We're all going on a summer pilgrimage: there is still a lot of camaraderie on the road to Santiago de Compostela, John Laughland discovers, but serious Christianity is being replaced by New Age 'self-discovery'.

Publication: Spectator

Publication Date: 28-AUG-04

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COPYRIGHT 2004 The Spectator Ltd. (UK)

As we crossed over the escarpment at the Mount of Joy--traditionally the place where pilgrims caught their first glimpse of the spires of the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, but now a grim and dirty picnic spot with a hideous modern monument to a recent visit by the Pope, a kiosk selling soft drinks, and no view because the cathedral has been obscured by suburbs and trees--our eyes winced in the late afternoon sun, which hung directly in front of us. To the left, the heavens were black with the storm clouds that had soaked us throughout the morning; to the right, the brilliant blue sky had been washed bluer by the day's rain. Whether this dramatic bisection of the firmament reminded other pilgrims too of Last Judgments with heaven on one side and hell on the other, I don't know; but there can be few more dramatic or moving experiences than arriving at your destination, in my case after walking for 16 days and 300 miles, as the sun is setting in...

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