came back quietly. It’s a great inner reset. »
Practical information
More information from the French Compostelle Roads Agency (chemins-compostelle.com), 4 rue Clémence Isaure, 31000 Toulouse, Tel. 05 62 27 00 05, info. : accueil@chemins-compostelle.com.
The “Bible” of travel. Miam Miam Dodo Guide, €10 to €49, Editions du Vieux Crayon. Also downloaded: levieuxcrayon.com
*(1) Survey conducted between May and November 2021 through questionnaires distributed online or in the field at around 500 locations spread across the Caminos de Compostela in France. Of the 3640 testimonies collected, 3565 were kept for examination.
*(2) Quotation from Jean Ginot.
Source: Le Figaro
