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Pilgrimage

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Why a Staff?

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Classic Wayfaring Songs

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Old Way

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About Will

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Singing For Our Supper Book

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The Legan Diet

Blog

Pilgrimage

What is Pilgrimage

Why Make Pilgrimage

Pilgrimage Routes

Make Your Own Route

Pilgrimage Navigation

Pilgrim Accommodation

Solo or Group Pilgrimage

Food for Pilgrims

Pilgrim Gifts

Water for Pilgrims

Pilgrim Hygiene

Money on Pilgrimage

Pilgrim Resources

Staffs

Why a Staff?

Kit

Kit Intro

Sleep Kit

Shelter

Clothes

Waterproofs

Footwear

Packing

Cooking

Water

Tools

Electronics

Songs

Classic Wayfaring Songs

Songs of the Way

My Compositions

'Songs' CD Album

Old Way

About

About Will

Things I've Done

Singing For Our Supper Book

Photography

Videos

Contact

The Legan Diet

Blog

Back

Pilgrimage Navigation

Pilgrim Accommodation

Solo or Group Pilgrimage

Back

Back

Water

Back

Classic Wayfaring Songs

'Songs' CD Album

Back

Singing For Our Supper Book

Pilgrimage Hygiene

Good Health on pilgrimage means Good Hygiene.

These are a few core aspects of pilgrimage hygiene: teeth; toilet, washing clothes, & washing hands/body.

Teeth

Twice a day you will need to cleanse those pegs. Oral hygiene is vital, and a dodgy tooth can be as debilitating as an ankle sprain.

In terms of basic practice, be sure to brush your teeth far enough away from water sources. Cover over your pastey spit, don’t leave it lying on the surface. Be sure to rinse with clean purified (or mains) water. Even though you aren’t drinking it, you can still get ill from a tiny taste of contaminated water.

A wooden toothbrush is far lighter (and less polluting when it becomes rubbish) than a plastic one. As for toothpaste, carry a small Nalgene pot so you can avoid lugging a whole tube around. Aim for the most environmentally pleasant toothpaste you can find.

Toilet

This aspect of pilgrimage hygiene is necessary even for short journeys. Recovering the basic skill to be free from industrial sewage systems is a deep relief and vital independence. No other animal requires such fuss to perform so basic a function.

It is advised to read up on the ‘Leave No Trace’ Principles for human waste disposal.

If you are peeing, simply find a sheltered spot, far from waterways, and do your deed. You may wish to find a beautiful viewpoint - a pee vista (pista). Try to consider urine not as a shameful discharge, but as a rich natural gift to the land. The nitrates in urine are highly nutritious to plant life. Urine is sterile, and will cause no harm, as long as you don’t pee multiple times in the same spot.

If you are Coldharbouring, be sure to pee far enough from your camp. Also, remember urine is used by many animals as a marker of territory, so you might pee in various places to mark the boundaries of your space. The badgers and foxes will know what you mean.

Some female pilgrims tell me they carry pee-cloths, using for wiping/drying. These can be hung on the outside of a backpack for UV cleansing, and washed at water sources found en route.

For pooing, you need to take a little more care. Again, don’t forget this is a gift to the soil, and will become a nutritious source of life. Human poo is tremendously rich, due to our extravagant diets.

The simple routine is to find a good spot, private and far from waterways or oversight. Use a trowel (vital wayfaring tool) to dig a ‘cat-hole’ 6-8 inches into rich dark soil, where you can be sure there are plenty of living microbes. If you have no trowel, use a stick.

Deposit your poo in the hole, and wipe with toilet paper/moss/water/biodegradable wipes. Fill the hole with the original soil, and pad it down securely. In rocky or desert environments it is advised to ‘carry out’ all used toilet paper, in a zip-lock bag. But in most landscapes this is unnecessary, as toilet paper will biodegrade quickly. Be sure to use recycled paper, otherwise toilet paper is typically made of virgin hardwood trees, ancient forests chopped down just to wipe your bum.

The microbes in the soil will make (relatively) short work of the gift you have given. If you carry wildflower seeds, you might want to plant some where you have pooed. Also, you may want to leave a twig sticking up in the ground to show other pilgrims where you have gone, to prevent them digging up what you have left behind.

