New pilgrimage routes across the North of England are inviting people of all backgrounds to step into journeys of reflection, discovery and hope.
The routes — including the Kent Estuary PilgrimPilgrim 1. In the New Testament and Christian thought, someone engaged in the Christian journey through life towards heaven. 2. Someone who journeys to holy places (such as biblical sites or shrines of the saints) to seek God's help, to give thanks, or as an act of penance Way, Spurn Point Way, Fountains Way, St PaulinusPaulinus, St Bishop of York 627-644. Sent to England with Saint Augustine. Accompanied Queen Ethelburga north on her marriage to King Edwin of Northumbria. Converted King Edwin and the Northumbrians in 627 and founded the first York Minster. Way and St Bega’s Way amongst others — connect churches, historic sites, coastlines, countryside and communities. Together they offer opportunities to explore the North at walking pace, and to rediscover the long tradition of pilgrimage as a way of seeing the world differently.
The ArchbishopArchbishop Bishop who also presides over a group of dioceses or provinces. of YorkYork 1. A Roman city and early centre of Christianity. 2. Diocese and province under the leadership of the Archbishop of York., Stephen Cottrell, said:
“Pilgrimage teaches us to slow down, to notice the world around us, and to become more attentive to God and to one another. These new pilgrimage routes across the North invite people to discover afresh the beauty, history and spiritualitySpirituality Term used to describe the experiential dimensions of religion, encompassing aspects such as prayer, meditation, contemplation, and mysticism. of this extraordinary part of the country. Whether you walk in faithFaith 1. Belief and trust in someone or something. 2. Acceptance of particular religious teachings., curiosity or simply in search of peace and reflection, pilgrimage has the power to change us.”
Each route offers its own invitation into landscape and story:
St Bega’s Way is a 36-mile route in Cumbria linking the Norman Priory Church of St Mary and St Bega at St Bees with the pre-Norman church of St Bega near Bassenthwaite Lake. Much of the journey lies within the Lake District National Park, it’s a route shaped by sheep, saints and stunning scenery and is currently being relaunched ahead of a Festival of Pilgrimage in Carlisle DioceseDiocese A geographical area composed of a number of parishes, under the administrative and spiritual jurisdiction of a Bishop..
Spurn Point Way celebrates the life of Wilgils, a 7th-century hermitHermit (Greek eremos 'desert') Person who has retired from society to follow the spiritual life in solitude. Unlike anchorites not confined to one spot devoted to prayer on this remarkable stretch of coastline. The 7-mile route runs from the Yorkshire Wildlife Discovery Centre at Kilnsea to Spurn Head, a striking natural landscape.
The Kent Estuary Pilgrim Way offers five circular walks and a return route of around 30 miles in total, linking churches in Levens, Heversham, Milnthorpe, Beetham, Storth and Arnside in South Cumbria. Designed for both visitors and local residents, the route encourages exploration of the landscape alongside a deeper encounter with the churches and stories of each village.
Fountains Ways – Ancient Paths for Modern Pilgrims – includes three pilgrimage trails linking eight village churches across rural parishes in the Fountains Benefice around Masham. All three routes are circular, including two 7-mile walks starting from Kirby Malzeard and a 9-mile route passing through Studley Royal Park and near Fountains AbbeyAbbey 1. Community of monks or nuns under the rule of an abbot or abbess. This is the higher grade of monastery, as opposed to the lower priory. 2. Building which they occupy.. Many churches along the way offer a warm welcome, alongside “Church Explorer” activities inviting families and visitors to discover their history and heritage.
The Paulinus Pilgrim Trail traces the footsteps of St Paulinus, a missionaryMissionary Someone sent out to share religious faith. and the first BishopBishop Bishops exercised pastoral care over a diocese and authority to confirm and ordain of York, who played a key role in the spread of Christianity in the 7th century. Stretching from Goodmanham in the Yorkshire Wolds to Whalley Abbey in the heart of the Ribble Valley highlights include Dewsbury MinsterMinster Originally a church with a group of clergy which served a large area. Later used to describe a church staffed by many priests or a monastic community, which houses fragments of the St Paulinus CrossCross Instrument of torture and execution used in the Roman Empire. The means by which Christ was put to death and therefore the primary symbol of the Christian faith, representing the means by which he is believed to have won forgiveness for humankind. The Cross may be represented as Tau-shaped (like a capital T); with a shorter cross-bar or with a circle enclosing the upper intersection (Celtic). In medieval art a cross made of living branches signifies the Tree of Life. St Helena, mother of the Emperor Constantine, is said to have discovered the True Cross (i.e. the Cross in Jerusalem on which Christ died) in 326., York MinsterYork Minster Popular name for the cathedral and metropolitan church of St Peter in York. Seat of the Archbishop of York, the cathedral was established in 627 by St Paulinus as a baptistery for King Edwin. The present building contains elements of the Norman cathedral of Archbishop Thomas of Bayeux, but dates largely from the 13th-15th centuries., the “Mother Church” of the North and stunning countryside along the way. This new route is being created as part of the anniversary celebrations in 2027 of 1400 years since the baptismBaptism The Sacramental rite of admission into the Christian Church. The candidate is immersed in or sprinkled with water in the name of the Trinity and may also be anointed with oil. of King Edwin by St Paulinus.
These pilgrimage routes offer a renewed invitation to walk, reflect and explore — whether for faith, curiosity, or simply the desire to experience the North in a new way.