Willy Minec, pilgrim from the Middle Ages

You have been an adventurer for over twenty years. Can you introduce yourself?

Alongside a sporting career (PE teacher, physical trainer, lifeguard), I have traveled deserts, high mountains, primary forests and bush. My particularity: I do not specialize in a biotope, but in the human mechanisms that make it possible to cross all biotopes. My expeditions are diverse and range from crossing deserts for scientific purposes to the Scottish Highlands, via Australia. From there was born my “Adventure Laboratory”, a tool for my activity as an explorer-speaker for seven years.

You have been preparing for this trip for four years. What gave you the idea?

Between the ages of 11 and 17, I wanted to become an Egyptologist. My passion for History goes back to my youth. But it was when my daughter was born that this anthropological experiment project came to me, while I was trying to occupy my insomnia due to the broken nights of any young parent. I, who dreamed, as a child, of knights and other Aragorn, decided to understand for myself what it meant to travel to the Middle Ages; and thus reconcile my two passions: exploration and history.

So this is a historical reconstruction?

To make this experience immersive, I had to embody it. Multiple traveler profiles were available to me, but I chose the pilgrim, because it was the one that was closest to the profile of today’s travelers. I called him Guillaume Coutel, and the motivation for his pilgrimage was the healing of his son.

The adventure had to take place during the second half of the 13th century, for historical reasons: it is a major period in the evolution of travel conditions. And to accentuate the historical anchoring, I decided to leave at the beginning of the winter of 1271, the date on which Marco Polo undertook what was the greatest wandering in all of History: the Silk Road.

What was the purpose of this trip for you?

My goal was to answer the question: how did people travel in the Middle Ages? And how did the shift from travel to travel take place? So I walked the path of Saint-Guilhem to question History by immersing myself in the skin of Guillaume Coutel, my fictional character, who then became my exploratory tool.

How did you document yourself?

I have read a lot of works on pilgrimage, medieval travel and the living conditions of the time. That is 120 authors, almost 90% of whom are historians and scientists. To guide me in this tedious work, I collaborated with researchers specializing in the issue, such as Christine Gadrat Ouerfelli, specialist in medieval viaticum literature, or Tina Anderlini, specialist in 13th century outfits.

How were your clothes and the attributes of the pilgrim made?

For the reconstruction of the equipment, I looked for craftsmen capable of working in the most “archaeo-compatible” way possible, and according to historical sources.

The bag was made, at my request, according to a model found in 2022 in the tomb of a 14th century pilgrim. The tip of the drone was forged according to radios taken by an archaeological team on sources found in 2017, and dating from the 13th century. As for the rest of the equipment, it was made of linen, wool, leather, wood, metal. The untreated fabrics were cut according to contemporary patterns and in compatible colors.

At the start, on Aubrac, it was -7°C, and the winds were blowing at 80 km/h. So faced with the elements, was your outfit appropriate?

The clothes, which had all been anolized to make them waterproof, played their role perfectly. One flaw all the same: I didn’t have a membrane thin enough to be windproof. Putting on all my layers, I was fine up to 50 km/h. Beyond that, the wind passed through and chilled me under the soaked linen shirt.

At that time, America was not yet discovered: the food was less varied! What did you eat and drink?

In fact, before the 16th century, there were no green beans, tomatoes, zucchini or potatoes. The main food was bread, because cereals were widely cultivated. Our ancestors could eat up to 1 kilo per day per person, the equivalent of 4 baguettes. But the plates were also filled with cabbage, chard, chickpeas, beans, lentils, turnips.

Breakfast consisted of leftovers from yesterday’s dinner. Lunch consisted of bread, cheese, dried meat, dried oilseed fruits (almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts). And for the drink, it was the wine cut with water that they liked the most! A drink with 4 or 5% alcohol and of which they could drink up to 2 to 3 liters per day. What I did during my experience…

To respect the atmosphere of the Middle Ages, where did you sleep?

As the Hôtel-Dieu, hospices and monasteries no longer existed on the route, it was in the churches and chapels that I placed my pallet. I therefore took care to request authorization by contacting town halls, dioceses and parishes. So I spent 15 nights under a roof thanks to Christian charity.

Without a map or compass, how did you orient yourself?

In the 13th century, no map of France existed. Apart from the few elements appearing at the crossroads, such as the crosses, the orientation was mainly verbal. We got our bearings thanks to the locals, who knew their region very well. Whether for accommodation or orientation, medieval travel could only be possible thanks to others.

The risks of travel are not, today, the same as in the Middle Ages. Did your historical reconstruction not come up against these limits?

It is difficult, indeed, to immerse yourself in the shoes of a 13th century traveler, as life at that time was so radically different from ours. The journey was so involved that pilgrims were asked to sign a will before leaving.

The dangers were numerous and very real, such as drowning (there were very few bridges at that time), the ambush of brigands, the attack of wolves, disease or quite simply the pitfalls of the forests. Today, we have this chance to travel in a secure climate. Travel is a pleasure, whereas at the time, it was a gamble!

However, do you have an anecdote or two on this subject?

I admit that I would have “liked” to have glimpsed the fear of a wolf attack, if only to relive this commitment of body and mind necessary at the time.

However, on the morning of the 12th day, I was attacked by two hounds who had deserted their herd. So I had to use my staff as people did at the time: to defend myself. Indeed, a real thrusting and blunt weapon, the staff not only served to support the walker, it protected him.

This meeting was therefore very pleasant: I experienced, in my own way, my wolf attack.

How did the locals perceive you?

With a mixture of curiosity and distrust. I was aware that I would most likely have been the subject of ridicule from the hunters once they returned home. It’s the game! But in general, people were, for the most part, surprised and intrigued by the scientific approach.

How did you experience your arrival, from your character’s point of view, then from your own point of view?

Guillaume Coutel obviously experienced this arrival as a liberation, because he could finally ask for a miracle to save his sick son, but also because he thus put an end to this dangerous journey.

Concerning me, the ending was unfortunately far from what I imagined. An unforeseen event disrupted the filming schedule and it was while putting on the team leader’s apron, prioritizing the filming tasks for the documentary, the 360° film and the photo-reportage, that I had to experience this special moment. A problem sadly symptomatic of the 21st century, ultimately!

What are the conclusions of your adventure?

In my opinion, this experience shows that the first form of the traveler was born during the second half of the 13th century, with Guillaume Coutel and some of his associates. Thanks to discovery and wonder, some pilgrims of the time understood that travel could be a tool for exploring oneself, and thus developing one’s own uniqueness. A revolution for the times!

In parallel with this awareness, which cannot be generalized for all pilgrims, the conditions for welcoming travelers have significantly improved: development of hostels, bridges, roads, pilgrim guides, laws. And it is certain that medieval temporality, different from that of today, as well as the fatalism of the time, had assets that are now lost.

Never before had such a reconstitution of a pilgrimage been envisaged over such a long period, on such harsh terrain and in such a severe season. How will you share this adventure?

Several sharing media are planned: a fifty-two minute documentary intended for TV and festivals, an immersive 360° film, a photo report, an immersive photo exhibition, a museum exhibition, a book and, finally, an educational pack intended for interventions in schools.

One last question: how do you come out of this adventure, so different from those you have experienced before?

By reactivating the sensitivities of the past, this experience not only allowed me to better understand the 13th century: it allowed me to re-examine our modernity, our relationship to others, to time, to uncertainty. I think that medieval pilgrimage, far from being an archaism, outlined the beginnings of a relational and spiritual ecology from which it could be healthy to draw inspiration.