Be sure to wash your hands after all toilet stops. You may wish to use a wipe before water and soap, to keep your water pouring system clean.

There are a variety of trowels available, but the orange Coghlans one is the cheapest. I recommend sawing off the last inch of the ‘blade’, to add stability. Otherwise, there are aluminium and even titanium trowels available.

Washing Clothes

A really important tip is covered in the kit pages is to wear wool rather than cotton while Wayfaring. Wool is naturally anti-bacterial, and will not allow cotton’s level of bacterial build-up that can cause discomfort and stench. But even wool is not a miracle fabric, and all Wayfaring clothes need washing regularly - especially socks, pants and baselayers.

You should carry a small pot of soap suitable for this task. Dr Bronners is what I recommend, as it lacks harmful detergents and is biodegradable, so will not harm wildlife like other more aggressive and smelly soap products. Also, it can be used for hair and body and washing up.

You should try to wash your socks, pants and baselayers at least every two days (I would recommend carrying three pairs of each). Handwashing is easiest, in a flexible bucket you carry, or in a handy sink you find. It is also sometimes possible to find laundrettes in towns along the way. If you are taking hospitality, you may find that clothes washing is a service offered?

Handwashing needs warm/hot water. You can provide this by heating water on your stove, and using a flexible sink to create a washbowl. Agitate the dirty clothes with soap, rubbing them together rigorously. You might want to use a stone to help gain purchase. Use the same hot water for as many items as you can, until it gets dark and grimy, then replace it with more.

This is obviously harder work if you are sourcing/cleaning/heating your own water. Finding a sink with a hot tap makes everything easier. It is usually quite easy to find such facilities. Many churches offer it, as do almost all pub toilets, and of course campsites usually do too.

You’ll need plenty of clean water to rinse the soap out. Squeeze each item until there is no more soapy residue emerging, and be sure to place them somewhere clean while you wash the next item.

Don’t wash clothes directly in streams or rivers, even if you use good soap. Consider the frogs.

It is recommended that you wash your mid-layers less frequently, as you’ll probably not be carrying extras, and these often take much longer to dry. Most of your sweat will be in the layers next to your skin, so these are your regular priority for Wayfarer washing.

To dry your clothes, carry a line of twine to rig up for drying when you stop. Hang clothes in direct sunlight and watch the dampness steaming out of them. This is wonderful ancient magic in action. While walking on, you can strap your damp clothes onto the outside of your backpack. Be sure to have squeezed them thoroughly of all water first.

Washing Body

The first thing you need to wash regularly is your hands - before and after cooking/eating, and after toilet. You hopefully already know how to do this! Soap is vital. Dr Bronners works a treat. Be sure you have ample clean water. Cold is usually good enough!

More difficult is the washing of your whole body. Whenever you find a sink with a hot tap to wash your clothes, clean your body at the same time. Your skin is your most important garment! Carrying a flannel cloth helps tremendously.

A lazy - but effective - way to keep clean on pilgrimage is with biodegradable wipes. There are many brands claiming to degrade, but I would recommend only using ‘flushable’ wipes if you want to burn them rather than carry them to a bin. Natracare wipes are pure cotton, with zero plastic. You can use these at night to clean your essential parts, when a deeper wash is not possible.

To help keep clean on pilgrimage, I also recommend wild-swimming as regularly as you can.

For wild swimming, and all body washing, you may want to carry an ultralight towel.

To really soak and scrub, you may wish to seek out showers. Taking hospitality at campsites is a cheap-ish way to get deeply clean before moving on. Leisure centres also sometimes offer this service.

It is also possible to shower off-grid while Coldharbouring. Simply heat up clean water on your stove or fire, then mix this hot water with cold in a portable shower system, which can be surprisingly lightweight. You can find such devices, with a pump attachment and showerhead, on Amazon.

One trick is to fill your water reservoir at a hot tap before heading out to the woods. You’ll need good planning to make this work.

If you are planning to shower in the woods, you’ll need a pot big enough to heat sufficient water.

Wash Well!

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Pilgrimage Hygiene

Good Health on pilgrimage means Good Hygiene.

These are a few core aspects of pilgrimage hygiene: teeth; toilet, washing clothes, & washing hands/body.

