Blue sky and wispy clouds hang over the green mountains of Mourne

St Patrick’s Way: The Pilgrim Walk

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Prologue

The day after the eighth full moon of the year, we sailed across the Irish Sea to walk St Patrick’s Way. The trail connects two locations closely related to Ireland’s patron saint: Armagh, the ecclesiastical capital of Ireland, and Downpatrick, St Patrick’s final resting place. St Patrick was born around 400 CE in Roman Britain. He was enslaved and transported to Ireland before escaping his captors. After studying to become a cleric in France, he returned to Ireland on a mission to convert the pagan Irish to Christianity. 

Croagh Patrick, Ireland’s Holy Mountain, is a renowned pilgrimage site where St Patrick fasted for 40 days. We’ve climbed the mountain twice, but to date, we’ve barely set foot in the north, the part of Ireland most associated with St Patrick and home to the entirety of the 132-kilometre St Patrick’s Way. Keen to discover the stories held in the land, we acquire Pilgrim Passports and set out to follow in St Patrick’s footsteps through County Armagh and County Down, weaving our way in and out of villages, through forests, and across mountains that sweep down to the sea. 

A selfie of three walkers outside St Patricks Cathedral in Armagh
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A walker passing high rows of prosecco grapes in beautiful afternoon light

Prosecco Hills Trail, Italy

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Prologue

We’re walking the 55-kilometre Prosecco Hills Trail over four days, winding our way through the heart of Italy’s Veneto region. This UNESCO World Heritage site is a lush patchwork of green valleys, forests, medieval villages, and undulating hills terraced with grapevines that produce world-renowned Prosecco sparkling wine. It’s a gentler walk for us, after our Dream Way odyssey across the Alps, and we’re looking forward to sampling the area’s traditional dishes and enjoying a glass or two of Prosecco at the end of each day.

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The golden glow of west wall of the Civetta at sunset from Rifugio Tissi

The Dream Way, Part 2

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Munich to Venice on the Dream Way: Part 2 (Italy)

Prologue

We’re halfway through the Dream Way (Traumpfad), a 600-kilometre walk from Munich to Venice across the eastern Alps. The German and Austrian Alps tested us with wild storms, unseasonal snow, and slopes so steep that wires and ladders are fixed to assist safe passage. They also provided us with magnificent walking and breathtaking views of some of Europe’s most majestic landscapes. Thirteen days and 265 kilometres later, we crossed the border to Italy.

The Dolomites await. They’re a Natural World Heritage Site famed for their unparalleled beauty and challenging topography. Our first stop will be Pfunders, and from there we’ll start winding our way across the Dolomites. Our final mountain range will be the Belluno Pre-alps, after which we’ll descend to the Piave River and walk across the plains to Venice. We’re pleased that we’ve made it this far, but cognisant of the arduous terrain and high mountain passes ahead. 

Anna and Michael enjoy a wine with the the Marmolada massif behind them
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A Dream Way walker hauling himself up a vegetated mountain slope with the aid of a fixed cable

The Dream Way, Part 1

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Munich to Venice on the Dream Way: Part 1 (Germany & Austria)

Prologue

It’s the allure of walking into dreamlike Venice that entices us to set out from Munich on the Dream Way (the Traumpfad). For the German walkers we meet, it’s the desire to make a pilgrimage across the Alps, their spiritual homeland.

The 600-kilometre walk passes through three countries: Germany, Austria and Italy. It traverses the Bavarian Pre-alps, the Karwendel Alps, and the Tux Alps. Crossing the Italian border, it enters the Pfunderer Valley before winding across the Dolomites. Finally, it climbs the Belluno Pre-alps before descending to the Piave River plains and on to Venice. 

The alpine walking season is brief. Start too early, and the high passes are still covered with snow. Start too late, and the alpine huts will be closing for the winter. The conditions were perfect when we set out in early July, but even so, wild, erratic weather forced us to deviate from our planned route on several occasions.  

This isn’t a walk for the faint-hearted, with 27,000 metres of ascent. Often steep, it sometimes requires the use of fixed wires and ladders to ensure a safe passage. Most of the walk follows existing routes; there is no designated ‘Munich to Venice’ footpath as such. In the words of the poet, Antonio Machado: Wanderer, your footprints are the path, and nothing else; wanderer, there is no path, the path is made by walking. 

What follows is an account of our 34 days on the Dream Way: many of them challenging, and staggeringly beautiful. 

A map of the Dream Way / der Traumpfad route from Munich to Venice
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A walker passes a concrete wall covered in street art; one panel has the words Bondi Beach in large letters

Bondi to Manly Walk, Sydney

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Prelude

We plan to walk from Bondi to Manly over three consecutive days, setting out in the wake of the March equinox as night begins to give ground to the light. We’ll start at one famed Sydney beach and follow the shoreline for 80 kilometres to another. 

At the right time of the year, you can spot whales as you walk, although the only ones we’ll see are the Buri Buri symbols adorning the waymarkers that guide our path northwards.

We’ll traverse headlands with sweeping views of the cerulean-blue Pacific Ocean, wealthy north shore villages, sandstone cliffs, remnant bushland, and the bays and beaches of Sydney Harbour National Park.

