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Welcome to Holy Smoke, the Spectator's Religion podcast. I'm Damien Thompson. Here's a strange thing.

In our unbelieving age, with church attendance and organised Christianity falling off a cliff,

there's unflagging enthusiasm for visiting cathedrals, going on retreat, and even going on pilgrimage. A few years ago,

I was astonished when a very bright young colleague of mine, Guy Stag, threw in his job,

and as it seemed, hold himself into a full-scale solo pilgrimage to Jerusalem via Rome, choosing arduous

routes in difficult weather. Now he's written a book about it,

The Crossway. And the first thing you learn is that Guy isn't a believer, wasn't when he started,

still isn't. He joins me today, along with Harry Mount, editor of the oldie, an expert on the

holy buildings and holy things of Christendom, but again,

not a believer. So, obviously, I'm puzzled by this vicarious thirst for the sacred. But first,

Guy, I'm not surprised that Crossway has made an impact. Congratulations, because some of it is air-raising. For example,

you crossed a broken wooden bridge in Switzerland and ended up half the merge in the water held

up by your rucksack. You went out in the Alps to continue your journey and whether the, well,

locals have told you not to, which is normally a good

idea to take their advice. Why? If you had asked me before I started walking why I was going

to Rome, Istanbul and Jerusalem, I would have told you that it was an adventure, that it was

an exciting opportunity,

that I might learn a bit more about religion along the way.

...