Where would you go?
I’ve done the Camino to Santiago and I’ve always wanted to go to Rome (the Via Francigena). I’d been vaguely thinking next year would be good because it’s the 900th anniversary of the Priory of the Hospital of Saint Bartholomew, which is said to have been founded by Rahere, reputedly the jester of Henry I. He went to Rome and had a vision of Saint Bartholomew. So I thought that would be a wonderful opportunity to follow in his footsteps.
Would you make any special stops?
It’s a fabulous route – there are so many great stops along the way. There is Reims, you go through Switzerland up over the Alps, which I’ve never done, you go through Siena. There would be a whole host of places! What I found doing the Camino in Spain was that you feel quite proprietorial towards sites on the route because of the path that you’re taking. You feel a sense of affinity to these landmarks that are links back to all the people who have taken the pilgrimage before you – it’s incredibly moving and powerful.
