Englishman Derry Brabbs is well respected as a photographer of historic sites and landscapes. He has brought those interests together in his book Great Pilgrimage Sites of Europe.

As you might expect, photography is at the heart of things here. Brabbs offers an eclectic selection of 33 sites found in across 13 countries in western Europe.

Well-known for the pilgrimage trips that are being undertaken in this region, Tibet is a very popular location, both among pilgrims as well as the trekkers and tourists. The natural beauty of Tibet is unique, and many people visit to explore or hike it. A Tibet tour is a majorly undertaken pilgrimage. However, there are many non-pilgrimage tourists, as well. People from around the world come here for Kailash trekking and also for the Mansarovar Yatra.

The Via Francigena (fran-CHEE-jee-nah) is a pilgrimage route from the Middle Ages that starts in England and crosses France and Switzerland before entering Italy at the Gran San Bernardo Pass. Less known than the Spanish pilgrimage route, the Via Francigena was revived in the 1990s and is becoming more traversed each year. 

In 2009, after a divorce and a traumatic illness, I undertook a solo pilgrimage on the Via Francigena, inspired by a desire to purge emotional demons and achieve more of a heart-mind-body connection. 

Security screening at Madrid’s airport resulted in a two-hour layover and a missed connecting flight to Vigo.  When I finally arrived amid a spring deluge, my host was nowhere to be found.  A stone’s throw from the Atlantic, the airport was half empty.  The silence felt like a heavy cloak as I hurried to the baggage claim area.