A pilgrim journey has been part of the practice of many religions from ancient times. For the Catholics of Western Europe there were long and hazardous routes to Jerusalem, Rome and Compostela. There were always local options, such as to Canterbury or Walsingham for the English. The Reformation and the enduring fear and persecution of Catholics destroyed it, but the publication of Hilaire Belloc’s The Path to Rome in 1902 may have marked a renaissance. If so, it was slow to grow and a wider return to pilgrimage did not come until later – particularly after the Second World War.