St Frideswide's Way is a forty-mile pilgrim route from Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford to Reading Abbey. It maps closely the route of the Thames Path, making navigation simple and the route mostly level. In addition, St Frideswide's Way is one of the routes in the UK which forms part of the Camino Ingles, leading from A Coruña to Santiago de Compostela in Spain. 25km (15.5) miles walked along St Frideswide's Way, with accredited stamps in the 'credencial' or pilgrim passport, can be added to the 75 km Spanish route to qualify the pilgrim for the coveted 'Compostela' - evidence of completion of one of the most famous pilgrim journeys in the world.
At Reading the St Frideswide’s Way connects with the
St James' Way, another Camino Inglés pilgrim route, which continues a pilgrim’s journey to Santiago de Compostela along Roman roads through the ancient capital city of England, Winchester, and the port of Southampton.
This Companion provides the walker with an extra layer of information and material for reflection alongside simple route directions. It offers brief introductions to churches along the Way, short liturgies for beginnings and endings, and is a rich source of information on the practice of pilgrimage and the saints who were local to or influential upon the towns and villages along the route.