Tourists take photos of the Sydney skyline and each other on a grassy reserve famous for its city views
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A wide view of the Sydney Harbour bridge rising above the Rocks and the apartment blocks of the north shore.

Seven Bridges Walk, Sydney

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The air is watery, the vegetation lush. A waning moon hangs in the pale sky. The chirping of geckos echoes in our ears. Although the sun is not yet up, the harbour pulsates with neon-lit sea kayaks, dragon boats, and early morning ferries. 

We cross the water to Milsons Point, the start and end of our circular Seven Bridges walk. It’s a 28-kilometre route, although inevitable off-trail explorations will add a few more kilometres to our day.

Click on any photo to enlarge
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Two Kumano Kodo pilgrims posing in front of vermilion torii gate at Nachi shrine with a mountain backdrop

Kumano Kodo, Japan

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Prologue

The Kumano Kodo entices us to journey into a land of sacred mountains and venerated shrines. Kumano, the ancient name for the southern regions of Japan’s Kii Peninsula, is steeped in mystery and legend. The Kodo are the ‘old ways’ pilgrims have used for centuries. Following their footsteps, we’ll wind through the lush mountains to visit the three Grand Shrines of Kumano: Hongu, Nachi, and Hayatama.

We’re drawn to these Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes, which gained UNESCO World Heritage status in 2004. The UNESCO listing recognises the fusion of Shinto and Buddhist religions, the integrity of the pilgrimage routes, and the ancient and ongoing tradition of nature worship.

Like most modern-day pilgrims, we plan to walk the Nakahechi Route used by emperors and nobles from the 10th century onwards. Known as the ‘Imperial Route,’ it starts on the western coast of the Kii Peninsula and trails high into the mountains, the abode of the gods, before descending to the east coast.

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Michael and Anna standing in front of Ryozenji (Temple 1), the start and finish of their Shikoku Pilgrimage

Shikoku Pilgrimage Stage 4, Japan

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Kagawa Prefecture: Entering Nirvana

Prologue

Kagawa symbolises the realm of Nirvana, but two days into this fourth and final stage of our Shikoku Pilgrimage, the winds brought grave news of our brother-in-law’s health. As the cherry blossoms faded, we paused our pilgrimage and returned home.

Three weeks later, our ‘loud and vibrant’ brother-in-law Ray died, leaving a sea of sorrow in his wake. We stayed close to home through the Australian winter and into spring. Then as Melbourne’s days were lengthening, we returned to Japan in early November. The weather was cooling and the nights descended early.

We took up where we left off, at Dōryūji (Temple 77), hoping to regain the spirit of the pilgrimage and, if not reach nirvana, at least complete our walking journey around Shikoku.

The shadow of a buddha's head and halo on a mossy wall
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A henro (pilgrim) walks under an avenue of cherry blossom on the Shikoku pilgrimage

Shikoku Pilgrimage Stage 3, Japan

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Ehime Prefecture: Attaining Enlightenment 

Prologue

Ehime, the third stage of the Shikoku Pilgrimage, is focused on the search for enlightenment. As we cross the Matsu Pass, we question whether it’s possible to be struck by deep peace and great clarity in these turbulent, unsettling times. We have two weeks and a 400-kilometre walk through Ehime to reflect on our uncertainty.

Kochi, the second stage, featured long distances between temples and arduous henro korogashi climbs (‘where pilgrims fall down’). Thanks to the meditative nature of the walking and the fascinating encounters en route, the austerity and discipline of Kochi were not as harsh as we feared. 

While we wish we could speak more than a few words of Japanese, our lack of familiarity with the country makes every day intriguing. To date, we’ve visited 39 temples and walked 615 kilometres. On day 24, we cross into Ehime, following in the footsteps of Kōbō Daishi, the great monk, administrator, poet, and educator who henros believe travels with them on their pilgrimage.

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A henro walking the Shikoku pilgrimage along the Kochi coastline on highway 55

Shikoku Pilgrimage Stage 2, Japan

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Kochi Prefecture: Austerity & Discipline

Prologue

The second stage of the Shikoku Pilgrimage demands austerity and discipline. Crossing into Kochi prefecture, we wonder how the journey will test us and mark our lives. 

Tokushima, the first stage, represented the awakening of the spirit. We started our pilgrimage concerned that our scant knowledge of Japanese culture, language and traditions would find us wanting. However, the conversations with fellow henros (pilgrims), the ritual of temple visits and the kindness of local people shed light on the practices of Shingon Buddhism and the rich history of the 88 Temples walk. 

Over eight days and 188 kilometres of walking, we settled into our role as henros. While we wish we could speak more than a few words of Japanese, our lack of familiarity with Japan makes the journey intriguing as we search for meaning in everyday encounters.

On day nine we cross into Kochi, following in the footsteps of Kōbō Daishi, the great monk, administrator, poet and educator who henros believe travels with them on their 1,200-kilometre Shikoku Pilgrimage.

A maneki-neko, lucky cat, at Zenrakuji Temp,e 30
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