Walsingham Day Pilgrimage - From Salt Marsh to Shrine

We begin with the particular kind of light that exists on the north Norfolk marshes and at a busy medieval port of Wells-next-the-Sea, at which pilgrims would have disembarked from their long voyages, and started to walk their final leg of their pilgrimages to Walsingham. You will be guided by BPT's co-founder Guy Hayward.

We start by walking east along the sea wall, with the salt marsh opening out beside us – samphire and sea lavender, the creeks filling and emptying, a curlew calling somewhere out towards the sand. This is wide, unhurried country, and it does most of the work of settling a pilgrim before we have even turned inland.

At Cocklestrand Drove we leave the coast and turn south. The horizon closes in, the lanes narrow, and we come to Warham and its two extraordinary churches: All Saints, cruciform and shorn of its tower, with a Norman font carved with the Labours of the Months; and, hidden behind high walls at the other end of the village, St Mary Magdalene, restored in 1801 and kept ever since in serene Georgian plainness – white walls, box pews, a three-decker pulpit, and fragments of Flemish and medieval glass including two angels playing lutes.

From Warham we pick up the River Stiffkey and follow it up onto its flood plain to Warham Camp, a double-ramparted Iron Age fort riding the chalk above the river. It is one of the finest earthworks in East Anglia, and in summer its banks are thick with chalk grassland flowers and butterflies. We stop here a while. It is a good place to remember that people have been walking to this valley for a very long time, and not always for the reasons we come now.

Then on through All Saints, Wighton, and up to Great Walsingham — first the field where the lost round-towered church of All Saints stood, its outline now only a shadow in the pasture, and then St Peter's itself, built around 1320 and one of the great Decorated churches of Norfolk, its tracery and its worn medieval benches will impress.

The last stretch brings us into Little Walsingham and the Anglican Shrine and it holy well and Black Madonna shrine, and finally into the Abbey Gardens, where the ruined east arch of the original Augustinian priory stands alone in the grass – the last surviving gesture of the church that drew kings and beggars here for four centuries.

For the intrepid, the day has a coda: a further mile out to the Slipper Chapel at Houghton St Giles, where medieval pilgrims left their shoes before walking the Holy Mile barefoot to the shrine. We will walk that mile the other way round, and then back again, which feels like no bad way to end.

Then it's back to Wells-next-the-Sea on the last train at 4.15pm from Walsingham on the famous Wells & Walsingham Light Railway (an additional cost of £11).

Practical details

• Distance: approximately 7.5 miles, or 9 with the Slipper Chapel extension
• Terrain: sea wall and marsh embankment, field paths, quiet lanes and a short stretch of riverside meadow. Largely flat, with one gentle climb to Warham Camp. Can be wet and muddy underfoot in places — proper boots, please.
• Duration: a full day, walking at a pilgrim's pace with stops for silence, song and lunch
• Bring: boots, waterproofs, water, lunch and something small to leave at the shrine
• Suitable for: anyone comfortable with a long, steady day on foot. No previous pilgrimage experience needed, and no particular faith required — only willingness.

Pilgrimage is bring your own beliefs. All are welcome.

This Pilgrimage will include:

‍New ways of meeting old pilgrim places (bring your own beliefs...)
- Folk and sacred songs on the path
- Many layers of mythology, history and story of the North Norfolk landscape
- Opportunities for silence and musical rapture

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, please be in touch on the email above.

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 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 8 miles is a manageable distance for the majority of people, although it is not nothing and you will feel it. 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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