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This article analyses the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic during 2020 on London’s socio-economic structure. After outlining the history of health crises in London during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries and the city’s demographic decline and resurgence, it describes the 2020 pandemic’s impact on London’s socio-economic inequalities and the role of home working. Context is provided by describing my own locality and experience while the wider context is discussed through comparison with other highly globalised cities such as Singapore. The article concludes by placing London’s 2020 pandemic within a historical perspective as infections increase after the summer holidays and the beginning of the teaching term.

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Pilgrimage walking is increasingly sought as self-therapy for different mental, physical and spiritual ailments, sudden life changes, crossroads or challenges. However, pilgrimage walking as therapy is largely an unexplored ground within health science / care / interventions notwithstanding millennia of human experience. To unfold the nature and add to the knowledge about pilgrimage walking as therapy, this article explores the health-related processes (as experienced mentally, physically, spiritually, socially and in nature), the after-effects (on daily life, behaviour and future actions) and the therapeutic mechanisms (that bring forth these processes and effects) involved in walking the St. Olav Way across Norway. Qualitative open-ended questionnaires were made available at all pilgrim accommodations along the St. Olav route in 2017. In total, 53 pilgrims with an average age of 52 years from 13 nationalities holding different belief systems responded. Process, effect and therapeutic categories were generated through an inductive thematic text analysis of their answers. The findings indicate that pilgrims experience mostly mental health-related processes. People report after-effects involving improved mental, physical, spiritual and social health, personal health assets, and a more positive outlook on life. The stated therapeutics categories came down to three key mechanisms: walking, nature and community. Given the relational and dynamic nature of the results, findings are drawn on relational ontology and the mobility turn. The study encourages further debate around pilgrimage walking’s health qualities in a health context with the hope of arriving at universal therapeutic mechanisms of pilgrimage walking as to acknowledge pilgrimage walking as therapy in the future.

Walking pilgrimages are experiencing a revival, while at the same time a change of character in light of our changing times. Pilgrimage walking is increasingly taking on non-religious dimensions, related to a person’s self and health as seen on long-distance walking pilgrimages such as the Camino routes to Santiago. Long-range walking pilgrimages seem to offer a promise and space for ‘personal fixing’ / ‘self-healing’, thus attracting people with a variety of motives. This article is based on an empirical study consisting of qualitative open-ended questionnaires with 53 respondents from 13 countries. It aims to shed light on the motives, expectations and hopes that make people walk the less known and studied Norwegian St. Olav Way and what motivational trends prevail there, compared to others pilgrimage routes such as the more popular Camino de Santiago de Compostela and Japanese Shikoku Henro trail. Motivational categories were generated through an inductive thematic analysis of their answers and explanations were sought, drawing on existing literature as well as meaning-making and motivational theories. Results indicate that religious motives were not predominant in people’s quest with the journey. Instead, contemplation, health, social / solitary, pilgrimage walking / repeating, and nature motives stood out as the most significant, followed by less mentioned motives such as historical / cultural / travel interests, spiritual / religious reasons, a more present / simple / slow life, and life celebrations / crossroads / transitions. These findings challenge popular assumptions about why people undertake long-term walking pilgrimages. Further research is needed given the emerging trend to seek long-distance pilgrimage walking for self-discovery / development / therapy. This is largely uncovered ground in health care / science, despite the fact that pilgrimages have, throughout time, been sought for betterment and wellbeing.