The North’s answer to the Camino de Santiago hailed

By Rebecca Black, Press Association

An 82-mile route walking in the footsteps of St Patrick has been hailed as the North’s Camino de Santiago.

St Patrick’s Way: The Pilgrim Walk has attracted visitors from across the world to walk from Armagh, where Ireland’s national saint established his first stone church on the island more than 1,500 years ago, to his final resting place in Downpatrick.

It takes in parts of Armagh city, which boasts two cathedrals dedicated to St Patrick, the towpath along Newry Canal, the Mournes, Murlough Nature Reserve and Saul Church, which is said to be the first ecclesiastical site in Ireland.

Walkers can complete a Pilgrim’s Passport with stamps at 10 locations along the route, which is estimated to take between six to 10 days.

The walk was first envisioned by the late Alan Graham, who completed the Camino de Santiago – a pilgrimage route largely in Spain – several times, as well as expeditions across Arctic and Alpine landscapes.

Armagh tour guide Donna Fox paid tribute to Graham for being a visionary to create the route, which she termed as a “blend of sweeping vistas and a rare opportunity to step away from the pace of modern life”.

Speaking to the Press Association, Fox said the walk is challenging but has led her to magical moments through thunderstorms, woods, silence and admiring wild swans.

“I sort of fell into it. Alan was the instigator, he had done the Camino many times. He was probably in his late 70s when I met him, and fit as a fiddle, if you could have seen him getting up the side of a mountain, he was unreal,” she said.

“He shared all the stories with me and came along on the first tour.

“It is as much a mindful journey as a physical one – a chance to absorb the landscape that shaped Patrick’s mission, and to reflect on the myths, legends and lived experiences that continue to surround his story.

“When you walk this route, you begin to understand Patrick not just as a historical figure, but as someone who moved through real places, real communities and real landscapes.”

In the 10 years since the walk was launched, Ms Fox said it is becoming popular with walkers from across the world.

“It is becoming better known, but particularly with German and Austrian visitors, and people who have done the Camino, as well as local people looking for a similar sort of challenge,” she said.

Fox said she recommended starting at the Navan site, where she described a place that you can “feel the presence of St Patrick, despite its Celtic roots”.

“He was drawn to Armagh because the royalty of Ulster were there, so if he could convert them, then he was in a better position to convert the rest of the population, so we believe that’s why he chose Armagh as a place that he founded his first stone church around 445, which is now the location of the Church of Ireland cathedral,” she said.

“Navan – or Emain Macha – was the ceremonial and political capital of Ulster, the seat of kings and queens, and a landscape associated with authority, ritual and identity.

“From there, walkers move into the city itself, passing early ecclesiastical sites before climbing Drumsailleach, or Sally Hill – where Patrick built his first stone church in 445AD. At a time when Irish settlements were constructed mainly in wood, choosing stone was powerful, it was about permanence. About establishing something that would last.”

She added: “St Patrick’s Way isn’t just a walk – it’s a living connection to the places that shaped Patrick’s mission, and in Armagh, that connection is celebrated every day.”