EVERY year about 150,000 people arrive in the large square outside the Cathedral of St James in the Spanish city of Santiago de Compostela.

They have all walked at least 100km to reach this place and gaze in awe at the elaborately carved façade of one of the most famous pilgrimage sites in Europe.

It is here that the shrine of St James is situated, and after visiting the tired walkers will climb a small wooden staircase at the back of the cathedral to show their pilgrim’s passport, covered in stamps from hostels and town halls along the route and register their name, country of birth and reason for travel with the Cathedral authorities, who will then present them with a certificate or ‘Compostela’.

These pilgrims are following in the footsteps of many hundreds of thousands of people who for over a thousand years have walked many miles, facing all sorts of dangers, in order to visit shrines and holy places.

The reasons for these visits have varied over time. Many pilgrims would be seeking healing, either for themselves or those they loved, and would struggle bravely to overcome the difficulties of travelling through strange countries, along lonely paths often beset by wild animals or bands of thieves.

Others would make the journey as a penance for crimes committed, knowing that they could not be arrested whilst en-route to a pilgrimage site.

Today there are not so many walkers seeking forgiveness or healing as there are pilgrims hoping that a period of time away from the cares and distractions of everyday life will provide an opportunity to reflect on the direction their lives are taking.

For those who do not have the time or stamina for such an arduous journey the experience of pilgrimage is still accessible.

The English countryside is criss-crossed with hundreds of pilgrim paths, worn bare by the feet of centuries of walkers who made their way along familiar tracks to small places of worship.

The Thames Pilgrim Way is a gift from the Diocese of Oxford to the people of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire.

It takes a well trodden, easy route and seeks to add a spiritual dimension — an opportunity to think beyond the daily troubles of our lives, outside the normal restrictions, and honour the infinite, in whatever form we experience it. It can be walked over many days together, or one day at a time.

For Christians, there is always the reminder that as we proceed on our journey through this earthly life, our destination is the life beyond.

And as we make our way, however slowly and with much stumbling, so we approach the pilgrim who comes towards us from the opposite direction.

As we do this we remember the pilgrim who comes towards us from the opposite direction. In Jesus Christ God comes in search of us.

It is he, who spoke of himself as the way, the truth, and the life.

It is he who guides us on our pilgrim way and it is he who will meet us and take us in his arm as we reach the end of our journey here on earth.

We saw some stunningly beautiful churches, positioned high on the hills, their walls covered with careful frescoes; painted expressions of people’s beliefs, hopes and fears. We met some terrifyingly fierce dogs and discovered that the small ones can be just as vicious as the bigger varieties.

We learnt something of the value of carrying out a difficult task to completion.

Walking six or seven hours a day with a fully loaded pack (or baby), sometimes in the driving rain, sometimes in the heat of the sun we all had moments when it seemed as if we could not continue.

But all these we could have experienced as tourists.

As pilgrims we learnt the value of lengthy periods of steady walking as a background to thought, reflection and space to contemplate the future.

But most importantly we stopped at the small chapels that are dotted through the hills of Umbria.

Simple shelters, basically decorated but always with fresh flowers and a lit candle at the altar, these chapels offered a place to rest, a chance to be still, an opportunity for refreshment and a chance to catch a glimpse of eternity — surely a worthy goal to aim for.