The Road to Santiago

by Walter Starkie

'A cross between a leprechaun and a miniature Flastaff, he writes charmingly, learnedly and diffusely', taking the reader -- as only an Irishman can -- on a will-o'-the wisp journey, absorbing on his way the history of the great shrine, and of how the cult of the saint arose, and also the folklore attached to pilgrims and the pilgrim roads. Walter Starkie has written the original classic book of the pilgrimage of St James, which is still the benchmark. The Road to Santiago is an enjoyable voyage through the places, peoples and history of northern Spain, as seen through the eyes of a great story-teller.

Genres: Travel

352 pages, Paperback

First published August 7, 2003

Reviews

[Neil Mach]

I was lucky to do the road to Santiago this year (the Spanish way) but read this authoritative book when I got back to Blighty. The writing is exemplary, research thorough and the storytelling magical, but Starkie reveals a nasty side sometimes... In fact his fixed opinions and intolerance made it difficult to tolerate at times... still, this is considered the best of the Pilgrims books and it's easy to see why. We all do our journey in a different way so everyman is entitled to his/her thoughts and opinions...

[John Seegers]

Walter Starkie walked the Camino de Santiago in 1954. This book was published in 1957. It is a very different take on the pilgrimage than what we know today. No yellow arrows or scallop shell markers. No albergues or hostels offered to weary pilgrims. You can tell from reading the book that Starkie is an old friend of the Camino and meets many of his old Camino friends on his pilgrimage. On occasion, he took a bus or a ride. This might upset the purist who believes that the entire trip to Santiago should be on foot. He tells about many myths along the Way of Saint James. He sidetracks off the path to visit Cathedrals and churches, explaining their significance, myths, and history.

[Doug Gibby]

Very interesting background for those planning to hike the Camino de Santiago.

[Simon]

Superb - this is the book to read for anyone even contemplating walking the Camino de Santiago, the medieval route from Southern France to Santiago de Compostella in Spain, a trek of over 1000 Km.
Starkie's writing is always remarkable, and in this book he takes us on his own personal pilgrimage, and makes one feel a part of it, his style is factual, conversational and inspiring. The tale unfolds a world that one wants to be a part of, and regret that some the parts have now been swallowed up and consigned to the annals of history.

***The Camino de Santiago exists to this day, and becomes ever more popular year-on-year, for further info http://www.csj.org.uk/ ***

[Graham Tennyson]

For me, this is the definitive 'Santiago pilgrimage' book. Starkie traveled the road over a number of years and has written a great book about his journeys. It is romantic, funny, scholarly and profound. This book is mostly focused on his 1954 (final) pilgrimage - I walked the route fifty years later. This is an account that I return to on a regular basis.