If all you have to do to whistle is put your lips together and blow, then all you need to do to be a pilgrim is put one foot in front of the other. But where to? And why?
Many people are inspired by the idea of going on a pilgrimage. TV series such as The Road to Rome and The Road to Santiago have shown that even the averagely unfit celeb can hobble through one. However, few of the rest of us have time to walk Spain’s Camino, the Via Francigena through France and Italy, or even the Pilgrims’ Way from London to Canterbury. So what to do?
Pilgrim Pathways has the answer: 20 answers in fact. The pilgrimages in these pages are achievable for people with limited time and busy lives. The book was inspired by the belief that pilgrimage – variously defined as a journey on foot to a place that is holy, important or special – should be open to all.
There are many ancient pilgrim paths in Britain, some long-forgotten but recently rediscovered, others well-established – but all of them are dauntingly long. Pilgrim Pathways offers routes inspired by the very best of them, distilled into walks that can be accomplished comfortably in a weekend, and one would ideally suit a three-day break. I have also included suggestions for ways in which the routes can be divided into one-day sections, for times when you would rather not stay away overnight.
In pilgrimage, the journey itself is as important as the destination. Hence, these routes take in Britain’s most inspiring landscapes and most powerfully spiritual places. They follow rivers, coastlines, forest tracks, and trails over hill and dale. They feature cathedrals, ancient monasteries and churches, holy wells, wayside crosses, and other places of veneration: places that have paid mute witness to millennia of prayer.
But pilgrimage doesn’t have to be traditionally religious in purpose, and some of these walks are rooted in pre-history, and our most powerful myths and legends. Pilgrimage to Avebury and Stonehenge, which features in Walk 4, dates back 5,000 years. Glastonbury, in Walk 6, has its pilgrim roots in pre-Christian tales of Avalon and King Arthur.
Why you go is up to you. A pilgrimage can be approached through a desire to achieve inner peace, to defy an illness or condition, as a physical challenge, or simply to open up a breathing space in a busy life. Weekend Pilgrim Pathways is designed to help you achieve your own personal goal.
But it shouldn’t be too easy. Pilgrimage, to give a sense of achievement, of pushing your boundaries, should involve a significant physical challenge. To that end, these walks are designed to be vigorous for the averagely-fit person.