The shrine of St.James at Compostela in Galicia was, after Jerusalem and Rome, the most important pilgrim destination of the middle ages. Routes still exist, and are followed, from many points in Europe.

The 'Camino Francés', or French route, is waymarked for over 500 miles across northern Spain, and has been for a thousand years. So, while it is certainly not the world's longest footpath, and arguably not always the most beautiful, it has no equal for cultural richness and historical associations. For centuries, just a few miles to the south, ran the frontier between Christianity and Islam.
Pilgrims today carry a special passport or credencial which is stamped along the way, in order to qualify for their Compostela at the shrine.

For anyone wishing to know more about the Camino, there are many books and websites, including that of The Confraternity of St. James, the English organization which publishes a quarterly bulletin and provides credencials for members. I recommend Alison Raju's 'The Way of St. James' (Cicerone Press) as a comprehensive but portable guide; I still consult my now dog-eared and heavily annotated copy.

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