What is a pilgrimage? National Trust says it’s ‘devotional long journey, often undertaken on foot towards a destination of significance’. That’s really a mouthful for ‘going on a long walk to find yourself’. The most famed was John Bunyan’s ‘Pilgrim’s Progress‘.
If you studied English Literature at college, you may have fallen off the back of your chair, trying to decipher the almost-impossible language of Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales (which are actually very interesting once you learn the lingo), about 31 pilgrims who journey from the Tabard Inn in Southwark (London) to the shrine of Catholic saint Thomas à Becket. After falling out with Henry II over plans to take powers from the church, he was shockingly murdered (the King asking ‘Will no-one rid me of this troublesome priest?’)
After the murder, the King was so guilt-ridden, he wore sackcloth and starved himself for days. When Henry VIII came to power, he destroyed his bones (today the spot where Thomas died bears just a simple stone with his name). And people today surf their phones for celebrity news? If you fancy a bit of religious reading, here are a few good books to take to bed:
None of your knowledge, your reading, your connections will be of any use here: two legs suffice, and big eyes to see with. Walk alone, across mountains or through forests. You are nobody to the hills or the thick boughs, heavy with greenery. The walker who marvels while walking (the blue of the rocks in a July evening light, the silvery green of olive leaves at noon, the violet morning hills) has no past, no plans, no experience.
a lost pilgrimage route to Canterbury
Between the Chalk and the Sea has the author gather an antique map from Oxford’s Bodleian Library, to follow a faint red line threading through towns and villages, on a lost pilgrimage route, banned by Henry VIII (him again!) to end the centuries-old tradition of ‘walking as an act of faith’. Renamed the Old Way, this again was intended to reach the shrine of Thome Becket and covers prehistoric earthworks, abandoned monastires, Saxon churches, ruined castles and historic seaports. Travel writer Gail Simmons walks the 240-mile route of chalk hills and shifting seascapes of the south coast, blending history and geology, to reveal the rich heritage found on our own doorstep.
a journey around Morecambe Bay
The Gathering Tide is a deeply personal journey by the author around 60 miles of coastline (some is renowned for sinking mud, so take care especially if walking with dogs) that makes up ‘nature’s ampitheatre’. Embarking on a series of walks that take in ever-changing seascapes, Karen Lloyd tells the stories of the places, people and wildlife of Morecambe Bay. Discover forgotten caves and islands that don’t exist, and delight in the simple beauty of an oystercatcher winging its way across the ebbing tide. An unwitting pilgrimage through her own past and present, this is a moving account of one of England’s most alluring coastal areas.
walking the Western Front Way
The Path of Peace is a book inspired by a young solder (killed in action over 100 years ago) as Anthony Seldon (without a permanent home, wife or job) decides to set out on the 35-day pilgrimage from the French-Swiss border to the English Channel. Traversing some of Europe’s most beautiful scenery, he wrestles heat exhaustion, dog bites and blisters, but also finds inner peace and renewed purpose. The book also touches on grief, loss and the tragic legacy of war.
a winter pilgrimage through France
The Gathering Place follows Mary Colwell on a 500-mile solo pilgrimage along the Camino Francés, through forests, mountains, farms, places of worship and industrial sprawl. 100,000 people walk this route each year and she walked alone, with nature as her companion. She weaves natural history, spiritual stories and environmentalism. This journey starts in St Jean-Pied-De-Port, before crossing the Pyrenees mountains and going through La Rioja (known for its wine) via northern Spanish hills and ending where St James is buried (Santiago de Compostela). The author is founder of a curlew conservation charity.
an artistic Christian pilgrimage with Ruth
Pilgrim: 25 Ways God’s Character Leads Un Onward is a book by the fabulously talented inspirational nature artist Ruth Chou Simons. This is a kind of gorgeous bedtime devotional, far nicer to read than self-indulgent self-help books. Find reminders to show how Jesus walks with you, the beautiful images accompanied by Scripture and hymns from history focusing on timeless truths.
