Walk the Spanish Way comes to Broad Street

1st April 2026

A taste of outdoor Spain is coming to Reading’s Broad Street on Saturday 25 April with the ‘Walk the Spanish Way / Primavera no Camino’ Fair.

As part of a growing relationship between Reading and the Provincial Council of A Coruña in Galicia (Spain), the ‘Walk the Spanish Way’ Fair will bring the experience of walking the Camino Inglés to Santiago and its continuation to Fisterra-Muxia closer to a UK audience. Galicia in North-West Spain is the final destination of the world-famous Camino de Santiago long-distance walking and pilgrimage route. Reading, located on the St James’ Way, is the official starting point of the UK section of this route.

Reading residents are invited to come along to ‘Walk the Spanish Way’ to find out how to walk the Camino in Spain or the St James’ Way from Reading, enjoy live performances of traditional Galician music and experience a taste of this region of Spain.

Throughout the day, visitors will be able to immerse themselves in a Galician cultural and tourism experience, with exhibition spaces dedicated to the different Camino routes, screenings of audiovisual content about Galicia and its walking routes, as well as food samples from Galicia.

There will be a chance to talk to representatives from the Camino Inglés, the English camino route, which links A Coruña and Ferrol with Santiago de Compostela, as well as representatives of the Camino Fisterra-Muxia which starts in Santiago and covers 115km to the Spanish coast on the Costa da Morte.

The event is brought to Reading by the Provincial Council of A Coruña, in collaboration with Turismo de Galicia–Xacobeo 27, the Spanish Embassy in London, the associations of municipalities of the Camino Inglés and the Camino Fisterra-Muxía and the Confraternity of Saint James, with the support of REDA, who are supporting the development of the St James’ Way in the UK as a major tourism project.

Alex Brannen of REDA, said: “With an ever-growing interest in outdoor and walking tourism, Reading is indeed fortunate to be linked to the most famous pilgrimage route in the world. As part of our work to promote the St James’ Way walking route here, REDA is delighted that our sister destination at the end point of the walk is coming to Reading to share the experience of travelling in Galicia. This is a great opportunity for anyone interested in walking one of the famous Spanish caminos, visiting Galicia or walking the St James’ Way here in the UK, to find out more and get inspired for their next holiday.”

This event follows the unveiling of a milestone marker on the St James’ Way in Reading in November last year. A gift from Galicia, this “mouteira” as it is called in Galicia, is part of deepening tourism and economic relationships between the two destinations. The milestone marker marks the official start of the St James’ Way in Reading. The 70-mile pilgrimage walk from Reading to Southampton forms part of the Camino Inglés route and ends in Santiago de Compostela in Galicia. 

Reading has been linked to northwest Spain since medieval times. Reading Abbey was an important pilgrimage site from the 12^th century, with pilgrims coming to see the Hand of St James and other religious relics held at the Abbey. Devout pilgrims would then continue their pilgrimage south to the English coast, before crossing to Spain to the final holy destination of Santiago. The modern-day St James’ Way recreates this historic pilgrim route from Reading to Southampton and is an accredited part of the Camino de Santiago.

The Walk the Spanish Way Fair takes place in Broad Street from 11:00 to 17:00 on Saturday 25 April.