The Augustine Camino is one of four long distance pilgrimage routes that are centred on Canterbury. This is similar to Santiago de Compostela in Spain where there are six major routes heading to the Shrine of St James from different directions. The most famous of these is the French Way, which most people start at the Pyrenean town of St Jean Pied de Port. The others include the Portuguese Way, the Northern Way and the English Way. This last one, which starts at La Coruna on the northern Galician coast, is too short to qualify for a Compostela (certificate of completion). Therefore, many people choosing it make up the distance in their home countries before heading to Spain. The Augustine Camino is officially recognised by the authorities in Spain so that pilgrim stamps collected in Kent, count towards your Compostela in Santiago.

The four Canterbury Caminos offer a variety of length and experience. The longest, by far, is the Via Francigena which wends its way over 1000 miles to Rome. The shortest is the Augustine Camino, which at 105 km (65 miles) is just over the minimum length required for a Compostela in Santiago and also happens to be roughly the length from Nazareth to Jerusalem (which may be where the rule originally came from). It offers a broad range of pilgrimage experience from Catholic shrines and monasteries to the simpler Anglican spirituality, best exemplified by the lone candle which stands on the spot where St Thomas Becket’s medieval shrine once stood. The Pilgrim’s Way, either from Winchester or London, needs no further introduction. The Old Way, by contrast, is a relatively recent rediscovery which was found on a 14th Century map, showing a route along the South Downs, to complement the Pilgrim’s Way along the North.