Frome Market Day Pilgrimage

Join BPT’s Guy Hayward and your fellow pilgrims for a many-layered 4-mile day pilgrimage through beautiful and storied landscapes on Frome's market day, with a chance to discuss pilgrim literature with Luke Sherlock of Sherlock & Pages, also known as @englishpilgrim.

We begin amidst the colour, craft and convivial bustle of Frome Independent Market, one of the most vibrant markets in the country.

We’ll meet at Sherlock & Pages bookshop with its proud owner Luke, a treasure-trove of pilgrim literature, where you may find a book to accompany your onward journey. We'll then explore the market stalls, before gathering in St John’s Church with its holy well – a place of stillness tucked quietly within the town’s energy – before eventually setting off on our pilgrimage.

Leaving the town, we climb out via St Catherine’s Hill, an evocative threshold into and out of Frome, before joining the East Mendip Way. From here, the landscape opens into rolling countryside and wooded valleys as we make our way towards Great Elm, pausing at its sweet village church, and then following the gentle course of the Mells Stream.

We finish at the ancient church of St Andrew’s Church, Mells, with its Lutyens war memorial and Burne-Jones tapestry – a place of deep time and quiet gravity in which to close the day.

Along the way, there will be moments of silence, story, song, reflection and group discussion, blending landscape, history, spirituality and community into a single flowing journey.

A pilgrimage of contrasts: market crowds and wild valleys, books and birdsong, inner stillness and outer celebration of craft.



This Pilgrimage will include: 

• New ways of meeting old pilgrim places (bring your own beliefs...)
• Songs on the path
• Opportunities for silence.

Travel logistics (for this linear route from Frome to Mells): 

Train to Frome, then you can share a taxi back from Mells to Frome at the end, which we can help organise.

The Home of our Delight

There’s something about Mells. Once before I’d visited to explore the medieval “new street”, have a quick pint at the Talbot Inn, and rootle about the church. It’s a village that whispers to you: a quiet place with colossal stories to tell.
Luke Sherlock in "The Home of our Delight"

Read Luke Sherlock's essay "The Home of our Delight"

Luke Sherlock : An English Village in the Great War

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FAQ’s

Who can come? Anyone over 18 (or under 18 with parental guidance, bearing in mind the walking distance).

Is this religious? All and no-faiths are equally welcome. We operate a “Bring Your Own Beliefs” policy. We ask that all participating pilgrims tolerate one another, whatever their beliefs.

Can I come if I can't afford it? We offer a number of free or subsidised places to those in need, on a case-by-case basis, please contact hello@britishpilgrimage.org.

If I'm a school teacher, can I come for free? Yes, we offer free places to teachers, particularly if they are interested in introducing pilgrimage to their students.

Will I be asked to share my feelings with the group? We like to keep things light and breezy, so there will be no group emotional sharing moments. If you want to share your feelings in personal conversation when walking with others that is up to you, but certainly not compulsory.

Are there fitness limitations? Pilgrimage is moderately intense. If you struggle to walk all day, this type of pilgrimage may be an unsuitable activity for you right now. There are always plenty of escape points en route. But we will walk slowly, and start early, and 4 miles is a manageable distance for the majority of people, although it is not nothing. Unfortunately this pilgrimage is not suited for mobility-impaired people or those requiring wheelchair access.

Can I bring my dog? Sadly not - we can’t accommodate dogs on our guided pilgrimages. However, if you have a registered assistance dog, they are welcome.

What does my money go towards? The British Pilgrimage Trust is a charity, and profits raised from this limited space event will enable our team to make it possible for everyone, of all means, to make pilgrimage themselves. We will also distribute some of the ticket price to local organisations from whom we have benefitted along the path. For more details about our charitable activities, please check here.

We hope to see you on the path.
If you would like to make a donation in addition to, or in place of, a ticket, click here.
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