Teeth

Twice a day you will need to cleanse those pegs. Oral hygiene is vital, and a dodgy tooth can be as debilitating as an ankle sprain.

A wooden toothbrush is far lighter (and less polluting when it becomes rubbish) than a plastic one. As for toothpaste, carry a small Nalgene pot so you can avoid lugging a whole tube around. Aim for the most environmentally pleasant toothpaste you can find.

Toilet

This aspect of pilgrimage hygiene is necessary even for short journeys. Recovering the basic skill to be free from industrial sewage systems is a deep relief and vital independence. No other animal requires such fuss to perform so basic a function.

It is advised to read up on the ‘Leave No Trace’ Principles for human waste disposal.

If you are Coldharbouring, be sure to pee far enough from your camp. Also, remember urine is used by many animals as a marker of territory, so you might pee in various places to mark the boundaries of your space. The badgers and foxes will know what you mean.

Some female pilgrims tell me they carry pee-cloths, using for wiping/drying. These can be hung on the outside of a backpack for UV cleansing, and washed at water sources found en route.

For pooing, you need to take a little more care. Again, don’t forget this is a gift to the soil, and will become a nutritious source of life. Human poo is tremendously rich, due to our extravagant diets.

The simple routine is to find a good spot, private and far from waterways or oversight. Use a trowel (vital wayfaring tool) to dig a ‘cat-hole’ 6-8 inches into rich dark soil, where you can be sure there are plenty of living microbes. If you have no trowel, use a stick.

﻿Be sure to wash your hands after all toilet stops. You may wish to use a wipe before water and soap, to keep your water pouring system clean.

There are a variety of trowels available, but the orange Coghlans one is the cheapest. I recommend sawing off the last inch of the ‘blade’, to add stability. Otherwise, there are aluminium and even titanium trowels available.

Washing Clothes

You should carry a small pot of soap suitable for this task. Dr Bronners is what I recommend, as it lacks harmful detergents and is biodegradable, so will not harm wildlife like other more aggressive and smelly soap products. Also, it can be used for hair and body and washing up.

This is obviously harder work if you are sourcing/cleaning/heating your own water. Finding a sink with a hot tap makes everything easier. It is usually quite easy to find such facilities. Many churches offer it, as do almost all pub toilets, and of course campsites usually do too.

You’ll need plenty of clean water to rinse the soap out. Squeeze each item until there is no more soapy residue emerging, and be sure to place them somewhere clean while you wash the next item.

Don’t wash clothes directly in streams or rivers, even if you use good soap. Consider the frogs.

It is recommended that you wash your mid-layers less frequently, as you’ll probably not be carrying extras, and these often take much longer to dry. Most of your sweat will be in the layers next to your skin, so these are your regular priority for Wayfarer washing.

Washing Body

The first thing you need to wash regularly is your hands - before and after cooking/eating, and after toilet. You hopefully already know how to do this! Soap is vital. Dr Bronners works a treat. Be sure you have ample clean water. Cold is usually good enough!

More difficult is the washing of your whole body. Whenever you find a sink with a hot tap to wash your clothes, clean your body at the same time. Your skin is your most important garment! Carrying a flannel cloth helps tremendously.

To help keep clean on pilgrimage, I also recommend wild-swimming as regularly as you can.

For wild swimming, and all body washing, you may want to carry an ultralight towel.

To really soak and scrub, you may wish to seek out showers. Taking hospitality at campsites is a cheap-ish way to get deeply clean before moving on. Leisure centres also sometimes offer this service.

It is also possible to shower off-grid while Coldharbouring. Simply heat up clean water on your stove or fire, then mix this hot water with cold in a portable shower system, which can be surprisingly lightweight. You can find such devices, with a pump attachment and showerhead, on Amazon.

One trick is to fill your water reservoir at a hot tap before heading out to the woods. You’ll need good planning to make this work.

If you are planning to shower in the woods, you’ll need a pot big enough to heat sufficient water.

Wash Well!

Pilgrimage - with William Parsons

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Disclaimer. Privacy and Cookie Policy

@WillWalking

Be sure to wash your hands after all toilet stops. You may wish to use a wipe before water and soap, to keep your water pouring system clean.