Rtn John Scammell: The road to Santiago

For our last meeting of 2019, member John Scammell spoke to us about the pilgrimage he and his wife took this year on the Camino de Santiago (“The Way of St James”), the walk to the shrine of St James the Great in the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia in North West Spain. St James the Great is Spain’s patron saint.

According to legend, after St James’s death two of his followers brought his body to Spain in a boat, guided by angels. The shrine began in the ninth century when a Galician farmer discovered the body in one of his fields. The discovery, of course, brought many pilgrims to the area, leading to prosperity.

By the twelfth century the pilgrimage to Santiago had become very popular, reaching about 250,000 a year. By the twentieth century this had decreased considerably. In 1985 there were just 1,245 pilgrims to the shrine. A local priest decided to increase the numbers coming, in particular by making sure the ways were well signposted. His efforts were incredibly successful, numbers reaching 327,000 in this century.

John and Pam started the walk at St Jean de Pied Port in France, meaning they had just under 500 miles to walk. At St Jean de Pied Port they collected their “Camino passports”, which were stamped at various places along the route. John brought his to the meeting.

One of the things John did not mention in his talk is that the route from St Jean de Pied Port is reputed to be the hardest, going over the Pyrenees. Both John and Pam managed to get everything they needed for the five-week journey in a single backpack each, apart from the water they carried separately.

As you would expect, there were many others making the pilgrimage even though it was not the most popular time of year. John and Pam made good friends along the way, some of whom they are still in contact with. Sometimes they would walk with others for some of the route, then part ways only to meet again later. A Rotarian from the Rotary Club of Festival City in Stratford, Ontario, spotted John’s Rotary Club of Chelmsford T-shirt and greeted him enthusiastically; you can see the two of them in the photograph.

People were making the pilgrimage for a variety of reasons. There were people of many faiths and none, including some Buddhists John and Pam encountered. There were a number of South Korean students walking the route as part of their university education.

John himself was making the pilgrimage to raise funds for Bloodwise in memory of his sister Yvonne, who died of leukaemia. A German he met on the route asked John why he was making the pilgrimage. When John told him, he told John he was doing it in memory of his daughter, who had committed suicide two months earlier. At that point they just looked at one another and then hugged each other with tears welling in their eyes.

John had a handbook to the Camino, giving details and phone numbers for the various place of accommodation along the route. It was always necessary to phone ahead to book, preferably before 1 o’clock. This was difficult in those areas without a phone signal! Accommodation was always in bunk beds. The washing facilities varied in quality from luxurious to primitive but the meals were good and fairly standard.

John said the highlight was the arrival at the end of the journey, although he was disappointed that there was no one to greet them and say “Well done!” Because of the number of pilgrims, John and Pam had to queue for six hours to collect their “Compostelas”, the certificates issued (in Latin) to mark the successful completion of their pilgrimage.

John said he was definitely changed by the experience. If you would like to support John by donating to Bloodwise in recognition of his achievement, please visit his Justgiving page: https://justgiving.com/fundraising/john-scammell.